If you ask US-based Malawian DJ Queen Agnes how she rose to the top, she will tell you that she did not make her way into showbiz, but rather the entertainment business located her through bloodline.
Naturally, it was really inevitable for someone who had music stage maestro Bright ‘Livewire’ Nkhata as her father to forgo the trappings of the entertainment industry.
“Growing up as a daughter of a music legend in Malawi, music was never background noise in our home. It was the language that we spoke. It was how we celebrated, grieved and connected. So, in many ways the stage was always going to be part of my story,” said Queen Agnes from her base in Texas.
She may have not fallen in the music basket, but her eventual fate is not far off either.
Queen Agnes found a home in the DeeJaying trade where she continues to shape a rich narrative on the US radio scene.
Queen Agnes has become the first Malawian DJ to sign up as the official Afro-beats DJ for one of the big radio platforms 97.9 The Beat.
The platform is under Urban One, formerly Radio One, which is one of the largest US broadcasting companies targeting African-American audiences operating over 70 stations. The network reaches millions weekly across 15 markets with special focus on urban hip hop, R ‘n’ B, gospel formats and Afro-beats.
She said joining 97.9 The Beat is a milestone that means everything to her, not just professionally, but personally.
Queen Agnes said she feels she is finally making her father proud.
She said: “Growing up watching him, I understood early on that music is more than entertainment. It is an identity, community and a legacy. Everything I’ve done in my career has been in part a mission to make him proud and to carry that legacy forward.
“So, when I think about now having a platform this large, on a station this influential, to bring Afro-beats and African culture to Dallas and beyond, I feel like I am finally honouring that calling the level it deserves.”
The DJ said her recent success is not just a win for her, but for every young girl in Malawi or in diaspora who dares to dream big. She said she wants young girls to see their roots as an inspiration and a springboard to unleash their strength.
“I think what truly qualified me is my understanding of the culture. I am not just a DJ who plays Afro-beats — I am the culture. I was born in Malawi; I carry that heritage everywhere I go. That authenticity is something you can’t manufacture.
“When I step behind the mic or the decks, I am not performing a trend. I am telling a story that is deeply personal to me and deeply connected to the African diaspora,” she said.
Queen Agnes said she has cleared her way up through her involvement in corporate events, international stages, doping radio work in the UK and television appearances. Through that journey she has shared the stage with artists such as Davido, Ciara and Ky-Mani Marley.
She said: “I came in with a vision, not just a skill set. When I joined The Beat Invasion, the platform was already there — but I brought a clear sense of purpose to it. A commitment to community, cultural storytelling and making sure African music and its roots are represented with the depth they deserve.”
The DJ pays a tribute to the influence the music exploits of her father has had on her Djing career. She said her father showed her that an artist’s greatest responsibility is not fame, but a legacy.
“I wasn’t going to be a replica of my father. I had to discover what Queen Agnes brought to the culture. And over time, through school and church choir, musical theatre, acting in films and DJing, I found that my gift was in being the bridge — between the music and the audience, between African culture and the diaspora, between where I come from and where I am going,” she said.
Queen Agnes said although she wants to continue breaking new barriers in her career, but her deepest vision is to create pathways and institutions that give more young Malawian people an opportunity to realise their dreams.
She said: “I want to combine my love for the arts with real, tangible sustainable development. I believe creativity is one of the most powerful tools for transformation. Music, performance and storytelling are not just entertainment. They are vehicles for confidence, identity and economic opportunity.
“I believe arts can play a major role in transforming Malawi’s economy. Cultural tourism is one of the most powerful and sustainable industries in the world. Malawi has an incredibly rich cultural heritage that the world deserves to experience. I want to help build the infrastructure that makes that possible.”
According to the 97.9 The Beat website, the radio station is one of the prominent contemporary radio stations based in Dallas, Texas. It serves the urban community with hip hop and R ‘n’ B and it is available online.
