“The best part of being a deejay is that I have the ability to connect with people through music.”
Known to Kigali ‘clubbers’ as DJ Kleen: born Taremwa Herbert, says he has loved music all his life.
“When I was young, I could spend a lot of time in my room imagining myself as a deejay playing my favorite songs and making people dance“.
Up on realizing that the hobby can be turned into a well paying job, he decided to take ‘deejaying’ classes in 2015 and by the following year(2016), he made it official.
When COVID-19 broke out and many were left unemployed, for DJ Kleen it was another stepping stone as he was hired by RBA(Rwanda Broadcasting Agency) to ‘distract’ Rwandans during the lockdown with “hot jams” on the famous RTV Moto Moto show.
In his opinion, DJ Kleen argues that theres no specific key to success in deejaying. However, a strong passion for music, being able to read and understand a crowd in addition to ability to mix tracks seamlessly is an added advantage.
The career also comes with challenges just like any other with the major one being difficulty in finding interesting music for the audience.
Keeping up with the latest technology and trends further adds to the challenges faced by those in the deejaying industry.
“As long as you love what you do, work hard and stay disciplined, the sky is the limit”, Kleen urges. He also encourages the youth to never stop believing in themselves.
