theJezreel 'On The SpotLight'

‘Music always articulates on my behalf and it is the very same force which validates me and acknowledges my worth. I do not have one specific favourite genre of music. I like playing and listening to any music that moves my soul, especially music that is marginalized and not main stream. I have committed myself to playing these musical gems that people would otherwise not get a chance to listen to.’ – ‘TheJezreel’. On the ‘Spotight’ this week, we have ‘TheJezreel’.

ShoMag: Before all goes down, let us thank you for taking some time out for this ‘one on one’. For the benefit of those who might be wondering, who is ‘TheJezreel’ and where is he from?

TheJezreel: TheJezreel is an ‘extremely chilled, introverted, passionate, humble individual, who is God and music fearing and just loves and appreciates any opportunity to engrave smiles on people’s faces’. He hails from a township called Mamelodi in Pretoria, South Africa. That is where I was born and bred and that’s where it all stared for me.

ShoMag: What is your role within ‘House Music’, would you say you are a ‘House Music Producer or a House Music Deejay’? Maybe do you do both?

TheJezreel: Well I try to do both. I believe ‘I have the capacity to occupy both spaces very well’. Yes I love Dj’ing, that’s where it all started, but I’ve been involved in music for the longest time. ‘It started in church’, which is where I played drums and the keyboard for the Praise and Worship Team, and naturally I just wanted to created music and that is when production came into being. The moment I got a hold of my first DAW I just started making music.

ShoMag: Looking back, how did it all start for ’theJezreel’? By that, I mean how did you get into the music industry and how are you finding your musical journey so far?

TheJezreel: Oh gosh! It started way back. My Mother and Father would occasionally host events at home, so what would happen was that while they were sitting by the lounge area, in conversations and listening to music, instead of being outside with other children, I would actually be inside listening to music. Back then they would play anything from ‘Stimela, Tshepo Tshola, Mirian Makeba, Brenda Fassie to Marvin Gaye, Teddy Pendergrass, Dion Warwick, Anita Baker, Michael Jackson, Mike and The Mechanics, Bob Marley, etc’.

I would really be fascinated by music, and I think that’s where my relationship with music began and just to take it further, as far as making it into the industry, *laughs* gosh am I in the industry? I don’t know if I’m “in the industry” or not. I find gigs and I produce music and I put it out there. I don’t know if “I’m in the industry” or not. And how am I finding it? At the end of the day I’m just an enthusiast, ‘I love what I do’, it just gives me the greatest joy to produce music and entertain people through DJ’ing. The journey so far has been very interesting. Look, I never complain, but obviously I would be lying if I didn’t mention the clear ‘foul play that exist within the industry’. I don’t let that bother me though, it is what it is. ‘I just want to create, collaborate and grow and that’s what keeps me going in the industry – The fact that I just love to create’.