After matric, universities rejected her. None of the tertiary courses she applied for to please her mother, accepted her even with her good marks.
But as soon as she started to steer the boat in the direction of what she desired the most, everything fell into place.
Her mother had no choice but to support her in her efforts and it is because of that support that she is now a headliner DJ at Pabi Cooper’s second Cooper FC shutdown.
Lethabo ‘LeeArt’ Gaulana is one of the female DJ’s who will be given a platform to showcase their talents at Amapiano star Pabi Cooper’s birthday event, set to take place on 04 March at Sun Arena in Menlyn, Pretoria.
When she found out she’d have an audience of about 10 000 people at the Time Square venue, she says her hard work was affirmed.
“For me, it was a moment of ‘I guess we’re not far, we really are pushing for us to be recognised by others in the industry’, for people in the industry to be like, ‘Actually I want you on my line up’.”
“Everyone from Pitori and even further is making their way that side on the 4th of March. So for her to even consider me, it just solidifies the fact that I may be on the right path and at least I am getting recognition, clearly there’s something that I am doing right,” she says.
Acknowledging that there are a whole lot of other DJs that Pabi coul have considered, she says that some of them even have more followers and supporters than her but to be chosen among them is an honour.
“Sun Arena is an achievement by itself so for them to look at her and feel like you’re a big enough brand for us to even try and do this, is huge [for] her and for me to be a part of that is even bigger for me because it's a huge opportunity.”
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Chuckling in disbelief at the thought that being a DJ was never part of her plans, she says she is proud of how far she has come in terms of taking up space and seizing the opportunities that have come her way.
These opportunities started knocking on her door during the Covid-19 lockdown in December 2021 when parties were hosted at private locations.
Despite the entertainment industry being hit hard with restrictions on gatherings and alcohol, LeeArt would be booked from Thursday to Sunday.
“That time when things stood still, it was a gateway for this one thing to work out [for me],” she says as she remembers how she made her biggest connections in the industry at these parties.
Booked and busy as she was, she was able to juggle online learning and even progressed to her third year of study at Boston Media house, until she couldn’t keep up anymore.
When it was time to go back to school in February, “It didn’t work. The balance [between gigs and academic commitments] was not balancing anymore.”
After realising that she would gain more on the road, doing the work than she did in class, she dropped out of her radio and broadcasting class.
Given the high graduate unemployment in the country, the 24-year-old did not want to choose academics over her booming career only to end up with a qualification and no means to survive at the end of it all.
Striking the iron while it’s hot, she became a resident DJ at Something Sosha Lounge and has since played her sets at events such as the MetroFm cruise party, and a few other events hosted by artists such as DJ Maphorisa.
“The industry is fickle, it’s easy to be forgotten,” she keeps on saying, which is why she is doing her best to keep her name out there.
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She had always known that she loved music but had never thought to pursue a career in the field until there was nothing much to do during the hard lockdown days in 2020. The DJing scene intrigued her.
“Luckily for me, I was close with this lecturer that actually taught [DJ101 – a DJ basics course] at school and so one time, I just told him in passing that ‘you know what, I think I really would like to do this’.”
Upon agreeing to teach her in the school’s studios, she started practicing regularly till the end of 2021 as there were no physical classes during the time.
A few months down the line, she had both her feet in the game. After bouncing off ideas between her friends and her mentor on what her stage name would be, she ended up with ‘Lee’ which is short for Lethabo and ‘Art’ which “speaks to what I do” and what she embodies, hence her tagline ‘she is art’.
Because her work had already started making waves when she decided to drop out of tertiary, her mentor helped her break the news to her mother. At the mention of the big names that she’d be working with and the promise to take care of her in the night scenes that comes with the job, Lethabo’s Christian mother softened up and allowed her to pursue the DJing career.
And it helps that LeeArt groove is not even her scene as she's introverted and so when she’s not booked, she is either out with friends on a lunch and arcade game date or she’s by herself at home.
With her mom's support, she is now signed under Lawk communications, an agency that manages the likes of Dj Maphorisa, Kabza de small, Dali Wonga among many others.
Beyond hitting the decks and preparing for her sets by sourcing new music on TikTok, LeeArt says that she has taken her time to study the industry so that she reaches longevity.
“It’s easy to blow up but it’s hard to stay in the game.”
To stay in the game, she tells Drum that capitalising on social media as a business platform to collaborate with brands and branching out into music production are the next big things on her goal list.
“[Social media] is no longer just a platform to post, it’s a working environment.”
She adds that “Every DJ would like to play their own music but [for me] it has to be strategic because after releasing once, people will expect more [songs and you should be ready to give them more].”
She was initially an old school house DJ but eventually caught the Amapiano fever in which she now flourishes. For her set at the Cooper FC shutdown, she has prepared soft Amapiano and the kind of dance songs that people can sing along to.
