She’s one of the most recognised female DJs in Mzansi and the rest of Africa. She’s known as the hip-hop queen of the decks and has earned her stripes in a male-dominated industry of DJs.
Nonqaba Kwraxa known as Ms Cosmo is a bold and fierce young woman force who has firmly established herself as a sought-after DJ, producer, radio personality, and TV presenter. She first broke into the scene as a mainstream DJ on YFM in 2012 and later joined 5FM which catapulted her career landing her spots in Channel O Africa where she acquired millions of fans in the SADC region. Through hard work and perseverance, Ms Cosmo earned her spot on local and international stages and concerts, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Kanye West, Chris Brown, and many others. Locally she’s collaborated with big stars like Nasty C, Kwesta, Nomuzi, and Sho Madjozi.
Ms Cosmo lets us into her world of music and reveals why she has a strong passion for women empowerment.
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP AND HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE MISS COSMO?
My birth name is Nonqaba Rwaxa born and bred in Johannesburg where I attended Bryanston Primary and Bryanston High School. After high school, I studied at the University of Johannesburg majoring in Bcom Finance. After graduating I landed a corporate job in a big bank for about four years as a Commercial Property Finance Consultant. While I was doing property and finance during the day, I was DJing on weekends as a hobby. During the week you would see me in the office doing the regular 9 to 5 and on the weekends I would be bumping it up in the club and house parties.
One thing I loved about my day job is that it helped me to finance my DJing hobby because I was able to book DJing lessons that have helped and skilled me to become who I am today. I later joined radio stations such as YFM and the experience I gained over time motivated me to leave the banking industry and become a full-time DJ.
WHEN DID YOU GET YOUR BREAK INTO THE MUSIC INDUSTRY?
I would say when I joined the YFM family. Anyone can be a DJ if you take some lessons, but certain moments in life put you in front of the relevant people and their radar, leading you to grab your opportunity. When I joined YFM in 2012, I was part of the first batch of Y2KO DJs with Shimza, DJ Zan D, and Just Mo. We would do a mix together once a week on the radio, and I would obviously play hip-hop, and that soon gave people the idea that there is a new female hip-hop DJ around. That was my power because playing hip-hop made me stand out from the rest. Being on a well-known radio station, I was able to spread my wings and take my dream a little further. I had the resources to send out my demos and that landed me a slot on 5FM.
WHEN DID YOU GET YOUR BREAK INTO THE MUSIC INDUSTRY?
I would say when I joined the YFM family. Anyone can be a DJ if you take some lessons, but certain moments in life put you in front of the relevant people and their radar, leading you to grab your opportunity. When I joined YFM in 2012, I was part of the first batch of Y2KO DJs with Shimza, DJ Zan D, and Just Mo. We would do a mix together once a week on the radio, and I would obviously play hip-hop, and that soon gave people the idea that there is a new female hip-hop DJ around. That was my power because playing hip-hop made me stand out from the rest. Being on a well-known radio station, I was able to spread my wings and take my dream a little further. I had the resources to send out my demos and that landed me a slot on 5FM.
This was a great move for me because I wanted to speak more on the radio as opposed to just mixing tracks. When I joined 5FM I used my skills on internet radio and the more experience I gained the more my brand grew. Concurrently with YFM I also joined Channel O Basement DJs, fortunately, that opened me up to the rest of Africa because the Channel O feed was throughout Africa. I was able to get bookings in places such as Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, and Lesotho, so that too played a major part in my success journey.
WHAT DOES YOUR REGULAR DAY LOOK LIKE?
Because things are a little bit slow these days, I wake up to check my emails, and social media and then after about two hours I am done with my admin. I then continue to work on my goals for the year, mostly with my music. Before lockdown, on the weekends you would find me out doing gigs and promoting my music.
HOW DO YOU SEE THE WORLD ADAPTING TO THE CURRENT CHANGES IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY?
It’s hard to predict things in this lifetime because things change so often. What I realised because of the lockdown, people have had to change their mindsets and the way they consumed music. Typically people would be enjoying music in clubs, in restaurants, while exercising in the gym, or while they are driving. Now that there have been restrictions to most of these places, people have adapted to the new online way of life. I’ve seen the pattern even in the type of music that has had a major jump during the lockdown. People have moved into smoother music types such as R&B and soulful sounds and club music has taken a dip.
