Jaenique Swartz  

The DJ scene remains an ever-growing industry within our four walls and beyond, this is the reality of sister duo, Marelda and Alice Kavehaha, popularly known as MxA.   The young, up-and-coming Amapiano twosome highlights their venture into the music industry and how different the scene has been welcoming women as compared to men. 

“It was challenging, stressful yet a very fun process. There were times where we felt like giving up but certain things like wanting to see ourselves be on top and our nearest and dearest people, such as our mom, sister, and close friends continued to push and motivate us,” they said.  

The duo released their own original music early in October this year titled, ‘Terry’ to celebrate the passing of Marelda’s father who she recalls as a lover of music and dancing, “I thought about producing something that would express my feelings in ways that words could not,” she said.  

Though the duo remains persistent in making a name for themselves, they share some of the challenges they have faced during their journey so far, having only started in April, they noted that it remains difficult to find a manager and having the right connection proves futile during certain times.  

They furthermore note that women in the industry oftentimes must work much harder compared to their male counterparts.

“Women must fight for gigs. It is also based on appearances as well, it is hard to open doors when appearances are valued more than musical skills,” they said.  

Giving up is not an option for them as they highlight that focusing on negativity will never pay off.

 “Work hard and keep pushing for what you believe in, you will face difficult challenges and turbulences along the way but keep your head up. Do it for the music, your entire practice should be about the music you want to share with others,” they concluded.  

-jaeniqueswartz@icloud.com