Qhubani Ndlovu (born 14 September 1983), also known as DJ Qness, is a Zimbabwean-born South African DJ. He is a Music executive, Songwriter and Television producer. Qness grew up in Palm Springs, Johannesburg in the Vaal. He excelled at school and was also very good at public speaking and debating. It has been previously reported that Qness can’t even remember when he started doing music but he was at it from a very young age. At age 17, he and his childhood friend drafted a proposal and approached a local bank to secure funds to set up a recording studio. They went to the bank dressed in high school uniforms and carrying school bags, and did a presentation on why they needed the funds. The bank officials were so impressed and the loan was approved the next day. On Cue Vol. 1[1] is the debut studio album by DJ Qness, which was released by Sheer Music in 2009. This album remains one of Qness’s most successful albums to date. Shortly after releasing the album, Qness announced that he had originally wanted to work with established acts like Simphiwe Dana and Siphokazi[2] to name just a few, but he was unable to get them because he “lacked the profile” at the time. Hence what he did was to seek new talent that would challenge the market, but still make the same impact. The result was an album that contributed to giving birth to a new era of talented vocalists and acts such as Maleh,[3] Oluhle,[4] and Khanyi (of “Set Your Mind Free” fame),[5] who went on to become established successful acts in their own right. His debut album “On Cue Vol.1” sold over 20 000 units, attaining gold status and featured the hits “Fugama Unamathe” and “Uzongilinda”. On Cue Vol. 2 is the second studio album by DJ Qness, which was released in 2011 by Universal Music.[6] Like its predecessor it did extremely well on the market and spurned hit singles such as “Time”, “Believing”, “Imiyalo”, and “I Do” just to name a few. Qness also matured in terms of production compared to his first record and also managed to realize his dream of working with acts he had always wanted to work with from the start such as Simphiwe Dana and Zamajobe. The recording sessions for the album predominantly took place at his new home in Ferndale as well as his permanent studio in the Vaal and he recorded the project over a period of two years before finally conceding that it was ready for the market. On Cue Vol. 3 is the third studio album by DJ Qness. It was released in 2013 by Soul Candi Records and featured collaborations with prominent acts such as Oliver Mtukudzi, Marissa Guzmann,[7] Marie Chan (from Jamali), Kafele Bandele,[8] & Moneoa,[9] to name just a few. The recording sessions for the album took place at the then Soul Candi Pyramid Studios,[10] as well as Qness’s studio in the Vaal. Qness has also done some work with M.I.A. on the song “XXXO”, which he remixed along with fellow artist South African DJ and music producer DJ Mujava. The duo also worked on the single “Everything You Wanted” by Kele from Bloc Party, which they did a remix for. Qness is associated with acts like Dele Sosimi, Monkey Safari, FNX Omar, Lazarusman, MoBlack, Kele Okereke, Quentin Harris, Kafele Bandele, Oliver Mtukudzi, Simphiwe Dana, Zamajobe, Simi, Maleh, Ami Faku. DJ Qness is currently an Executive Producer for the South Africa Amapiano Awards (2021) and Amapiano’s Next Superstar (2022). Qness has a son named Loyiso, the mother to whom they separated before the child was born.
