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Entertainment

Rwanda: How Dj Inno Became a Disk Spinning Sensation

todayJanuary 25, 2024 2

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It is evident that deejaying in Rwanda has evolved in recent years, with disc jockeys acting as sound conduits and intermediaries between local artistes and the public, as well as introducing new artistes to the mainstream.

The likes of DJ Kareem, Toxxyk or Marnaud, among others, can be credited for the positive transformation of the deejaying and party life in Rwanda, but there is a new era of young boys and girls behind the decks who are taking the music industry to a whole new level, and among them is DJ Inno, aka the ‘Sober DJ’, who is driving parties around the city.

It is a journey that the 24-year-old musician started in high school, when Virtual DJ, a music mixing software, was on the rise in most schools across the country, attracting most young music-loving kids to become DJs without the need for controllers, just computer software.

ALSO READ: Meet Pyfo, a DJ changing the partying game in Kigali

The former Virtual DJ user, who earned less than 30,000 Rwandan francs per gig, is now at the top of the industry, performing at big events like Kiss Daniel’s Kigali concert and FIBA Zone five under 16, as well as at big pubs and clubs in the city, including Atelier D’vin and La Noche club, to name a few.

How did the young DJ get to the big stage?

“To be honest, I never thought I would be where I am today and sometimes it feels so unreal, but with discipline and consistency anything is possible and that’s the key to success in any career,” the young DJ told The New Times in an exclusive interview.

DJ Inno, real name Innocent Izabayo, grew up in a Christian family that never believed in professional disc spinning but rather a dirty industry of drug addicts, something that hindered the progress of his music mixing career until one of his uncle saw the potential in him and bought him a controller and laptop.

ALSO READ: Meet Miller, one of the leading DJs in Kigali

“It was hard to convince a Christian family that spending nights in pubs was a career, but one of my uncles called Claude saw the love and passion I had for music, and bought equipment for me. That’s how I started to get small gigs,” says Inno.

In 2019, after finishing high school, Inno met the late DJ Miller, who mentored him introduced him to the game.

He wasn’t lucky enough, as his mentor died a few months later and with the Covid-19 pandemic forcing all nightlife activities to shut down, Inno was left unemployed for months.