DJ Hlo (Born on April 1st, 1997) is a 27 year-old disc jockey and media personality who rose to stardom after winning Ukhozi FM’s Song of the Year 2021.
At the age of 7, DJ Hlo picked an interest in music. She, however, decided to launch her professional career after she graduated from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2019 when she was 22 years old. In recent years, she has become widely recognised for releasing hit songs such as ‘Isibani’, ‘Shay’ingoma’, and ‘Visa.
DJ Hlo’s Biography Summary
- Full name: Hlosiwe Mthalane
- Nickname: DJ Hlo
- Gender: Female
- Date of birth: April 1st, 1997
- DJ Hlo’s Age: 27 years old
- Ethnicity: Zulu
- Nationality: South African
- Zodiac Sign: Aries
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christian
- Marital Status: Engaged
- DJ Hlo’s Children: 1 son, Kwanda
- Siblings: 3
- DJ Hlo’s Height in Inches: 5 feet 5 inches
- DJ Hlo’s Height in Centimetres: 165 cm
- DJ Hlo’s Weight: 54 kg (119 lbs)
- DJ Hlo’s Net worth: $200,000
- Famous for: Winning Ukhozi FM’s Song of the Year 2021 with her hit song, Isibani
- DJ Hlo’s Instagram: @djhlo
- Twitter: @dj_hlo
- Facebook: @DJHlo
Where is DJ Hlo From?
DJ Hlo is a native of Umlazi in KwaZulu-Natal. She was born and raised in Sun View in KwaZulu-Natal and has been residing in Durban for some years. In addition, the rising star comes from the Zulu tribe. She is very proud of her culture and seems to have a good relationship with the Zulu King, Misuzulu Zulu.
What is DJ Hlo’s Age Now?
DJ Hlo is 27 years old. She was born on April 1st, 1997. At her relatively young age, she has recorded incredible achievements. Not only has she released chat-topping songs, but she also emerged as the first South African female DJ to win the much coveted Ukhozi FM’s Song of the Year Award in 2021.
DJ Hlo’s Real Name
DJ Hlo’s real name is Hlosiwe Mthalane. She apparently got her stage name from the first three letters of her first name, “Hlosiwe.” Since winning the song of the year award, DJ Hlo’s name now rings a bell in Mzansi as many people claimed not to have known who she was before clinching the prestigious award.
DJ Hlo’s Parents
Although the identities of DJ Hlo’s parents are still unknown, she has once revealed that her parents gave her full support to pursue a full-time musical career after she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Psychology and Management in the year 2019. She made it known to them that she didn’t have the appeal for a corporate job. Rather, she wanted to go for music.
They were very supportive of her decision and have been cheering her up in her musical journey. DJ Hlo is the last child of her parents four children. She comes from a musically inclined family, and her siblings are staunch music lovers. And this made her develop a passion for making music at the age of 7.
The Singer Kicked Off Her Career at the Age of 22
Soon after her university graduation in 2019, when she was 22 of age, DJ Hlo took to music full-time. Her career actually took off after she met with Oscar Mlangeni, owner of Bull Dawg Records. She was signed by the record label and the management helped her to release her debut single, ‘Ebusuku’ featuring Rethabile Khumalo, in 2020.
In that same year, she released another song, ‘Festive’. And interestingly, the song was nominated for Ukhozi FM’s 2020 Top 10 and ended up claiming the fifth spot. Later in 2021, Hlosiwe dropped Noma Yini feat. Professor Ndu Shezi & Mdu and her award-winning single, ‘Isibani’. Since 2022, she has released songs such as ‘Mashamplan’ feat. Bob Mabena, ‘Impilo Emnandi’, and ‘Visa’ featuring Mfana Kah Gogo, Lady Du, and Cheez Beezy.
The talented DJ is presently signed to Maz Entertainment, owned by Dr. Musa Zulu. Thanks to their vigorous campaigning efforts, the 27 years old has become a trailblazer in the music scene.
At 24, DJ Hlo Had Her Breakout in the Music Industry
In October 2021, when DJ Hlo was 24, she released a single titled ‘Isibani,’ featuring Siboniso and DJ Manzo. While the music artist has mainly dwelt in the amapiano genre, she decided to explore her musical talent with the song. Hence, she created the song by mixing various sounds, including amapiano deep house and afro-pop, and it came out nicely.