WHAT DOES YOUR REGULAR DAY LOOK LIKE?
Because things are a little bit slow these days, I wake up to check my emails, and social media and then after about two hours I am done with my admin. I then continue to work on my goals for the year, mostly with my music. Before lockdown, on the weekends you would find me out doing gigs and promoting my music.
HOW DO YOU SEE THE WORLD ADAPTING TO THE CURRENT CHANGES IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY?
It’s hard to predict things in this lifetime because things change so often. What I realised because of the lockdown, people have had to change their mindsets and the way they consumed music. Typically people would be enjoying music in clubs, in restaurants, while exercising in the gym, or while they are driving. Now that there have been restrictions to most of these places, people have adapted to the new online way of life. I’ve seen the pattern even in the type of music that has had a major jump during the lockdown. People have moved into smoother music types such as R&B and soulful sounds and club music has taken a dip.
I think for most artists in 2021 they need to produce balanced albums, good music that is enjoyable anywhere and anytime but with a strong message relevant to the times. With everything being digital, music is easily accessible via downloads whereas before you would have to physically go to a CD store to purchase, this has made life much easier for artists as well as music followers.
HOW HAS YOUR MUSIC AND SOUND EVOLVED FROM WHEN YOU FIRST CAME INTO THE DJ SCENE?
I think I have evolved holistically. I have opened myself up to understanding what direction music is taking now. It’s important for artists to be adaptable, to remain current but still keeping their original sound. It’s also crucial to keep my sound very much local because I think some hip-hop artists find it hard to maintain African authenticity in hip-hop because it often sounds so American. But we have our local flavour in hip-hop which is evident in artists like Kwesta with his hits ‘Ngudu’ and ‘Spirit’ which has mixes of kwaito in between. It’s good to experiment with a lot of sounds but always remain true to your roots as an artist.
WHAT PLANS DO YOU HAVE FOR THIS YEAR?
It's been a bit hard to make plans because of all the uncertainty in the world right now, but what I am keeping myself busy with is the music. That’s been my biggest drive for 2020 and 2021, so I’ll be working on new music and finalising a lot of songs that have I have left in the air. Fortunately, the Covid restrictions are not as tight as before, so I’ll be able to go into the studio and focus more on my work.
ANY COLLABORATIONS PLANNED?
Definitely, as a DJ it’s very difficult for me to release a song on my own because I’m not a vocal artist so all my songs will have features on them. What I’m trying to do with collaborations is to bring in artists that would not normally collaborate, and seem like an unlikely combination. Exciting stuff coming in the future, watch this space!
WOULD YOU SAY YOU ARE WHERE YOU PLANNED TO BE IN YOUR LIFE?
Not exactly. There are so many things I still want to achieve and meet the goals that I’ve set. Although I am very appreciative of my journey thus far, I do believe there is so much more that is possible and I’m going to push more to achieve those dreams this year.
IF YOU WERE NOT A DJ, WHAT CAREER WOULD YOU BE IN?
I do think I would take the entrepreneurial direction. I would probably be in property investing and business development, which would grow money. That is also something that I’m deeply passionate about.
WHAT IS YOUR DAILY SOURCE OF STRENGTH?
Besides my bills LOL! I draw my strength from my passion to want to make a difference. That is my biggest drive. To open up opportunities for other women looking to enter the DJing space. Also, it's all about the love of music, which is something very dear to my heart.
WHY IS WOMEN EMPOWERMENT SO IMPORTANT TO YOU?
When I was coming up in the game there were very few women in the hip-hop DJ space to look up to. I want to be able to open up doors for females to feel comfortable in the entertainment space without the pressure to be half-naked for them to be recognised and appreciated. To teach them that your talent needs to speak for itself and how to master your craft.
WHO DO YOU LOOK UP TO IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY?
DJ Zinhle! She’s become a huge household brand and mogul. I admire her drive and work ethic and I am very much inspired by her. Beyoncé is someone that I look up to as well, not necessarily because of her music but how resilient she is with getting through all of her life’s hurdles but still manages to deliver incomparable productions. These are the two powerhouses I regard as being super awesome in all areas of their lives.
WHAT KIND OF MARK DO YOU HOPE TO MAKE IN THE WORLD?
