DBN Gogo breaks out on her own merits

It’s no secret that DBN Gogo is the daughter of former cabinet minister Jeff Radebe and fellow ANC veteran Thuthukile Skweyiya.

But she has cleverly tiptoed around her inherited fame, while crafting a booming showbiz career without name dropping her powerful parents.

It’s something to admire as the easy thing would have been to use the perks and privileges at her disposal to get ahead.

Yes, having influential parents has its benefit, but one can imagine the setbacks too. For instance the daunting task of the media watching your every move and the pressure to follow in their success.

“Of course there is pressure, why do you think I went into music?” DBN Gogo admits.

For the 28-year-old supernova, born Mandisa Radebe, keeping her family name to herself has been intentional. The DJ wants to make a name for herself on her own merits.

It’s paying off since she’s currently the hottest DJ in Mzansi right now. Choosing music was the perfect career choice to make a name for herself without her parents overshadowing her.

Adding to the powerful parentage mix is the fact that her stepparents are mining magnate Bridgette Motsepe-Radebe and late ANC stalwart Zola Skweyiya. Since her father married into the Motsepe dynasty her family connections also extend to Patrice Motsepe and his brother-in-law President Cyril Ramaphosa.

“I knew that it was something that eventually has to be spoken about, but I never wanted it to be something that takes away from what I do and how I want to do it,” DBN Gogo says.

“I’m my own person and doing my own thing. [I’ve known] people will see who my parents are and think I’m rich and spoilt. It’s not the case.

“Sure we are comfortable and have never needed anything in my life because my parents have worked hard. But the kind of values they instilled in me I take everywhere I go.”

I’m my own person and doing my own thing. [I’ve known] people will see who my parents are and think I’m rich and spoilt. It’s not the case

DBN Gogo was born in Durban before moving to Cape Town and then Yeoville, Johannesburg. When residing in Yeoville her mother fell in love with Skweyiya and they later moved to Pretoria as a family.

In 1997, DBN Gogo moved to France and stayed there for five years. She is fluent in French, and her banger track French Kiss is testimony to this.

“From a very young age my mom used to sing and make sure that I do everything that my heart desires, especially in terms of art. I used to do ballet, played the piano and had singing lessons.

“I was very academic too, in matric I had six distinctions out of seven subjects. I grew up in a very loving home, but not always easy.

“My parents spent more of their time working in government, so I was alone most of the time. I had to figure a lot of things on my own because when you are serving the country your family takes the back seat.

“All respect to them, but I think politics took away from me more than it gave. I appreciate the work they have done in making the country better, but it’s not the kind of environment I’d raise children in.”

She got her nickname DBN Gogo since she is an old soul and the most responsible in her group of friends.

“DBN Gogo is Mandisa’s alter ego. She’s a vibe. She’s authentic and a definition of music, love and passion. She is a lot of things that I’m not in real life.

“I’m a Gemini so I have two personalities. I’m super shy but DBN Gogo has helped me come into my own and become the woman that I want to be.”

She kicked off her DJ career while studying at the University of Pretoria in 2017. By 2019 it had taken off so much that she started to struggle juggling her law degree and music. It’s then that she decided to put her studies on pause.

“I sat my parents down and let them know of my plans. Mentally I was just not there anymore.

“I think parents always know when you are unhappy. It wasn’t easy, but my mom was like ‘if you are sure this is what you want to do and I don’t have to give you money then go for it’.”

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, DBN Gogo cites 2020 as her best professional year so far. She dropped her EP Thokoza Café – a collaborative project with Dinho. Released last August, the seven-track album features songs such as iVibe, Phelile and Nawe.

“Not a lot of people can say they had an amazing 2020, but I can say I had one of the best years to date in my career. I think it happened also because of the Covid-19 pandemic,” DBN Gogo says.

“I would not have been on a big platform as Lockdown House Party. The exposure I got from being on national television was big and I utilised it to grow my brand."

Now that she has positioned herself as a marketable and profitable brand, DBN Gogo is ready for the next step – being the best that SA has to offer.