DJ Sophia Petersen, 8, with her manager/agent dad, Ian. TRACEY ADAMS African News Agency (ANA)
Cape Town - DJ Sophia. Remember the name and frame this article somewhere, for future reference. She isn't just the next big thing, she's the world's next master mixer of music. Real name Sophia Petersen and real age eight. The kid from Athlone has been making quite a name for herself.
Not only is the primary school pupil holding down a regular DJ spot on one of Cape's top radio stations, she's also getting booked for weddings, birthday parties and promotional events.
Her journey into DJ-ing is actually very interesting. Her father, Ian Petersen, had, for years, been in charge of getting everyone dancing. The part-time DJ regularly played live music mixes to his social media followers. Sophia would always dance to his tunes. Petersen recalled how the DJ bug bit Sophia.
“I took a small break from a set and heard someone playing with the decks. It was Sophia, and she was only four at the time,” said Petersen.
Sophia said: “I saw my Daddy DJ-ing, and I thought it was fun and cool.”
Petersen instantly went into teacher mode, keen to impart his knowledge.
“Initially, it took a bit of time for her to get used to the equipment,” he explained. “But she had an ear and a passion for music, and she was like a sponge and grasped the DJ-ing easily.”
Fast-forward four years, and Sophia is the star of the Petersen family, the entertainer-in-chief, while Dad Ian has had to take a back seat and play the role of manager and agent.
Sophia is currently the youngest DJ in South Africa to hold a resident spot on a commercial radio show station. Sophia is featured regularly on The Good Vibes show with DJ Ready D on Goodhope FM.
And her gig guide for 2022 is already bursting at the seams. DJ Sophia is in demand. Her ability to get people, young and old, dancing to an array of genres, makes her a sponsor's dream. Sophia is currently a brand ambassador for a local clothing brand.
"She recently took part in a kids clothing launch, and DJ’d at their official in-store promotion," said Petersen proudly.
Petersen explained that his daughter is well aware that “school work comes first”.
“Sophia, as young as she is, maintains the balance between schoolwork and Dj-ing. She knows her academics take priority, and in her free time, she would practice her mixing, and her gigs are reserved for weekends only. No gigs during exams,” said Petersen sternly.
He added: “The wifey is extremely supportive and proud of Sophia. Till today, she gets goosebumps and gets very emotional when she sees her daughter entertaining the masses. Sometimes it does get daunting when fans approach Sophia for pictures in public,” explained Petersen.
On the subject of schoolwork, Sophia said: “I enjoyed Grade 2. I always got sevens in my schoolwork, and I am excited to go to Grade 3.”
Sophia added that her schoolmates had been “very supportive" and ”they hand out my DJ Sophia stickers during break times, and I am invited to a lot of parties“.
Sophia talked passionately about her DJ career and said: “I like to entertain people, and I like it when they dance to my music. My favourite genre to play is hip hop, and my favourite artist is Chris Brown.”
The youngster said she has dreams of becoming a household name on the DJ scene and has ambitions of making this a professional job.
“I watched a video of DJ Gremlin, and that inspired me to one day become a Red Bull DJ champion,” she said.
Few of the world’s top-class entertainers can boast a professional career that started so early.
Renowned South African artist DJ Zinhle was 21 when she got her big break in the industry. Her rise to stardom came about as a result of an appearance on a youth dance show called Jika Majika on SABC 1. Today, she has more than three million followers on Twitter alone.
And the internationally-acclaimed Calvin Harris may be a household name now, but his career really only took off when he was an adult.
Sophia is already streets ahead. Her influence on Ready D’s lunchtime radio show and upcoming events seem likely to give her profile even more of a boost in 2022.