Size 8's sister Deejay 7 breaks out

Some wrote her off when Pulse first broke the news that she wanted to take a deejaying career. But now, Mary Munyali aka Deejay 7 is coming off the shell and defining herself as the youngest female deejay in Kenya.

Two months ago, soft-spoken young showbiz beauty Deejay 7 graduated from Spins Trade Academy where she had been doing her deejaying studies.

Then, recently, a call came from Carnivore Restaurant, one of the pioneer entertainment hubs in Nairobi. They wanted to hire her as their resident deejay.

It is only seven months since she declared her interests in the profession. Critics dismissed her as a wannabe who wanted to blossom to fame under the shadow of her celebrity sister, Size 8.

We engaged her in an up-close and candid talk about her new passion and the challenges of breaking from her sister’s shadow.

Pulse: You have always been  with your singer sister Size 8. At what point did you discover  you had a deejaying talent and break from her shadow?

Deejay 7: I have always loved music. Back in St Lawrence in Uganda where I studied, I was the entertainment captain for over a year. I used to dance and act as well as deejaying. I have settled for the latter.

P: At first you labelled yourself Size 7 and got some backlash from people thinking you were aping Size 8, your sister. At what point did you change your name to Deejay 7?

D7: People called me Size 7 as my stature is slightly small compared to my sister Size 8. The fact that I am a deejay naturally turned this to Deejay 7.

P: Don’t you think it is a bit hard for people to picture you as a separate entity, Deejay 7, who does not have to be seen through her sister’s fame?

D7: I can’t control people’s opinion on this matter. Size 8 and I are two different people. I have just cleared deejaying school and that means I am a competent professional deejay whose abilities should be viewed through my professional deeds, not through Size 8’s eyes.

P: What did you learn at Spin Trade Academy?

D7: I learned all the basics about deejaying. I had been training with Virtual Deejaying at home until I discovered it takes more to be a deejay. They started by teaching me manual deejaying through turntables and records, mixing and sound as well as electronics. I learned how to use Serato and make mix tapes using Acid technology. I can now spin at any gig.

P: What direction do you want to take as a deejay?

D7: I want to be an all-round deejay before I think of specialising. In a nutshell, I don’t want to close myself in a box. Later on, I want to go into production, making beats and cutting new sounds for my clients, then the rest will fall in place.

P: It’s not an easy task though when you think of getting a major breakthrough, right?

D7: It isn’t but who wants success coming their way easy? I have good mentors like DJ Crème who is teaching me the rules of this game. Success and failure are a state of the mind.

P: Does the fact that your brother and sisters are in the entertainment industry help you in achieving this?

D7: When you think of that in terms of getting favours, the answer is no. But they have helped model me. My brother Simiyu is a radio presenter while our elder sister is an events manager. All this surely counts.

P: As part of the new showbiz breed taking over the local industry, how far do you see your star shining?

D7: To me, this is a lifestyle. It is what I want to do for life. The sky is the limit. I have been studying about top female deejays in the world and how they have made it. I am the next big thing — so help me God.

P: What makes you think you will succeed in a field where many female deejays have failed?

D7: Whatever made them failures could be my strength to success. My eyes are fixed on the price.