Charisse C is a Zimbabwean-born, UK-raised DJ, producer, vocalist, and cultural curator celebrated for her innovative fusion of Southern African electronic sounds with global club culture. Her music, deeply rooted in her heritage, seamlessly blends genres like amapiano, gqom, and deep house.
1. If your sound were a landscape in a dream, what would it look and feel
like?
Wow, what a question! It would look like something out of a surrealist painting. A merging of worlds. A tropical paradise, with the architecture of a capital city. The most beautiful sunsets juxtaposed by towering skylines. It would be busy, but intentionally organised. It would feel warm and safe, and yet still have some grit and some character to it.
2. When you first touch a new beat or melody what usually shows up first in
your body or mind?
I feel the music first, always, so it starts in my body, in my spirit. My mind then steps in to shape the narrative of the song.
3. You’ve built a name through curation, mixing, and now your own sonic
narratives. What emotion or truth are you still trying to crack open through
your work?
I’m still unveiling the full range and capacity of my voice, I’m surprising myself in the studio everyday. I am a complex and layered being, I treasure that about myself. I am still finding ways to express the fullness and all the varying, sometimes contradicting, intersections of my being.
4. If your younger self heard your current mixes, what do you think she’d
say?
She’d say wow, you just keep on taking it higher sis!!!! She’d be proud.
5. Do you believe in creative possession — like, does something outside of
you ever take over when you’re deep in your craft?
Yes I do, I have experienced it many times. Many of my greatest moments on stage and in the studio have been out of body experiences.
6. What emotion do you try to convey through your music?
All of them. The full range of what it is to be human, what it means to be Charisse C. I’m intentional about not limiting myself to what I can and can’t express. All of it is important.
7. Can you tell us a bit about Abantu Radio Show and its various
touchpoints?
Yes, Abantu started as a show on No Signal Radio in 2020, then evolved into a podcast. Then launched as a party in 2022, and a record label in 2024. We continue to be a cultural hub, representing the vastness of what Southern Africa has to offer the world in music, storytelling, culture and education.
8. Imposter syndrome is something that we all deal with. How do you deal
with your own imposter syndrome?
I have to have regular meetings with myself ha. I’ll ask myself what it is that is making me feel this way so I can understand and give grace to those emotions, and then challenge them and work at building my confidence in those areas. Sometimes impostor syndrome is a gaslighting liar and I have to remind myself of who I am, and sometimes imposter syndrome is a feature that lets me know that I’m stepping into new territory and that’s a great thing.
Elijah has a yellow square that says “imposter syndrome is a feature, not a bug.” I think this is a great reminder that all of these emotions are a normal, they aren’t sign of a disorder or a failure, they’re a part of the growth and evolution. If you never experience imposter syndrome, it’s likely that you’re not growing or challenging yourself.
9. If you could bottle the energy of one night, one crowd, or one emotional
set forever. What night would it be and why?
All of the sets I’ve played at my Abantu parties. That is peak Charisse C, every detail curated with intention to allow for me to have complete freedom, safety and a one of a kind connection with the people on the dancefloor. With my ever-growing community.
10. What’s one thing about Charisse C that no interview has ever been brave
enough to ask but should have?
Talk about the cost of your integrity, what have you sacrificed to do things the right way and uplift your community. Talk about the things you’ve said no to in your career that nobody knows about, but would be shocked by. The daily obstacles and fights that people don’t see.
