Selekta Danny wins Rwanda’s DJs Battle 

The 24 year old beat five other contestants – Kiss, Selekta Gomez, Beat, Trapoy and Mico – who had made it to the final in a tight competition that began in early August.

During the final, each DJ had to present a 10-minute set featuring music of his choice to a jury comprising Nigeria’s DJ Neptune, South Africa’s DJ Khatu and Rwanda’s DJs Shariff and Khadir.

Selekta, who started his deejaying journey in 2019, stole the show with his impressive skills on the decks. He is now the owner of a brand new Mercedes-Benz and the recipient of 2 million Rwandan francs (about $2 000). 

“Honestly, I never imagined I could win a prize like this in my career and that’s why I am so excited for the milestone,” Selekta Danny told The New Times. “It’s just the beginning. It means a lot for my career.”

He said the COVID-19 lockdown had offered him ample time to hone his skills. “All I had to do was to take my DJ set and entertain my audience while at home. Now it is becoming the source of my daily bread.” 

In the women’s competition, DJ Ira beat DJ Roxy to earn herself equipment worth 5 million francs. DJ Kiss was awarded 2 million francs after being named the best upcoming DJ.

More than 45 male DJs applied to participate in the challenge but only 20 made it to the second round. The third round saw 10 contestants battle it out before seven were selected for the final. 

Only three female contestants – DJ Roxy, DJ Brianne and DJ Ira – made it to the second round.

Running under the theme, Taking Music to Another Level, the event, organised by event management company M&K, served not only to promote local music and celebrate local DJs while identifying new talent, but provided networking opportunities for those operating in the Rwandan entertainment space.