DJ Doowap is lighting up global dance floors with bacardi music

Mail & Guardian

2 days ago

Putting an SA spin on it: DJ Doowap, who is on tour in Europe, has spent a decade taking her distinctive bacardi sound, with its loops, raw percussion and unpredictable tempo changes, to the world.
I remember the first time I saw Khetsiwe Morgan, known to the world as DJ Doowap, spin her magic. It was at one of Lady Skollie's art exhibitions, the kind of event where suits and silk dresses hold tightly to their wine glasses and social postures.
But when Doowap touched the decks, something shifted. She summoned energy. The tight, reserved crowd softened, hips loosened, and next thing you knew, a full-blown groove had erupted in the gallery.
I was struck, not only by her technical skill and musical range but by her joy. She was smiling the whole time, completely immersed in her own world, pulling everyone in with her.
Little did I know that I was arriving late to the party. DJ Doowap had already spent nearly a decade touring the world, captivating audiences from Johannesburg to New York.
Her unique blend of sound, deeply rooted in the township-born bacardi genre, has put her at the forefront of a sonic revolution.
In 2023, she was recognised as one of the Mail & Guardian's Top 200 Young South Africans in the Arts and Entertainment category, a recognition that felt both celebratory and overdue.
Right now, Doowap is on a European tour, taking the vibrational pulse of Pretoria, specifically the infectious energy of bacardi music, and sharing it with crowds in Paris and across Germany. She's not simply performing; she's exporting culture, delivering the sound of the streets to international stages where the beat of Mzansi is becoming the rhythm of the world.
Her latest single Seroba Ke Seh is a love letter to bacardi's origins. The title itself, lifted from Pretoria slang, signals a commitment to authenticity, even as she travels the globe.
Doowap worked with bacardi veterans Enny Man Da Guitar and rising star C.JayMnandi from Hammanskraal to capture that unmistakable township pulse.
'It was important to me that we honour the roots,' she says. 'I'm not trying to westernise bacardi or clean it up for international ears. I want them to feel the real thing — our thing.'
Bacardi, for those who know, is unfiltered. Its hypnotic loops, raw percussion and unpredictable tempo changes speak a language all their own. It's dance music that feels lived-in.
'I've always been obsessed with bacardi,' she says. 'Even when other genres were getting the spotlight, it was bacardi that made my heart beat faster. It's got that raw energy. You hear it and you have to move.'
Her sets aren't just built for clubs; they're crafted for movement, expression and release. And that energy translates globally. At Berlin's Freak de L'Afrique street festival, Doowap played to a staggering 700 000 people. Let that number sink in — 700 000 bodies moving to Pretoria's street sound.
'It was the biggest crowd I've ever played for,' she recalls. 'And the moment I dropped the first track, I felt it, they got it. There's something so powerful about knowing that a sound from your hometown can make that kind of impact across the world.'
Doowap is more than a DJ. She's a full-blown cultural architect. Her music, fashion and visual world are interconnected, constantly in conversation with each other. Whether it's an Adidas campaign or a Maybelline shoot, her look is always bold, always intentional.
'Fashion is my favourite form of self-expression,' she says. 'Everything I wear says what the music is already saying. It's unapologetic. It's future-facing. It's a little wild, but so am I.'
For her, every outfit is a visual beat, every make-up look a chord. It's never just about looking good, it's about telling a story.
'When I partner with brands, I make sure they get the vision,' she insists. 'I need to know they're open to imagination, that they're not trying to box me in. Because that's the core of what I do — I don't fit in. I remix everything.'
This fearless approach extends to her touring experience. She's discovered just how tapped in to South African culture global audiences are.
'The most surprising thing has been watching people in Paris or Berlin pulling bacardi moves on the dance floor like they've been doing them for years,' she says. 'It's wild. It shows just how powerful social media and cultural exchange have become.'
She's not just bringing the music, she's bringing a full cultural moment. And she wears the title Bacardi Babe proudly.
'At first, I thought people were just saying it to be cute,' she says. 'But now, I wear it like a badge. Because this isn't just about me, it's about all of us who've been pushing this sound, carrying this culture, evolving it.'
As someone who straddles multiple creative industries, I asked whether she sees music, fashion and beauty as separate expressions. Her response is immediate: 'It's all one continuous art form. It's the same energy, just different languages. I'm not choosing between them. I'm dancing through all of them.'
And what does she hope her legacy will be, particularly as bacardi culture gains momentum abroad?
'I want young people, especially young women, to see me and think, 'I can do it my way too.' I want to show that you don't have to compromise to succeed. That your originality is your superpower. That there's space for all of us.'
She then adds: 'And I want to open doors. Real ones. If what I'm doing sparks even the tiniest fire in someone back home, then that's my purpose.'
Doowap's performances are joyful but they are also political. They're about permission, giving the audience permission to feel, to move, to release.
'Joy is resistance,' she says. 'When I perform, I want everyone to forget whatever's weighing them down. I want them to remember what it feels like to be free.
'That moment when we're all dancing together, that's church to me.'
Looking forward, her plans are as layered and electric as she is. More music is on the way, including a short project expanding her bacardi-meets-pantsula sonic world.
She's also dreaming of a fully immersive tour with pantsula dancers, lighting, fashion — the whole South African experience.
'I want to take that full energy to Asia, South America, North America,' she says. 'I want people everywhere to feel the electricity between bacardi and pantsula — it's next level.'
And, true to form, she's also building something offstage.
'I'm working on launching my fashion brand,' she teases. 'It's going to be very me — bold, textured, street, but with that edge. I can't wait to share my mpahlas [clothes] with the world.'
DJ Doowap isn't just spinning decks, she's spinning culture into a new orbit.
From the corners of Pretoria to the stages of Europe, she is redefining what it means to be a South African creative in the 21st century. With every beat, every stitch, every performance, she's proving that local isn't just global, it's essential.
And, as the world continues to tune in to the sound of the South, it's Doowap who is pressing play.