EXCLUSIVE!! One on One with DJ Ndayo

DJ Ndayo is a very busy man it took me two weeks of persistent nagging for an EXCLUSIVE interview before he was able to fit me into his busy schedule. I was very excited at the opportunity to  get to know this rising star not only on a professional level but hopefully on a personal one as well.

When did you start DJ’ing? 

I technically started DJ school in 2007 and then I dropped out due to other work commitments and only really got back into it in 2009. 

And why? 

Before the DJ’ing started I was more into production and I just could not get my music heard. I therefore started DJ’ing so that I could test my music on the masses. But then I really grew to love the art so now I do both, I am currently focusing more on DJ’ing though.

Are you just passionate about house music or are other types of music included
in your play list as well? 

In my personal play list I have all types of music you can think of from house to jazz, RnB, hip hop, rock, mbhaqanga, opera etc. However as a DJ my focus is purely on house music.

Is your passion for music limited to just DJ’ing and production? 

Music is me and I am music. Music for me is like breathing, if I stop breathing I will die. If I don’t hear music even in my head, I will die. I know it sounds dramatic but I will die.
 

Are you a full-time DJ or do you have a 9-5 job as well? 

I currently also have a full time job and DJ’ing is a part time gig but the intention is to eventually become a full time entertainer.

How do you balance the two? 

I do my day job till about 18:30 and then I go home to relax. Then at 21:00 or 22:00 I start with the DJ’ing work, so I end up sleeping at 2am. That’s my normal working day. 7:30am I get up and I sleep at 2am.

What inspires you? 

Life’s Moments, Sounds, Emotions.

Who do you admire in the SA music industry and why? 

Sphectacula, Euphonik, Fresh & Kent mostly for different reasons. Fresh because of his staying power, ability to re-invent himself and maintaining his stay at the top. Sphectacula for his tenacity, never-say-die attitude as well as his personality. Euphonik for what he has achieved in such a short time. Kent for his perfectionism on the decks as well as his production skills.

DJ Ndayo and DJ Kent

How can people get hold of you to find out where you are playing? 

Follow me on twitter (@djndayo), check out my facebook group page (NDAYO) and my facebook profile (Deejay Ndayo), myspace page (djndayo). I also have a website http://www.djndayo.com/

What are the things in life that make you smile? 

A comedian, my friends, good people

Other than music, is there anything else that you are passionate about? 

Sports, especially soccer!!! I am crazy about it. I even buy magazines and newspapers just for the sports section. 

When Bafana Bafana was knocked out of the World cup, who were you supporting and why?
Soccer, I just support soccer. I only have a heart for one country.

I don’t see a ring on your finger so I have to ask, are you taken?

No comment.

Ndayo was such a pleasure to interview, he's very friendly, humble and down to earth. 

If you haven't experienced DJ Ndayo's magic on the decks yet, you can catch him at FTV World Wear, Randburg this Saturday, 24th of July for the Fantasy Party at 20:00! See you there.

HEAT Magazine

Am spending majority f this week at the Heat offices in Sandton. Today was my first day and I think it went pretty well, could have been better though.
I hope to have lots to share after my stint here and also to have been educated on the ins and outs of the magazine industry. I didn't have a photo opportunity today so have nothing to share but I do have the latest copy of Heat Magazine lying next to me, go out there and get your copy too :)

Nkhensani Nkosi - Uber Fashion Cherrie

I have always admired Nkhensani Nkosi’s achievements in the fashion industry and even though I cannot always afford to buy her label (Stoned Cherrie), I am still a big fan. I am planning to wear a dress from her label for my traditional wedding (whenever that will be?!) as a treat for myself for my special day.



When I saw her on the cover of this month’s DESTINY magazine, I immediately picked it up and bought it and I was not disappointed after reading the feature about her. She always comes across as approachable, grounded, friendly and optimistic and because she always shares all the challenges that she has been through and faced in her journey with her fashion label, it reminds us that she’s normal and not the uber fashion queen I sometimes imagine her to be. I love and admire her style, she doesn’t always follow trends which is what makes her always stand out .


