• Winner of Ukhozi FM’s 2021 Song of the Year.
• 214,966 votes.
• First female DJ to take the title.
• Rigged voting allegation.

Surprise Win.

DJ Hlo, aka Hlosiwe Mthalane, seemingly arrived out of nowhere late last year to win Record of the Year as voted for by Ukhozi FM listeners. The track, “Isibani”, released in October 2021 was subsequently given a deeper cultural credibility as the legendary Ukhozi countdown is one of the barometers of cultural “cool”. DJ Hlo’s win is especially significant as she is the first female DJ to take the honours. Her track was up against stiff competition from the likes of other fan favourites such as “Adiwele” by Young Stunna, “Osama” by Zakes Bantwini and “Wena Nkosi Uyazi” by Jumbo.

Facing the backlash.

Of course every “overnight sensation” encounters some head winds and DJ Hlo shrugged off  criticism of her win, saying: “It’s hard to believe that I do not deserve to be in the top 10, because those who voted for the song clearly thought otherwise.” She said that, given her strong support system, she’s able to deflect criticism, considering that more people are rooting for her success as being opposed to it. Hlo also stated in an interview with the Daily Sun that she is not apologetic about her work, is getting bookings from all over the country and, that artist Big Star wants to collaborate with her.

Hlo’s track was released on Radio-monitor, which tracks airplay of songs worldwide, with the data then shared with radio stations and record labels. Her song, “Isibani”, turned out to be the most popular track on Ukhozi FM’s poll.

The future.

Amid the hype and her skyrocketing social media following, DJ Hlo is working on her debut EP, and describes it as a token of appreciation to her fans. She was also recently seen in studio with Amapiano songstress, Lady Du. As they say, watch this space.