She’s the other half of the DJ duo Afroberries and fast becoming one of Namibia’s favourite Djs.

Our last cover star of the year is the beautiful and talented DJ Alba Nalo. We sit down with the star to recap on her journey and rise to fame.

She is shot by Tuva Wolf Studio and dressed in her favourite swimsuits.


DJ Alba


People see you behind the decks all the time but who is Alba?

Alba is a super introvert you will hardly see me out unless I have a gig.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I’ll probably be online watching youtube videos to get inspiration.

Are you a nightlife person seeing that you are a dj?

Ironically no, I’m not a fan of the night life I go out to work every other weekend so the last thing I want to do is go clubbing , my social anxiety won’t allow me to turn up lol. If I’m not DJing somewhere 95% of the time, I’ll be indoors.

When, how and why did you get into the industry?

The love for music got me here, I loved singing but because I was so shy I found  it very hard to sing in front of people 😅, but I’m actually getting out of it, I think DJing in front of crowds helped a lot and it was the only way I felt I could express myself through music.

What are your thoughts about the industry right now, especially about female djs? Concerns? Hopes?

We have very few consistent female DJs which is kind of sad because when someone asks you to recommend a female you can’t really do that, as one day they dj, tomorrow they don’t dj anymore. It’s never wise to stop and then continue when you feel like it because clients will think you are not serious. It’s also very important to really learn the craft and not depend on the fact that you are female to make a mark in the industry that’s why I don’t really put too much emphasis on the fact that I’m female.

Think of yourself as “a DJ “  and not as “ a female DJ”

What or who were your early passions and influences?

I take influence from people in different industries, growing up I loved Aaliyah and Ciara, Chris Brown and Thembi Seethe. I think because I loved dancing soo much. I also grew up listening to a lot of local music like Snazzy, Dogg, Gal Level and Gazza, I took inspiration from all these people especially the way they treated their brands back then. People really underestimate the power of branding.

How has the transition been since you broke into the industry?

I’m lucky I started at a time when female Djing in Namibia was really unheard of, so I had a lot of people who helped me get where I am today. I just came from Zambia for a week long female DJ workshop where I was one of the mentors/ facilitator so it has been a great transition  for me so far, bigger and better things are yet to come.

What are currently your main challenges as a DJ? What is it about DJing, compared to, say, producing your own music, that makes it interesting for you?

A set back would probably be a lack of understanding of Djing as an art, not everyone will be able to learn to beat match 2 songs manually, that is excluding DJ software that  automatically does the beat matching for you which is basically a cheat, that is why I personally stay away from laptop software at my gigs. People nowadays get a laptop and they call themselves a DJ but they have no clue how to beatmatch manually . I love both producing and DJing equally I think I got into DJing because I loved the idea of creating a new sound which happens when you play 2 songs at the same time while DJing, I’m definitely getting into production.

Should we lookout for an Afroberries album soon though?

For now we are focusing on events and singles hopefully in the near future we can start working on a project. Also do  expect my solo projects next year.

What do you usually start with when preparing for a set?

I normally look at the image or feel of the event by researching their previous instalments , from there I know what type of crowd the event has pulled the previous year. At smaller club events  I normally switch between Hip Hop, RnB,  House and Afrobeats, so I would have all these files on stand by just incase the previous DJs have been playing too much of one genre and the crowd is ready to switch up.

It’s very important to be at an event atleast an hour early just to read the vibe.

There’s so much music out there, what makes you decide to play a particular record during one of your sets? Is there a criteria other than pure subjectivity, for selecting what to play at a gig?

For bigger festivals I always try to do something different, because most of the times people come there to watch a performance opposed to club events where people normally just come to have a good dance,but both are a great opportunity to educate the crowd on new music, they are not always accepting to the new stuff so it all depends on your deliverance.

 

The relationship with the audience is crucial for a DJ, and yet it seems to be a fragile one. How do you see the balance between giving the crowd what they want and treating them to something new? 

This debate has been ongoing for soo long: do you play for the entity that booked you or do you play for the crowd? Very tricky huh, I try my best to please both parties, before an event I have a talk with my clients just incase they have special requests so that I find a way to incorporate them into my set.

Please recommend two DJs to our readers which you feel deserve their attention.

Probably DJ Roxy and DJ Dreas, he’s a crazy producer.

 


House of Nalo:


Talk to us about House of Nalo, how’d that come about?

House of Nalo was born in late 2016 I had been retrenched from my 8-5 job *the economy really is struggling hey*so I needed to keep myself busy when I was not gigging and because I always loved making my own accessories and people would ask where I got them that is where it hit me, why don’t I turn this into something bigger? I did not want to depend on one income only. I showed a few samples to some industry friends who gave me positive reviews and boom I launched it on 1 Jan 2018 and it has been doing great ever since.

 What’s the creative process like? Walk us through it.

I try to keep up with accessory brands on a daily so I can just see what is trending, so I take inspiration from there.

What’s next collection called? What should we look forward to? When does it come out?

I haven’t decided on the name for the next collection yet but, I will add a neckpiece line and an earing line which will be launched next year.

Are the old items/designs still up for sale? How does one order?

I try not to keep the same designs for more than 5 months for exclusivity…but the double decker all black design is very popular so I’ll keep it for a bit. Ordering is done mostly online, our Instagram page is the most active compared to the other socials.

 


FUN FACTS


 

If you could DJ anywhere in the world, where would it be?

The Tommorrowland festivals or Djoon France also those Swakopmund coastal events like Sound of Summer, they are a-bit too strict with their line ups.

What’s your annoying habit?

Overthinking 😂,  probably the reason why I have so much anxiety.

What brings you the greatest joy?

Knowing that you are loved and with my headphones on, singing at the top of my voice,

I used to get in trouble because of it when I was younger.

Who are your heroes?

My mother, she sacrificed soo much to make sure we are all okay.

What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?

The music on my phone 😂,  you will be shocked.

What/who’s on your December Playlist?

Anatii’s latest album.


Keep up with Dj Alba on Instagram: @alba_nalo_dj

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