Kenyan actress, events host, and DJ Pierra Makena has opened up about the harsh realities she faced in the music industry, sharing her experiences of overcoming prejudice and proving her worth in a male-dominated field.
In a recent interview, Makena revealed the challenges she encountered and how she persevered despite the adversities.
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“I went through hell. I was called a whore, a stripper, because I was always playing in clubs. There was too much drama from all sides, which reached my parents. It was so much that my parents asked me to stop being a DJ. Not to mention the church,” she recalled.
Her early career was marked by relentless criticism and judgment, especially from those who couldn’t understand or accept a woman thriving in what was traditionally seen as a man’s domain.
Makena’s struggles were compounded by the pervasive sexism within the industry. “As the only female DJ, whenever there was a gender consideration, I would get the job because I was the only one at the time,” she explained.
“The more gigs I got, the more money I made, and that made the male DJs start a narrative that I was sleeping around, that’s why I was getting the jobs, yet I wasn’t even a better DJ in their eyes. I still have messages from the DJs who were spreading that kind of hate just to get me out of the business and out of the scene.”
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Despite the negativity, Makena remained undeterred. “Some would come and verbally tell me, you know, as a woman, I don’t think this is your thing. Look, there are no female DJs. It’s not your space,” she recounted.
But instead of being disheartened, these comments fueled her determination to succeed. “I had already made up my mind, I was going to stay. The more club gigs I got, the more confident I became. The next thing I knew, I was getting concert gigs.”
Her breakthrough came in 2013 when she decided to go commercial, relying solely on her DJing career to make a living. This decision was not just about personal success, but also about paving the way for other women.
“I wanted to set an example for other women who wanted to enter the space. Secondly, I wanted to prove that women can make it in this industry without necessarily giving in to sexual advances in return for a gig.
There is not one person out there who can come out and say I slept with them to get a DJ job. I have never compromised myself,” she said.
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