27-year-old Radio personality, Ayanda Mdluli, has come a long way in her career, she is one of South Africa's most sought-after DJ’s and MC’s and as she continues to climb up the ladder of success, we have decided to get to know her better.
Hailing from KwaZulu Natal, Ayanda, had a change of scenery when she was just a toddler, speaking to DJ Sbu in a recent interview, Ayanda opened up about her move to Johannesburg after her father was transferred from KZN to JHB for work, which led to her being exposed to new things and a better education.
“My dad got transferred for work, so work found him this side, and he thought this would be a better place for us to get a better education...and more exposure, therefore, we moved to Hillbrow when I was 5 or 6 years old,” she said.
Ayanda describes herself as a music lover and “very independently empowered as a woman,"
“Ayanda is passionate about music, and that's why she decided to be on radio because she loves music, whichever genre, but she really really loves hip-hop, she’s very independently empowered as a woman, she’s very strong and confident, very outspoken but doesn’t oppress other people's opinions but it doesn’t mean she wants to be forced down by someone else's opinion as well" she explained.
The media personality attended the National school of the arts in Braamfontein, she expresses that she had self-doubt growing up as a tall girl, however, she now embraces everything about herself.
“I studied drama, dramatic arts, I was actually a very shy introvert before I joined the National School of the Arts. Growing up, I was tall...when you’re a young child and you don’t understand what confidence is at that point in time, you feel as though you’re not adequate enough, because you’re tall, you’re too tall, you’re too long, all the boys are short so no one wants to crush on you because you’re tall, but now we’re owning it,” she added.
Ayanda went on to take a gap year after obtaining her senior certificate, embarking on a journey of self-discovery, she did some part-time jobs in retail stores, and eventually came to the conclusion of studying Law before finding out that the applications were closed, she then decided to study Psychology and Criminology.
“I took a gap year because I really wanted to do theatre and drama, but I also wanted to just take the time and breathe, just think about what I wanted to do with my life...tertiary is expensive so you need to make sure that you make the right decision before you just go in to waste your parents money...while taking the gap year, I did a few piece jobs...working in a store, retail, working in at a Spa, just trying to see what was for me, but I realized sales wasn’t for me, so I decided to go to varsity, lets do some more studying then we’ll see as time goes by...I went to the University of Pretoria…[I studied] psychology and criminology...I decided to do law but the applications were closed so I went for psychology and criminology” she said.
Ayanda was scouted by YFM's station manager, Tumelo Diaho- Monaheng, he slid into Ayanda's DM's to offer her an opportunity with the station and ever since her run on Y, she now runs a five-hour slot on 94.7.
Speaking of her daily routine, she said:
“I actually wake up at 6, then I do a bit of yoga, if not, I jog, then I eventually get to work...usually we go through a lot of stress on the daily, when you’re driving, you’re sitting in a certain position, when you’re sitting at work...sometimes there are certain pressure points that are affected, like your lower back or your shoulders...I usually do a lot of Yoga so I can stretch my muscles out, Yoga is very good for the body “
Ayanda's style has also evolved throughout the years, she says that she coloured her hair pink because she wanted to stand-out.
“Now there are different ways of shining, so with me, I’m exercising, I’m taking care of my skin, I’m drinking a lot of water, I’m just eating well and being well for myself because carrying a five hour show doesn’t mean you can’t rest, you have to make sure that you give your body time to rest, you give your body time to exercise, you give your body time to enjoy life..."
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Main image credit: instagram.com/@ayandamvp