Following the nomination of her single, ‘Isibani’, as one of the Ukhozi FM’s top 10 songs of the year, Hlosiwe Mthalane campaigned vigorously for votes. She visited taxi ranks asking for votes. Also, after performing at gigs, she would rather collect airtime from the people who booked her than get paid. The song was played on many radio stations as well as music TV channels and featured in the top 5 of countdowns on most radio stations.
At midnight which marked the 2022 New Year’s Day, DJ Hlo was announced as the winner of the UKhozi FM’s Song of the Year Award. At 24, she became the first female DJ to achieve such a milestone. Many artists clamour to be included in the radio station’s top 10 list. And by beating fans’ favorite songs like ‘Izolo’ by DJ Maphorisa, ‘Osama’ by Zakes Bantwini, and ‘Adiwele’ by Young Stunna, a conversation started on how DJ Hlo managed to win the record of the year award.
‘Isibani’ won the award with 214,966 votes and took the lead with more than 70,000 votes. With the information given to radio stations and record labels, Radiomonitor tracked the worldwide airplay of the song. And it appeared to be the most popular song with the Ukhozi FM listeners in their poll. Though many South Africans were shocked by the result of the poll, the Durban-born believes that ‘Isabani’ was well-received by her fans.
She said that her song is very dynamic and thus, can be enjoyed by everyone, from the young to the old. The word ‘Isibani’ is translated to ‘Light’. It’s a dedication song to loved ones who push their people to do more and encourage them to be better versions of themselves, hence, bringing light into their lives.
Did DJ Hlo Sleep with Ukhozi FM Presenters to Win the SOTY Award?
DJ Hlo trended on social media on 2022 New Year’s Day as Ukhozi FM listeners were ushered in the new year with her single ‘Isibani’. With the summer song of the year being held in high esteem by the station’s listeners, they questioned the 27 years old victory as many claimed not to have heard her song before.
Some even asked who she was and how she managed to beat fans’ favorite songs to grab the prestigious win. The DJ received heavy backlash for the victory, thus, she had to set up a media briefing on January 5th, 2022, to set the record straight. Despite explaining to the public that it was her hard work that paid off, many social media users started speculating that the KwaZulu-Natal native slept with the Ukhozi FM presenters to get into the top ten.
The music artist had to fend off social media trolls by addressing the rumor that she didn’t deserve the victory one more time in late 2022. In her statement, she thanked the Ukhozi FM team for creating the radio station’s top 10 songs of the year. She then explained that she had been hurt by all the negative things being said about her. And also clarified that all the allegations against her are false.
She said that if she had bribed the Ukhozi FM team to win the SOTY, then her song would have been nominated for the 2022 top ten songs, but it didn’t happen. She then ended the statement by thanking everybody that made ‘Isibani’ a success, including her record label, Maz Entertainment.
The Artist Has Had Numerous DJing Gigs
Since putting her career to a get-go, DJ Hlo has been booked for many DJing gigs across South Africa and beyond. In November 2021, along with Big Zulu, DJ Cleo, and DJ Lolo, she performed at the Sgodini Lounge. She also had gigs at Empire Cafe, ECC, The Zone Kazz Lounge & Shisanyama in the next month.
She then launched the year 2022 with a radio gig at Ikwekwezi FM and an appearance on SABC Sport in January. She also had a radio mix on Ukhozi FM, as well as Metro FM, in the same month. She has subsequently featured in the Ist Annual Skikisha Music Festival at Coastal Lounge and on SABC3’s show, The Insider SA.
Following the release of her single, ‘Visa’ DJ Hlo performed in several radio stations across SA as part of her Visa Radio Tour. Between November 12th and 28th, 2022, she had radio mixes at Vibe FM, Imboko FM (Pinetown), Ugu Youth Radio, Umsinga FM, Newcastle Community Radio, Eita Radio, Imvula 98.5 FM, among many others.
Furthermore, DJ Hlo has had gigs in several event centers in the country in recent years. They include Recharge Braai Lounge, Booth Champagne Bar & Lounge, Estradini Lifestyle, Rockets Bryanston, Capello, The Square Shopping Centre, The Balcony SA, Cotton Lounge, Vida Loga Lounge, Moloko, etc.
