By Hannah Yakobi

Photography by Tara West

The winner of our New Talent contest, David Obegi, 19, is currently taking over Montréal by storm. Obegi’s talent has helped him gain a large following on social media, with 18,000+ followers on Twitter and 27,000 fans on Facebook. He says he loves music and plans to expand his career in the near future.

As the winner of our New Talent contest, Obegi got a chance to be interviewed by FAJO’s Editor-in-chief, Hannah Yakobi, and also had his very own FAJO photoshoot! Here is the full story.

Congratulations on winning, David! I’m sure all our readers are curious to find out more about you. Tell us how your career began?

Thank you!

I started at churches and church parties about two years ago. They needed a DJ, so I would bring my laptop over and do some spinning. I always wanted to be a DJ. Many girls ended up liking my music and asked me to spin at their Sweet 16s. It all grew from there. My first song was called Another Day and it was a big hit in Montréal. So it all picked up really quickly.

How do you grow your following? Is it all mostly through word-of-mouth?

Yes, it’s through word-of-mouth, but I also spread the word on social media a lot.

How did you learn how to DJ?

When I had free time, I would constantly practice. So I learnt a lot over a quick period of time.

Who has supported you the most so far?

My mother always helps me to grow in this business, she always supports me. I love her.

How would you describe your style of music?

My style of music is oriental house pop. I chose it to represent my origins because I’m Syrian. I use oriental beats, so my fans can recognize themselves in my music. I do a lot of mixing, singing, producing, writing. I sing in English, but I also speak French and Arabic.

Have you performed at places other than churches?

Definitely. I have performed in Montréal clubs, a lot of sheesha venues and also a lot of festivals. I also recently performed at a large Lebanese festival in Montréal.

You recently performed in Toronto for the first time. Tell us a bit about that.

Yes, it was my first performance in Toronto. I performed at a church party that was related to a soccer tournament. I DJ-ed all night and also performed three of my songs.

Where would you like to be in five years?

In five years? I want to feature a lot of pop artists in my work, and I hope I’m going to expand internationally. Some of my songs are already being played in Morocco, and my songs have also already been played on the radio station in Montréal.

FAJO is a fashion magazine, so how would you describe your style to our readers?

I’m really simple and I like really basic stuff. I like pink and purple a lot, although today I’m wearing black and white. I really like American Apparel and they actually sponsor me. I like to wear jeans too.

Who inspires you?

Edward Maya and Justin Bieber – I want to make a song with them someday. I like Justin because he always followed his dreams and never gave up. And I like Edward Maya because he has the same style of music as me.

If you want to connect with David Obegi: http://davidobegi.com, http://facebook.com/djobj, http://facebook.com/davidobegi, @davidobegi

Photoshoot with David Obegi