From growing up doing ballet, modern and contemporary dance at the Cape Academy of Performing Arts in Cape Town from a young age, music has always been a part of East London-born Jeanné Kietzmann who is now pursuing a career as a DJ in Los Angeles.
The 32-year-old multi-talented dancer and actress, popularly known as DJ Kietzn, took the decision to find herself in the male-dominated industry five years ago, putting her acting and modelling careers on hold.
“I had just finished filming a TV series for the BBC and had the opportunity to apply for my working visa in LA,” Kietzmann said.
“When it was approved I moved over as I have always had an itch to travel, live in another country and experience different cultures, and that gave me the chance to do so.”
Kietzmann played a supporting role in the eight-episode BBC science fiction series Outcasts, which began filming in SA in April 2010.
Her interest in music grew over the years and she kicked off her music producing and DJ’ing career, recently becoming known through her DJ sets at the annual Burning Man festival in the US.
“Being from SA, I have always loved African percussion instruments and I try to bring a lot of these traditional sounds into my sets.
“I’m very detailed oriented in my personal life and carry the same outlook when producing music and performing.
“I want my audience to feel like they have been taken on a musical journey,” she said.
While living in SA, Kietzmann worked as an actress and model, appearing in various magazines and catalogues which brought her success and recognition as a model.
On television, she is best known for her 2010 role as Tamara Blaine, the girlfriend of Jonathan Grant (Charlie Keegan) in the M-Net soccer drama series League of Glory.
This, after having made her small screen debut in 2008 with a cameo role in the M-Net mini-series Innocent Times.
Having experienced music and DJ’ing for some years now, she hopes to return to her home country eventually to inspire women.
“Within the next few years, I’d love to be back and give talks to young, aspiring female artists.
“I know how tough it can be and I have lived through it, so giving back and helping other women is on the top of my list,” Kietzmann said.
“One of my biggest struggles being a female and DJ’ing is being underestimated. It is a male-dominated industry and understandably so as for many years there were only men who were DJ’ing.
“I love seeing how this dynamic has and continues to shift with more women getting involved and making careers for themselves.”
The musician left East London at the age of four when her family relocated to Cape Town. She last visited SA to spend Christmas with her family in 2018.
To listen to her mixed tapes, visit her Sound Cloud at www.soundcloud.com/kietzn
Kietzmann is set to release her debut single later in April.