Below is the behind the scenes footage of her cover shoot for DESTINY magazine. It provides further insight into the wonderful, South African fashion icon that Nkhensani is.



http://www.destinyconnect.com/destinytv.aspx

PEPE

My boyfriend is a budding house DJ and this has exposed me to a lot of house music, I consider myself a fundi in the making, lol! I came across DJ Zinhle’s new music for her house song ‘Pepe’, the video features comedians David Kau and Chris Mapane who are big fans of DJ Zinhle in the video. I love the concept I think it’s very funny, job well done!

Young Forever

Recently listened to blueprint 3, recently being last week, yes I know "I am such a loser" and "where have I been all this time" yeah, yeah, yeah! Anyways I found that I loved almost all the songs on the album, my favourite being "Young Forever". I am so glad that Jay-z chose to do a video of this song because it just inspires me, I hope it conjures similar emotions in you too, just listen.
Much love xxx

Goodbye Karabo :(

As you all know or should know by now Connie Ferguson has resigned from Generations, she actually announced this on twitter about two months ago which I am assuming is why the whole Lungile Mabena storyline was brought in because he will probably be Karabo’s happy ending, finally!! The build up to Karabo’s departure has been drama-filled with Dineo doing everything she can to break up Karabo and Paul and finally succeeding. In last night’s episode Karabo even admitted to Ntombi that she doesn’t want Paul back and that she’s actually in love with Lungile.

I was very sad to hear that Connie was leaving Generations because Karabo’s character has been the pillar of the show and she is the last true Moroka descendant. She’s been a part of our lives since 1994 when the soapie began and it’s so difficult to imagine the show without her. We have been through everything with her including drug abuse, miscarriages, blindness, psychotic husband, cheating and a lot of almost-happy-endings! I will definitely miss her character and wish Connie all the best in the new chapter in her journey.


Tonight.co.za reported the following on May 3, 2010:
Connie Ferguson, who plays Karabo Moroka in Generations, is to leave the drama series.
In a press release, Mfundi Vundla, executive producer of the SABC1 show, said: "It is with the fondest memories that I think back to Episode 1 of Generations, 16 years ago, in which Connie first featured as Karabo Moroka.
"Connie is a leading lady in the true sense of the word. We will remember her for her professionalism, dedication and loyalty - she is an icon that will be sorely missed by her loyal followers as well as the Generations family."
Ferguson is quoted in the press release as saying the past sixteen years with Generations had been an amazing and a humbling experience.
"I have received so much love from fans locally and abroad. After sixteen years with the show though, I do feel the time has come for me to go out into the world and see what else is out there for me. I feel like a teenager who is just about to leave home for the first time, both excited and nervous.
"A big thank you to Mfundi, Friedrich and Elsje, the executive producer and producers of Generations respectively, for giving me the opportunity to be a part of history in South African TV entertainment, and my colleagues for the love and support they have shown me over the years. I wish them all many more years of Generations.".
Ferguson will not be doing any interviews until her official departure from the show in August 2010.
The character of Karabo will be on our screens till October this year.

 If you are like me and you sometimes cannot wait until the next episode to get an idea of what’s going to happen next on Generations then you can visit the Generations blog.It features updates on every single episode if you may have missed one and also Teasers for some of the upcoming shows.
http://www.gensblog.co.za/teasers/
http://www.tonight.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=3733&fArticleId=5454058 

Essie Resort Collection

How Pretty is this new Essie Collection? Love, love, love it!

A Clandestine Beauty..

Last year they had a sale Musica where you could buy two CD’s for the price of one, I really wanted Brandy’s CD so I quickly grabbed that one and was really stuck on the second CD. I ended up getting Taylor Swift’s CD and my justification was that if she could beat Beyonce in an awards category, she’s definitely worth a listen. I didn’t regret my decision; I fell in love with her acoustic/country/pop sound and love playing some of her songs on my ipod whilst running. I just wanted to share with you some pics of her from a recent photo shoot for Marie Claire magazine, she’s a clandestine beauty.

BIRTHDAY BUNGEE!