In the entertainment industry, I would like to leave my mark as someone who created opportunities for women. As much there is equality, it is still not enough for women to feel independent without having to rely on someone to take them into the next step.
WHAT ARE 5 FUN FACTS ABOUT YOU?
HOW HAS YOUR MUSIC AND SOUND EVOLVED FROM WHEN YOU FIRST CAME INTO THE DJ SCENE?
I think I have evolved holistically. I have opened myself up to understanding what direction music is taking now. It’s important for artists to be adaptable, to remain current but still keeping their original sound. It’s also crucial to keep my sound very much local because I think some hip-hop artists find it hard to maintain African authenticity in hip-hop because it often sounds so American. But we have our local flavour in hip-hop which is evident in artists like Kwesta with his hits ‘Ngudu’ and ‘Spirit’ which has mixes of kwaito in between. It’s good to experiment with a lot of sounds but always remain true to your roots as an artist.
WHAT PLANS DO YOU HAVE FOR THIS YEAR?
It's been a bit hard to make plans because of all the uncertainty in the world right now, but what I am keeping myself busy with is the music. That’s been my biggest drive for 2020 and 2021, so I’ll be working on new music and finalising a lot of songs that have I have left in the air. Fortunately, the Covid restrictions are not as tight as before, so I’ll be able to go into the studio and focus more on my work.
ANY COLLABORATIONS PLANNED?
Definitely, as a DJ it’s very difficult for me to release a song on my own because I’m not a vocal artist so all my songs will have features on them. What I’m trying to do with collaborations is to bring in artists that would not normally collaborate, and seem like an unlikely combination. Exciting stuff coming in the future, watch this space!
WOULD YOU SAY YOU ARE WHERE YOU PLANNED TO BE IN YOUR LIFE?
Not exactly. There are so many things I still want to achieve and meet the goals that I’ve set. Although I am very appreciative of my journey thus far, I do believe there is so much more that is possible and I’m going to push more to achieve those dreams this year.
IF YOU WERE NOT A DJ, WHAT CAREER WOULD YOU BE IN?
I do think I would take the entrepreneurial direction. I would probably be in property investing and business development, which would grow money. That is also something that I’m deeply passionate about.
WHAT IS YOUR DAILY SOURCE OF STRENGTH?
Besides my bills LOL! I draw my strength from my passion to want to make a difference. That is my biggest drive. To open up opportunities for other women looking to enter the DJing space. Also, it's all about the love of music, which is something very dear to my heart.
WHY IS WOMEN EMPOWERMENT SO IMPORTANT TO YOU?
When I was coming up in the game there were very few women in the hip-hop DJ space to look up to. I want to be able to open up doors for females to feel comfortable in the entertainment space without the pressure to be half-naked for them to be recognised and appreciated. To teach them that your talent needs to speak for itself and how to master your craft.
WHO DO YOU LOOK UP TO IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY?
DJ Zinhle! She’s become a huge household brand and mogul. I admire her drive and work ethic and I am very much inspired by her. Beyoncé is someone that I look up to as well, not necessarily because of her music but how resilient she is with getting through all of her life’s hurdles but still manages to deliver incomparable productions. These are the two powerhouses I regard as being super awesome in all areas of their lives.
WHAT KIND OF MARK DO YOU HOPE TO MAKE IN THE WORLD?
In the entertainment industry, I would like to leave my mark as someone who created opportunities for women. As much there is equality, it is still not enough for women to feel independent without having to rely on someone to take them into the next step.
WHAT ARE 5 FUN FACTS ABOUT YOU?
- I’m extremely clumsy, I have a bad habit of trying to carry everything at once! I hate doing two trips when carrying groceries into the house.
- I’m also OCD – I love a clean space, it helps with my mental state.
- I also have a weird habit of wanting numbers to be on zero! I hate odd numbers, for me, numbers must be even and balanced.
- I love to travel. Travelling gives me the pleasure of tuning out and switching off from the world.
- My favourite person in the entire world is my nephew. My sister had a baby recently and he has been such a joy and blessing for my family.
TURN UP THE VOLUME WITH MISS COSMO
Reviewed by Michelle Pienaar
on
January 22, 2021
Rating:
Reviewed by Michelle Pienaar
on
January 22, 2021
Rating:
