They have been trending as the most recent DJ duo to hit the entertainment industry. Left, right and centre, they are booked and busy.
Not only do they set the decks on fire, but they also set the stage on fire.
They seem to be the ultimate duo to have in the clubs at the moment – 2Faced.
Before they became known as 2Faced, Thuli Phongolo and Thabile Zungu were not even friends.
The two DJs were just friendly with each other on social media until they decided to merge gqom and amapiano.
What came out of this is a collaboration that’s been making rounds since 14 October when they officially launched.
“We just wanted to do something cool, to bring the two genres together in the beginning. It was not meant to be some sort of duo but as we explored the idea more, we decided to collaborate further and see where it would take us,” Thuli says.
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Speaking to Drum about the inspiration behind the duo name itself, Thuli says that it is a representation of two DJs, genres, personalities coming together.
Seeing that people have been having mixed feelings about the duo and their performances, Thabile also known as DJ Slenda, speaks on the positive remarks that have been thrown their way.
“We are feeling overwhelmed, we didn’t think we’d receive so much love. Our videos have been trending all over and as 2Faced, that motivates us to keep on doing more. We are looking forward to showing everyone what we can bring to the table.”
Positivity is not all that they have been met with though. The duo has been criticised for not being in sync with their dance moves.
The actress and Amapiano DJ tells Drum that people are just shocked to see her try out something new, out of her comfort zone.
“The critiques came for me coming out of my comfort zone and being flexible on stage, going with the flow and the energy. A lot of people who know me know that dancing is not a natural thing for me and I’m not trying to be the best dancer on earth, I’m just trying to just have fun and enjoy what Slenda and I are doing on a performative level. Slenda is a professional dancer and she’s able to bring out that fun from me on stage and feel comfortable.”
Thuli adds that before they could come together to form 2Faced, they made sure that they are in tune with each other.
Even with all the mean jabs coming their way, they have both been not only unfazed but braved it all as they keep getting more booked – weekend in, weekend out.
“We don’t have time to rehearse most of the time because we are both professional DJs and we are not beginners in what we do, and we just click. If we get time, we get together and change our set a couple of times though. Usually at the end, I let Thuli do what she’s best at and I take on the stage to do what I’m also good at since I’m a professional dancer and I can work my magic on the magic to pull the crowd,” says 28-year-old DJ Slenda.
“It’s a collaborative idea, it’s not a mimick-me idea. I’m not going to be what Slenda is as a DJ, Slenda is not going to be what I am as a DJ and people enjoy it when I am vibing and having all those moments by myself the same way they Slenda’s performances at their highest level. We complement each other and because we are so in tune with the craft, it’s not really difficult to create a set that is worthwhile,” Thuli adds.
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The discourse that has also been sparked by the rise of 2Faced is that of female DJs using their bodies to secure gigs.
“Because beauty is seen as a commodity in society, it’s always put forth that that’s what you’re trying to sell but never along our journey did we talk about how sexy we are or how beautiful we are. We spoke about the craft, we spoke about the concept and women empowerment. We’ve never come out naked and put that in the forefront,” says 29-year-old Thuli.
“Everywhere we’ve gone, regardless of the critiques that have been going around on social, people have had fun because of the performative level we bring, the mixing and the song selections because we understand what branding is, we don’t go out to just look sexy.”
More than anything, the duo says they are working towards being great and doing better in their craft because that’s the core of their collaborative craft.
There will be more of them for everyone to see as they rock different stages every chance they get both locally and internationally.