It was my friend Nandi’s birthday on Saturday and we went to Soweto as she had requested to celebrate. We started off at the Soweto Towers where she was going to bungee jump. The Soweto Towers are very pretty and also quite tall, the whole establishment is run like a well-oiled machine. Nandi did her jump and it honestly didn’t look that bad or scary from an observer’s point of view and she didn’t have to hang around upside down for long, she was immediately hoisted down and relieved from the ropes. She paid R480 for the jump and an extra R100 for pictures and video of her jump.

Afterwards we went to the Hector Peterson Memorial Museum (where we were not allowed to take any pictures) and it was quite an emotional journey. If you’re a black South African, it’s very difficult to walk out of the museum unscathed of any emotion. I learnt so much more about the struggle especially about all the events that led to the riots and marches of 1976. There are testimonials from students who were there as well as images that I had not seen before. There’s video footage of interviews of the students and even some of the policeman that fired the gunshots at the students. If you want to get a full understanding of the build up of the events of June 16 1976, I highly recommend it.

We then drove to the Soweto Hotel on Walter Sisulu Square for a late lunch and to give Nandi her gifts. The food at the hotel was average and the service was absolutely horrible, the food took 2 hours to be served and they got one of my friends order wrong 4 times and she eventually didn’t eat anything. They had to serve us a round of free drinks just to calm us down. Besides that drama, we had an awesome day and Nandi definitely jumped into her new age with a bang!

VIVA ESPANA!!

Congratulations to Spain, the new World Champions! They beat Netherlands last night at Soccer city by 1-0 in extra time in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final match. They definitely played a better game than the Dutch who were committing fouls left, right and centre and even received a red card for one of their players. The Spanish are now both European and World champions, also the first European team to win the World Cup outside of Europe and it's their first World Cup win ever!!
Above is the picture of the victorious team hoisting up the trophy!

LV goes back in time..

Pictures from the Louis Vuitton Fall 2010 Photo Shoot. I absolutely love it and all I am going to say is “I want too!”

Love Essie

Anybody who knows me and sees me quite often would know that I love nail polish :). My nails are always coloured up in seasonal trend colours, colours that compliment my outfit and even sometimes colours that are reflective of my mood.
My absolute favourite nail polish brand is Essie, they have such an infinite range of colours and their seasonal offers are always aligned to current fashion trends. I am a sucker for pink shades, I currently have about seven which are absolutely not enough, I still need to get more!! Essie is also known for having the catchiest, funkiest and sometimes funny names for all their different shades and it’s always funny when you ask friends what shades they’re wearing because the response will never meet expectations. I am currently wearing a pink shade called guchi muchi puchi!
Essie is used at most nail parlours and spa’s and is available at Dischem for about R84. If you love nail colour I highly recommend it, it’s an investment towards your collection.
I just want to introduce you to their new Spring and Summer 2010 collections below; I love Knockout Punch, Pop Art Pink & Neo Whimsical!

Spring 2010 Collection

Summer 2010 Collection

Also visit their blog to find out more about the brand and all the latest news.
http://www.essie.com/essieblog/

Your in Nail Colour :)

All I do is WIN!!

My cousin had a birthday party last month at Cofi in Pretoria and it was also the first time that I heard this song by DJ Khaled called “All I do is Win”. As soon as it came on the whole club just went C-R-A-Z-Y!! And I don’t blame them either because it was love at first audio for me too or this is largely because of the positive message being shared by the hip hop stars’ rugged voices. It’s highly unlikely that you ever hear rappers songs with positive lyrics, so I hope that the success of this song will help some realize that this is a step in the right direction because their young audience really does need to hear such motivational messages. The song is sung with such attitude that you can’t help but get on the dance floor and pull a face when you dance to it, especially if you consider yourself a winner!

At the office most of the people that are in my team are based in East Africa and there’s only 3 of us from the team that are based in South Africa. We decided that this song would be our theme song and we all have it as a ringtone, it’s just so cool :)

Below is the video, I hope you like it too.

