Paheja Siririka

WINDHOEK - With music being universal, one would expect women to be in the industry not only as singers but also as producers. Getting hold of them is difficult because it is either they are upcoming like Afroberries’ DJ Alba or they not based in the country like Gina Jeanz. 

One of the local female music producers, who has been in the industry for a while now is Touch FM’s The Big Breakfast show host Lischen Khachas. “Music has always been a passion, and being an emotional being I found a way to express myself through it,” she said. 

“I entered the music industry in 2005 just before I matriculated. I started off singing for Krazy-E records as Ms Thang, while being managed and produced by Mufaro and Stalin,” she added.  Khachas then took a gap year and enrolled for sound engineering and music productions studies. 

So, it has been a long time, give and take, being part of the industry and growing with it, she explained.  Khachas highlighted the difficulties she faced, and still faces, as a female music producer in Namibia. 

“The fact that one has to always prove oneself, being underestimated, and judged for being part of a male-dominated industry,” she said.  Passionate about music, Khachas has worked with most Namibian artists, either as assistant engineer on their albums, backing vocals, recording producer and featuring on their albums. 

“I want to produce music that is timeless, music that lasts for decades and centuries, like Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley, The Temptations and Prince’s songs. One-hit wonders are for lucky people, not talented people,” said Khachas. 
She advised aspiring female music enthusiasts planning on venturing into the world of music production to never give up or be intimidated by their male counterparts.  

“Go ahead and give it a proper shot, because it can take one good track to make you a hit just as it can take one bad one to teach you,” she said. Khachas further said education is important in music. “Study music production and sound engineering. A producer should have a good ear and I don't mean just source out good songs but you should be able to technically produce good sounds. 

It is of importance to always upgrade your skills and enhance your talent as a producer and reading up on the latest software, plugins and anything that will help you produce quality work,” she said.

Another talented producer and a force to be reckoned with, currently based in South Africa, is Gina Mwoombola aka Gina Jeanz. She said being a female producer in South-Africa comes with its challenges because people tend to think they (female producers) only produce emotional music or they may not know as much as their male counterparts. She rubbished these sentiments as untrue. 

“I am so proud to be a woman, especially in such a male-dominated industry – showing the world that we are just as good at this and contributing to the sound of tomorrow,” she said. 

Her music lives within the future beat sound, a blend of ‘synthy’ sounds, bass, mixed with other electronic sounds. 
“I grew up on R&B but over the years I’ve learned to experiment with different genres, and it’s because of this that I’m able to create the kind of music I do,” she said. 

Gina Jeanz did fine art in school and has always been fascinated by how art, music, film and photography all complement each other. She says art has always been the driving factor behind her music.  

“Sometimes I’d go into art galleries to draw inspiration for a particular song. I literally just sit there and imagine what the painting would sound like if it were music,” she narrated. 
“There are plenty of rooms for female music producers, passion and dedication can take one far,” said Gina Jeanz.