“I’m not happy,” DJ Joozey says about an hour into our conversation. He then adds, “I’m not living my best life.” Music fans are privy to the seemingly double-life artists live; a fast paced, cheery outward persona versus the more reserved, sometimes lonesome private lives they lead. While it should not be particularly shocking, it’s hard to be desensitized to hearing the young artist’s admission of unhappiness, especially this early in his career.

In just three years of his professional life, the 25-year-old has established himself as one of East Africa’s biggest DJs. His residency at some of Tanzania’s most popular clubs continues to define nightlife in Dar es Salaam. He’s performed on the biggest stages in the country, sharing the stage with the likes of Rema and DJ Maphorisa, is still the only DJ to have had five endorsements at a time from brands like Boomplay, Budweiser and Vodacom. 

The accolades under the DJ’s belt make it hard to imagine that he is just getting started. “My first official gig was the brunch event at Golden Tulip, around March 2018,” he tells me. The event was an edition of the Brunchin’ day parties hosted by Amour Shamte, the co-owner of Maison nightclub, where Joozey went on to have his first residency. Before working with Amour, Joozey fell under the pupillage of DJ Steve B. A chance encounter with an OG at a talent show call-back led to him playing in front of Steve B and getting scouted. “We got there, we find a DJ playing, but he wasn’t really doing a good job,” he recounts, “as a joke I tell my friend, this guy’s messing up the vibe, and my friend decides to go up to him and convince him to let me DJ instead.” Joozey, oblivious to the role an opening DJ plays, delivers a set worthy of the main act, “I didn’t know about DJ culture and all that, that the first DJ is not supposed to go too hard. So when I got up there, I just played all the bangers. Everyone had a great time.”

As he chronicles his come up to the big leagues, it's uncanny how much of it has been an almost unlikely alchemy of luck and a penchant for seizing opportunities. But it’s also impossible not to notice how good Joozey is at churning his own luck. “I actually got here by noon,” he tells me, although our interview was not scheduled for another two hours and a half, “If I plan to meet someone, I like to be early, just in case.” The young artist is consistently prepared. This, along with his resourcefulness and inclination to fully show up- for the big gigs and the little ones alike- laid the groundwork for his rocket ship of a career the past three years.

I moved to Dar from Shinyanga in 2013. One of the first places I worked when I first arrived was a CD rental shop. My job was to make sure that the people that rented out the CDs returned them on time, and at night I’d stay in and as a guard. During the day there was a DJ there playing music for vigodoro and out of boredom, I found myself watching him closely during the day and then at night when the store was closed, repeating what I’d seen him do on Virtual DJ. I eventually switched jobs to a mpiga debe in Kariakoo. While I was there, I was able to get a computer and an internet modem. I’d plug in my earphones all day at work, listen to the radio, and write down the mixes and playlists I’d hear form DJs from XXL, Clouds FM, Planet Bongo, East Africa radio, all of them. When I got home, I’d download the playlists I’d written down, playlists from DJ Diyomi, DJ Senorita, DJ Steve B, all sorts. Then I’d move the songs to virtual DJ and start trying to mix like them. I didn’t consider myself a DJ at that time though, I just really liked to play music.

DJ Joozey on how he got into DJing

DJ-ing wasn’t always the goal. His intention, at least at first, was simply to survive in Dar and eventually make a comfortable living for himself and his family. But then he got really good at playing music, and when the opportunity presented itself, chose to fully immerse himself into making it a career. This isn’t an understatement. One of the sources of his unhappiness, he admits, is how little rest he gets. He roughly outlines a weekend in the life of Joozey: “this Friday I have two big shows, one at Samaki Samaki for their Hennessy event, then I move over to elements. Saturday night I go back to elements for another event, and then Sunday morning I have a radio show before I catch a flight to Zanzibar to play there.”

“If I wanted to get more sleep or just more rest, I’d have to refuse work,” he says flatly. “At this stage of my career, being one of the top DJs in the country, everyone’s gunning for my spot. If I got comfortable, I’d be offering my spot to someone else.” The young artist absolutely believes that indulging in rest is complacency. He argues matter of factly, “most people who have failed got too complacent.”. As far as he’s concerned, if he is ever going to get to the level of global superstardom that a David Guetta has, or even bigger, he is going to have to work as hard and for as long as they do; “Michael Jackson used to train for 16 hours a day when he had a show coming up.” So, until the Tanzanian DJ has established a legacy, and firmly secured his name and work in the global music scene, moderation be damned. 

The nature of creative work in Tanzania is precarious. With hardly any social support, those who work in creative industries view success through the lens of hustle culture. The pandemic putting club events and live shows to a halt last year put a lot of performance artists- including DJs- in a vulnerable situation, not knowing when and if they would be able to return to their regular jobs. Sure, Joozey’s mentality is certainly influenced by nurture and this fierce sense of ambition, but when the nature of your working conditions offers almost no kind of safety net, the end justifies the means.

Unlike traditional DJing that is usually only expected to set the vibe right for the actual performer, Joozey’s set raises the stakes. He proves that DJ’s simply aren’t crowd conductors, they’re performers. His stage presence is absolutely electrifying, operating in a trancelike manner where he’s just as entranced as the crowd he’s trying to rouse. If you’ve seen enough of his shows, you’re acquainted with the signature shirtless moment where he raves at the very front of the stage. Sometimes he is actually the headlining act. This is special in that it’s extremely entertaining, sure, but also because it is not common, at least not by Tanzanian DJ standards. Naturally, this sets him apart, and he knows it, “sometimes I say I’m not a DJ, I’m a businessman, I think it’s important to try to do things that have never been done before. But the energy on stage is because I am hungry- I think every chance I get is a massive opportunity to further my business. If today I got the chance to perform on the same stage as Wiz Kid, I’d perform as if it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.” On stage, this sense of purpose manifests into pure joy- it's infectious. You can’t help but want to be as immersed as he is; he makes you want to have as much fun as he is having.

Joozey isn’t merely fueled by the promise of music world domination. A lot of his choices are governed by a bedrock of purpose. “I wholeheartedly believe that I was sent to this earth to bring happiness to people,” he says earnestly, “so through all the ups and downs, I’ve got to make sure I prioritise my mission on this earth.” This strong sense of purpose is in many ways influenced by his mother, who in her own movie-worthy life had to work very hard to provide for Joozey. The two are still very close. “My mum is my everything…she is my champion,” he says all beady-eyed, “I didn’t grow up with a dad, so my mum had to play both those roles, and for that I respect her so much. In fact, I respect all women because the blueprint for the way I see women has always been my mother.”

“When you get to the level I’ve gotten to not everyone can be close to you,” Joozey tells me when I ask how his relationships have evolved, “I have a lot of respect for people I work with, but I’m careful not to assume they are my friends.” As far as he is concerned, the nature of the music industry is transactional, and keeping it that way helps keep people at bay. His family is held together by a close knit circle- the ones he is actually in contact with, and he is only friends with, “people who I truly believe are my people, people who truly want what’s best for me.” But even through discernment, Joozey still makes sure to maintain an appreciation for people. “I consider you a part of my life now,” he tells me, “all these things I do for the sake as an extension of DJ-ing are what have gotten me here. The things that have really changed my life haven’t always been big, so I’m grateful for everyone that I cross paths with that contributes to that.

Like any other man on a mission, Joozey has a plan. An eight-year-plan to be specific; “five years to learn the game and figure out the kind of artist I need to be,” and the other three, presumably, to mould himself into that artist- although it is clear to see that he is well on his way towards etching himself onto the Tanzanian pop-cultural landscape.