*Twenty-Somethings*

My friends and I are part of what we call a “Society”, the name is based on a television program that was called Society about four women who are friends and face different issues but always have the ‘Society' to turn to for support and friendship.
We started the Society in July 2009 and it was driven by the fact that we live in the same city but we hardly ever see each other. So the plan was that once a month, one f us will host everyone else at their place and they will provide the main meal and everybody else will bring something like drinks, snacks, dessert, starters etc. We did that until Dec 2009 and it really worked so well because it allowed us to catch up on each other’s lives and just have fun together.
In January 2010, we had now established our ‘Society’ and wanted to formalise it and upgrade it, so we started off by thinking of a name to call ourselves and after countless arguments and brainstorming we all agreed on “Twenty-Somethings”. After that we worked on an events, travelling and hosting plan for the year. We were still going to meet at each other’s places but only every second month. Then every other month where no one was hosting we would do fun activities for example we attended Trevor Noah’s Comedy Show together, we had a mobile spa, we attended a Glamour movie event together, basically the list of things that we want to do is endless! We also suggested all the places that we would like to travel to and we currently have a travelling plan that will run until 2014. Other than these events we also have birthday celebrations where the birthday girl will suggest what she would like to do for her birthday and we make it happen.
In order to ensure that we can all afford to do all these things we opened a bank account under our group name and every month we all deposit a fixed amount of money and this money is used to fund all our FUN!

This may seem like an information overload but it’s become so easy to manage. I actually manage all our notes and document all the decision we make and every time we meet we go through the agenda first which consist of all the events, travel plans, birthdays and hosting information and then we catch up on what everyone’s been up to. One of my friends works in a bank and she tracks our bank statements and updates us on a monthly basis on how much money we have, who’s paid and who still needs to. The others are tasked with leading different events so that everyone is responsible for something.

It hasn’t been smooth-sailing though we have had to iron out quite a few issues. People used to arrive late for events and make feeble excuses and we decided that if you are late you pay R100 fine and if you do not arrive at all then you pay a R200 fine, this has worked out great because now everyone is on time. We also had quite a few unresolved issues amongst ourselves as friends so we had an honesty session where we had to tell each other what we liked and didn’t like about each other and the first time we did it, there were tears, but it really helped everyone air out their issues with each other and also strengthens the bond as friends. The second time that we did it was such a breeze because everyone was more mature about it, they could take the criticism and there were NO TEARS!!!

We always have fun when we’re together and I always learn something from the things we discuss. It also helps end the procrastinating on things that you have always loved to do but don’t make the time for; it really forces us to do these things. Being a part of the Society has really helped us all grow in so many different ways and it’s so liberating to know that we can discuss anything with each other.

Let’s all raise our glasses to “sisterhood”, cheers!

GO GHANA!!

Loving GHANA's Team Spirit! Shine Black Stars Shine!

Marc Jacobs

I was recently introduced to the genius that is Marc Jacobs, the extraordinary designer when I saw a famous celebrity carrying one of his bags. I visited his website and was gobsmacked by his bag collection, had to wipe the drool from my mouth, it is stunning, absolutely beautiful! The messenger bag is my current favourite trend and his selection is just breath-taking, there are so many colours and styles to choose from. You have to visit his self-titled website and check out the magic that this man crafts. He should be every woman's BFF!

Below is Marc’s biography from Vogue.co.uk:

Marc Jacobs has the Midas touch and an innate ability to design clothes that people want to wear. Whether he designs a satchel or a shoe it's always something everyone wants. From grunge to prom, from private jet to Tokyo nightclub, he has an outfit that suits.
His workload includes Marc Jacobs, Marc by Marc and Louis Vuitton - a titanic selection of back to back collections but he still has time to build a world class contemporary art collection and dress in pigeon costumes at his annual fancy dress party.

