“I was inspired by the rejection and the amount of ‘no’s that I got whenever I was reaching out to DJ’s to play my songs.” These are words of Dj Bossiie whose real name is Tumi Jukic from London in England.
Bossiie is a well-travelled born South African musician, DJ, and Radio presenter who grew up in Pretoria and Thokoza where she attended a boarding school in Rosslyn, Pretoria, and moved to Kenton Primary School in Brackenhurst, Alberton.
“During my time at Rosslyn and Kenton, I participated in musical theatre and dance, while also auditioning for commercials and television shows. I embarked on my journey as a rapper, releasing tracks like “Wild Up In Here” featuring Jammtyme. I then taught myself how to create and sell beats across genres, including RnB/Soul Trap, Trap, and Drill. I sold beats in London and Europe, the likes of my drill beat that was used by a French rapper NKP.
“Thereafter, I honed my skills at producing, mixing, and recording at SAE Institute and the University of Westminster in London. I later taught myself to DJ and started getting gigs within two weeks. My DJing, Presenting, and Podcasting abilities and knowledge were further polished at Point Blank Music School in London. I worked at Rinse FM as well as featured as an Amapiano Specialist, Subtle Radio, with my
Authentic Amapiano Xperience show. I am now working at Soho Radio on the Loko Effect as a co-host and DJ,” she said.
Bossie told Mdn News that in her life she has stayed in multiple countries overseas including Italy, Croatia, Belgium, Scotland and now London.
“I moved to Europe with my family, we lived for a short period of time in Italy, and then moved to Croatia, where we lived for a considerable amount of years. We then moved to Belgium, where I studied at the American private school in Waterloo. I then moved with the family from Belgium to the UK in Scotland, and moved from Scotland to London after a few years. I have been living in London, England, ever since.
Bossiie said the Amapiano music is very big in London as it is well received.
“The reception of Amapiano here in London is tremendous; people love it, but they do not understand it as much as they understand other genres. There is also a small community of South African people in London who are also pushing Amapiano. So, it’s a winning battle in pushing this genre here.”
She further said: “The people who really love the sound are mainly Zimbabweans in London, the Nigerian communities, and the UK underground scene has also created its own sub-genre of Amapiano. Tribal house has a sub-genre of London’s interpretation of house music, mixing the melting pot of London underground culture music with elements of Gqom, Afrohouse and Amapiano, which is on the 115 – 123bpm.”.
Bossiie has done a feature with MFR Souls and together they have two songs titled “Porsche” and “Covid Blues”.
“I come from Thokoza and the MFR Souls guys are from Katlehong. It was a question of knowing someone who knows somebody, that type of thing. What seals it all is that the three of us have similar names and the two gentlemen’s names are Tumelo ‘Tumi’, and my name is also Tumi.
“My Manager contacted MFR souls from London and that is when ‘Porsche’ and ‘Covid Blues’ were born. Porsche did not get much publicity, but Covid Blues is still loved all over the world. It is played and loved in countries that I never expected them to listen to it, the likes of Mexico and Brazil, and it was also featured on Channel O for a while,” she said.
Bossiie said rejection from the promoters and deejays in the industry pushed her to work hard to be where she is now.
“I was inspired by the rejection and the amount of ‘NO’s that I got whenever I was reaching out to DJ’s to play my songs. Most importantly, a stranger in the crowd sealed the inspiration. It was in December 2021, and I was performing my song, Porsche at Kings Bulls in Barking, London, UK. The man with a very distinct, pleasant accent was cheering me on with his friend.
“When I was done with the performance, he approached me carefully and said, “May I just say, how beautiful that performance was, South African Queen. You should consider djing. The man saw something in me that I was not aware of. The next day, I picked up a controller and started djing, and got gigs within two weeks of teaching myself to DJ, Amapiano,” she said.
She further said that currently she is pushing her latest project called Bossiie Bday 2.0.
“I am currently engaged in a project that showcases one of my singles, “Bossiie Bday 2.0,” featuring South African artist Th4ndo, along with my other single, “Dutch Courage.” This project is filled with uplifting instrumentals, catchy drums perfect for dancing and memorable vocals,” she said.