From Olympic dreams to headlining global stages, DJ Doowap’s journey blends confidence, culture, and the creative fire that made her one of Africa’s boldest music visionaries.
Global sensation DJ Doowap has carved out an unmistakable presence on the international stage, leaving her mark wherever she goes. From spinning at events like Berlin Carnival to collaborating with iconic brands like Maybelline, she continues to merge music, fashion and culture in ways that feel both fearless and fresh.
Known for her genre-bending sets and unapologetic aesthetic, Doowap is a creative force who challenges convention. Rooted in Johannesburg but shaped by global underground scenes, she’s redefining what African music can look and sound like—on her own terms.
But carving out her 13-year-long career took more than just talent—it took heart. Doowap, born Khetsiwe Morgan, admits that for years, she quietly battled self-doubt—an admission that contrasts sharply with the bold, magnetic energy she exudes today.
It’s almost hard to believe. That although from her early days on YFM, where she came across as bubbly, stylish and self-assured, behind that vibrant presence was someone still learning to believe in herself.
Her striking hair and confident persona masked a subtle uncertainty about herself. But still, she vowed to fake it until she made it.
After returning to South Africa from her studies abroad, Doowap quickly landed a show on YFM and joined the once influential Boyz N Buck$ tour—a collective that included cultural heavyweights like OkMalumKoolKat, Scoop Makhathini, the late Riky Rick and Stilo Magolide, among others.
“I always make it a point to celebrate Riky Rick’s influence in my career because he was almost prophetic-like in my life. He saw all of this before I did,” she recalls. “He would always say, ‘You are going to be a DJ; you are going to be a star’, and this was all way before I even started DJ’ing. I learnt a lot about style, swag, different South African sounds and about tapping into one’s Africanism from the Boyz N Buck$.”
The crew’s belief in her lit a fire she didn’t know she needed. Looking back now, she fully embraces the truth they saw in her before she was ready to claim it herself.
While music is where she ultimately found her calling, Doowap’s first love was sport. From the age of three, she knew she wanted to enter the Olympics and as soon as she could, she dabbled in everything from gymnastics to swimming before finding her passion in springboard diving. She quickly rose through the ranks, becoming the best in South Africa for five years straight. Her father then moved her to Canada to attend a specialised sports school, determined to help her chase her Olympic dream.
But while in the UK for further training, everything changed. “Next thing I’m in a nightclub, I’m missing training—ai,” she laughs.
“I was so close to achieving that goal, but I got inspired by the music scene and the fashion. And when I didn’t qualify, I chose to study sound engineering full force. That began a whole new trajectory.”
Even so, her love for music wasn’t a sudden revelation—it had been quietly growing for years. Raised in Johannesburg by parents who ran nightclub businesses, Doowap grew up surrounded by rhythm, records and microphones.
“I was born in eSwatini but raised in Johannesburg. My parents have always been super present in my life, and that definitely inspired my love for music,” she says. “They’d bring home vinyl, we had microphones all over the house, and I’d pretend to be a performer.”
Daytime visits to their clubs introduced her to icons like TKZee, Boom Shaka, and she witnessed the earliest shows from DJ Fresh and Oskido. The 90s energy of music and fashion left a lasting impression.
“So, finding myself in the middle of the UK’s pop culture scene? It was like tugging at a seed that had been planted years ago,” she reflects. “My love for kwaito was definitely cultivated during those times.”
Doowap is the firstborn of two and paints a tight-knit family unit. She also shares how fashion plays a huge role in her brand.
“I was inspired already in London, but I think Riky and them helped elevate my fashion game. I love a 90s vibe, very colourful with an African touch of beads in my braids or as accessories,” adding that DJ’ing at Paris Fashion Week yearly allows her to always be reinspired.
“Like I mentioned, when I first started with these bright looks, it was me wearing the confidence even though inside I was so nervous and I was cringing. So slowly, that outer confidence evolved to within; so fashion played that part in developing that confidence.”
And now, with over a decade in the game, international bookings, and a creative voice that speaks to both heritage and future-forward sound, DJ Doowap is reinventing her sound, venturing into the Bacardi music, and hoping to take that to the world.
She has become more than just a music star—she’s a movement. A queen who’s claimed her crown and whose presence continues to inspire boldness in others.