Born in New York City in 1963
• His grandmother, who he credits with being "the biggest influence in life", taught him how to knit.
• At 15, Jacobs worked as a stock boy in New York's trendy Charivari boutique and it was there that he was introduced to Perry Ellis who "embodied cool to me. He had long hair; he didn't wear a suit and tie, and he made funky clothes that were a big success. He gave me a lot of hope"
• Jacobs studied at the Parsons School of Art and Design in New York where he won the Perry Ellis Golden Thimble award in 1984
• He designed a radical grunge collection for Perry Ellis but they laid him off in 1992 - the year he won the Women's Designer of the Year award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America
• Two years later he launched his eponymous label, supported by models Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista, who worked for free. They were clothes for "a woman who brings home the bacon, but also fries it up in the pan"
• In 1997, Jacobs was appointed creative director of Louis Vuitton where he developed the company's first ready-to-wear line
http://www.marcjacobs.com/#/en-us/marcjacobscollection/women/fallwinter10/bags

Andre Ayew - hottie from the BaGhana BaGhana team.

After Bafana Bafana’s early yet valiant exit from the 2010 FIFA World Cup, all Africans have rallied behind the Ghanaian team (now dubbed BaGhana BaGhana) as they were the only African team in the first ever African World Cup that made it through to the last 16 and now the quarter finals. I am also naturally behind Ghana and am crossing fingers that they are the team destined to be hoisting up that trophy on the 11th of July!

Now of course I wouldn’t be a girl if I hadn’t noticed that the Ghana team also boasts some talent in the “drool-worthy, be-still-my-heart, good-looking soccer players” department. I know that we could argue between Kevin Prince Boateng and Andre Ayew as to whom wins but seeing as it’s my blog, Andre Ayew wins hands down! Andre comes from a very talented, football-focused family and based on his performance in the World Cup is the next sensation for Ghana on the field. I am already a fan :)

"André Morgan Rami Ayew (born 17 December 1989) is a French-born Ghanaian football player who currently plays for Ligue 2 club AC Arles-Avignon on loan from Ligue 1 club Olympique de Marseille. He is often referred to as simply Dédé. Ayew plays as a winger, but can play as a striker. He is the second-born son of the three-time winner of the African Footballer of the Year award and FIFA 100 member Abedi Pele and has three other brothers, Ibrahim, Jordan, and Imani who also play football."

You are your SCENT!

I went perfume shopping yesterday and was very excited because I had not done it in a while and I love checking out all the new scents, bottle shapes and just being a girl! I am so lucky because some of the brands of the company that I work for are perfumes (Lacoste, Hugo Boss, Escada, Kenzo etc.) so all employees get 40% off their perfume purchases at a special store. I went to Chanel fragrance workshop in 2007 hosted by Glamour magazine and learnt about the different types of perfumes and how long they last and obviously the more expensive it is, the more intensive and concentrated it is means the longer the scent will last on your skin. Perfume lasts over 6hours, eau de parfum lasts 4-6hours, eau de toilette lasts 2 or more hours & cologne lasts up to 2hours.

I am a big fan of the 3F’s - fresh, feminine, floral scents and had already made up my mind that I wanted the Hugo Boss Femme and Carolina Herrera’s Sexy 212 because these fragrances are just that. I have loved the Femme and have been using it for a while now and I recently fell in love with the 212 sexy. A perfume is a reflection of your personality so I decided to do a little more research about these two scents that I love so much just to see if I am the right fit :)

Carolina Herrera’s 212 Sexy – Eau de ParfumThe fragrance was inspired by a sensual vision of an evening in New York, strong, magnetic and extremely feminine. It is ideal for a seductive and sophisticated woman…just like New York. The bottle is sensual, seductive and tempting in metallic mauve & pink tones. The scent is fresh, oriental & tasty, sophisticated and sensual which is perfect for New York Nights. The top notes are citrus spicy, middle notes area tasty floral and base notes are oriental woody musk.


http://www.ilove212.com/products/212-sexy/

Hugo Boss Femme –Eau de Parfum
Boss Femme Perfume by Hugo Boss was launched in 2006 and exudes an aura of captivating femininity, its lingering warmth is sublimely sophisticated and modern. Marked by fruity top notes of tangerine and black currant, the fragrance is grounded in a creamy, musk-like base.

Hugo Boss Femme Ad



I am wearing the 212 Sexy today and I cannot stop smelling myself, I love it! Both these perfumes are definitely representative of what I want in a scent, I love smelling feminine and aspire for sophistication and leaving a sense of mystery. I hope that I have helped in guiding you to find the right one for YOU!