List of DJ Hlo’s Songs
- Visa feat. Mfana Kah Gogo, Cheez Beezy, and Lady Du (2022)
- Impilo Emnandi (2022)
- Mashamplan feat. Bob Mabena (2022)
- Isibani feat. DJ Manzo SA & Siboniso (2021)
- Shay’ingoma feat. Malini (2021)
- Noma Yini feat. Professor Ndu Shezi & Mdu (2021)
- Festive feat. KayGee DaKing & Bizizi (2020)
- Ebusuku feat. Rethabile Khumalo (2020)
Hlosiwe Has Other Interests Besides Music
After gaining huge recognition for her SOTY award win, the multi-talented DJ has been strategizing ways to capitalize on the attention. Consequently, she launched a business career by opening a nail and beauty salon in Durban called, The Palace. Furthermore, the ‘Visa’ hitmaker works as the brand ambassador of LéMAZ Wine, owned by her manager Dr. Musa Zulu.
She also holds classes on disc jockeying in Sun View, Durban. Below are additional interests the young star plans on exploring.
Acting
In November 2022, DJ Hlo realized her childhood dream of acting in a TV production when she was offered a guest role in Uzalo. She debuted in the award-winning series as herself in the first week of December 2022. The gorgeous artist played the role of a judge in a talent search competition in the soapie.
Determined to spread her tentacles, Hlosiwe Mthalane has hinted that she would definitely pursue acting as she doesn’t only want to focus on music.
Disc Jockeying Foundation
DJ Hlo is passionate about giving women a chance to succeed as a DJ in a male-dominated industry. Hence, she plans on establishing the DJ Hlo Foundation. It will be a training facility for the mentorship of women who want to become DJs like themselves. She cites her female icons as Brenda Fassie and Lebo Mathosa.
Is DJ Hlo Married to Her Manager?
Rumors about DJ Hlo getting married to her manager, Dr. Musa “Maz” Zulu, started making the rounds in January 2023. It was reported that the two had been dating for some time now, even before the multimillionaire businessman married his wife, Thulile Zulu, in 2022. Due to the ongoing affair, the ‘Ebusuku’ crooner was alleged not to have attended the wedding.
However, based on the Daily Sun report, Hlosiwe met with Zulu’s first wife and is ready to be the second wife. The DJ and her manager are said to be head over heels in love and have been spotted in recent times rocking matching outfits to occasions, including the coronation of the Zulu King, Misuzulu.
Dr. Musa Zulu allegedly spoils the 27 year-old singer with expensive gifts as he was said to have gifted her a luxury home in Ballito, north of Durban as well as an exotic Nissan car. When asked about the house, DJ Hlo’s manager affirmed that it was the music artist who purchased the house for herself.
The rumored couple, however, is said to be engaged, and the DJ has been rocking an engagement ring since 2022. Dr. Zulu has reportedly met her family and also paid her lobola. They are said to be planning on having a wedding during the 2023 Easter weekend. Even though both Hlosiwe Mthalane and Musa Zulu have not denied or confirmed the wedding rumor, the two have assured of issuing a statement that will explain everything.
Who is DJ Hlo’s Boyfriend?
DJ Hlo’s rumored boyfriend is her manager, Dr. Musa Zulu. In addition to owning Maz Entertainment, the multimillionaire owns other companies spread across diverse economic sectors. He serves as the founder and owner of the wine company LeMAZ Wines, as well as the beauty cosmetics company, MazBeauty.
Additionally, the wealthy businessman is a herbalist and owns a herb supply brand, Maz Herbal Products, with distributions around Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. He also has a logistics company called Inqama Couriers and Trucking and co-owns Maz Products Foundation Trust Fund with his first wife, Thulile Zulu.
DJ Hlo’s Cheating Scandal
DJ Hlo made headlines for the wrong reasons in February 2022 as she was accused of having an affair with fellow Durban-based DJ Mthokozi Khathi, aka DJ Tira. After Valentine’s Day, DJ Tira shared a post on Facebook, and fans came for him, alleging that he slept with DJ Hlo.
The DJ was also accused of cheating on his wife, Gugu Khathi, with the Qwabe twins. DJ Tira was quick to dismiss the rumor. He also threatened to fight his Facebook fans spreading the rumor. DJ Hlo, on the other hand, has not responded to the allegation.
The DJ is a Proud Mother
While celebrating Mother’s Day in May 2022, the 27 year-old radio DJ shocked her fans when she posted a photo of herself and her son named, Kwanda. She obviously had her son from a previous relationship while in her late teen years. And she is yet to reveal who her baby daddy is.
