- DJ Pierra Makena opened up about the harsh realities she faced when she first entered the male-dominated deejaying scene, revealing she was labelled a “whore”
- The 43-year-old recalled how her success in the club scene led to verbal abuse and malicious rumors that she was sleeping around to get gigs
- Despite the setbacks, the DJ, who’s daughter has also become an online sensation stayed determined, building a career based on her skills and integrity
DJ Pierra Makena, a celebrated figure in the Kenyan entertainment industry, has opened up about the painful challenges she faced when she ventured into the male-dominated world of deejaying.
Reflecting on her journey as she celebrates 20 years in the industry, the 43-year-old actress, TV presenter, and DJ revealed that her decision to pursue deejaying was met with harsh criticism, abuse, and personal attacks that nearly forced her to quit.
“I went through hell,” DJ Pierra recalls, her voice tinged with the emotion of the difficult moments she faced. “I was called a whore, a stripper, because I was always playing in clubs.
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There was so much drama from all sides, it even reached my parents. They asked me to stop being a DJ. The church also had its objections.”
At the time, deejaying was still a new phenomenon in Kenya, and being a woman in a field dominated by men made her a target for cruel accusations and stereotyping.
DJ Pierra, who had already established herself as a TV and radio presenter, says the abuse she endured was not just verbal; it came with sexual advances and attempts to discredit her career.
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“Male DJs were intimidated by my presence,” she says.
“The more gigs I got, the more money I made, and that made some of the male DJs spread a narrative that I was sleeping around to get jobs, even though that wasn’t the case. They tried to push me out of the business by any means necessary.”
Despite the barrage of negativity, including being told outright that deejaying wasn’t a space for women, Pierra remained undeterred.
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“Some would tell me, ‘As a woman, I don’t think this is your thing,’” she says. “But I had already made up my mind. I wasn’t going anywhere. The more I played, the more I grew in confidence.”
Her resilience paid off. As she gained more experience, Pierra’s career soared. In 2013, she made the bold decision to go commercial, choosing to rely solely on her DJing to make a living.
“I wanted to prove that women could make it in this industry without having to give in to sexual advances to get a gig. There’s not one person who can say I slept with them to get a DJ job. I never compromised myself,” she asserts firmly.
Before going full-time as a DJ, Pierra worked at Scanad Group, a marketing services agency, but her passion for deejaying led her to make the leap to music.
