In a male dominated industry, it’s hard not to notice female DJ’s making their mark more and more. DJ Stephy Longueira only started a year or two ago and has already started building a name for herself in clubs and at festivals around South Africa.

• Stephy Longueira has never taken drugs and plans on being in Cape Town for most of summer 2022, but there may be some sneaky national trips coming up.
• Nights when she plans on ‘sending it a bit’, she’ll either have a tequila with pineapple and Tabasco or vodka with sparkling water all night – and when she says all night, she means nursing her drinks all night.
• When she thinks of Sandton, her home, childhood and the hustle and bustle of the city come to mind.
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In April 2019, two of Stephy’s DJ friends gave her a quick introductory crash course in the art of mixing tracks. She didn’t pursue anything further until the end of December 2020, when one of her friends gave her his all-in-one controller to practice on. She mixed the same 20 songs for 16 hours over three days, teaching herself the way of DJing during that time. From that point, Stephy was hooked and offered to play at any and every event or party to gain experience and ended up securing her first residency in March 2021.

So, where are you from and where are you now? I was born and raised in Sandton. I moved to the United States when I was 16 to attend a tennis academy, where I completed my studies and went to University on a D1 tennis scholarship. Upon obtaining my degree, I returned home and now live in Cape Town.

How would you define your sound, Stephy? I thoroughly enjoy Melodic Techno, but love incorporating harder Techno into my sets and allowing my mixes to progress from more Melodic sounds into Progressive sounds and then into Harder Techno. I do like to be versatile and change up my sets relative to each event, but at the same time I am starting to refine my sound.

Did you get into the industry for a good time or a long time? I would say it’s a combination of both – definitely a long time, but I have a great time whenever I play. This is my passion, and I can honestly say I have never felt this excited about pursuing anything else before.

What has been your best performance to date? My best performance to date was at Project T 2.0 in Cape Town. The production, sound, lighting, visuals were all world class, and the crowd was absolutely phenomenal. I was on cloud 9 during that performance.

Can you tell us a peculiarity about you? I can be a bit intense sometimes when it comes to my work or any projects that I am involved in, as well as standing up for people/things when I believe I should. I am quite a perfectionist, so I always expect things to be done properly and I’m not afraid to say things from an authentic point of view, even if I may be susceptible to some backlash in response.

What is on your rider? To be honest, this is probably the least exciting thing about me. I’m a 1 drink wonder and don’t really drink much at all, especially not when I’m playing. So mainly just water! Every now and then I enjoy a glass of wine/champagne or a Gin and pink tonic.

What do people misunderstand about being in the music industry? There’s a lot more pressure on artists than people realize. The crowd feeds off your energy, so no matter what kind of day you are having, you must be on top form during a performance. The industry is also very small, but if you are your authentic self and stay true to who you are, I believe you can make some amazing friends and build up an incredible support structure. I have found a lot of people in the industry are so willing to help up and coming artists and share insights, tips etc. It’s truly inspiring to be a part of and I hope one day I to will be able to share my insights.

Do you have any events you’d like to perform at and why? I have huge dreams to perform as far and wide as possible, but I believe if I work hard enough, I will be able to attain those dreams. I love festivals. The passion that goes into curating them and the energy during them is always unmatched. I wouldn’t necessarily specify an event per se. I am grateful for every booking and each one has its own unique offering, which is what makes this journey even more exciting.

What would you say makes you stand out? I know I’ve said this word a lot, but it’s all about energy. I believe in taking each gig very seriously and treating each one as a totally new one (even if the audiences are completely different and haven’t heard a previous set). I think my passion for music comes through during my performances and it’s easy to see I am in my happy place when I’m behind the decks.

Do you prefer playing music or listening to it? Definitely playing. I obviously love listening to it too but sharing my love for music with people around me is an indescribable feeling.

Visit Stephy Longueira Instagram profile for more.

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