DJ Mateata
A free-spirited vahine, she is an artist who forges her path as a self-taught woman…
With her hair cut in a short square bob unusual in French Polynesia, Mateata emits an uninhibited, laidback vibe. A rebel at heart, this vahine is a far cry from the traditional image of the mythic Polynesian siren, even if they do have undeniable beauty in common. Mateata is one of the only female DJs in Tahiti. Moreover, she is the only one with her particular music genre, which makes her stand out even more. For a year now, she jams during Happy Hour at the Radisson hotel on the east coast of Tahiti. For two hours, she spins her records from 1965-1975, filling the ears of tourists and residents alike with her retro sounds of rock, pop, and soul.
Records and turntables
No way is she going to use a computerized mixer. Mateata gave it a go, but she prefers the feel of the vinyl under her fingers. The connection is almost visceral. This is how she gets to know the records that she scored here and there over the course of her travels and encounters. This DJ performed for eight years in Berlin, where she created a music scene for two years. She started from scratch with only ten listeners, and ended up uniting 800 people around her music. In the Fenua (homeland), the music scene tends to be electronic, which leaves her little space to express herself. It is hard for her to win over audiences, except at the Radisson where loyal fans gather. It is true that Mateata, although Polynesian, is somewhat out of place in Tahiti. Her style clashes with local music tastes. It is a blessing in disguise, for this gives Mateata the opportunity to explore and enrich her artistic scope.
Three questions for Mateata
How do you see yourself?
As a rebel who forges her path with freedom
Your philosophy?
You have to learn how to become satisfied with
what life gives you in order to be happy. There is
always a solution to everything.
What do you wish for?
To start a family, to continue learning, to enrich
myself, and to live my passions.
Model, actress, and art agent
Purely self-taught, Mateata puts herself out there, takes risks, and lives with no regrets. First, she launched an internet site in Paris to sell records with her partner at the time. Then she changed direction towards mixing before reorienting herself again, still in the arts. Today, Mateata gracefully glides between the worlds of working at night and during the day, as she quietly envisions her reinvention.
At 37 years-old, she has a varied, yet coherent path. With a profound nature inextricable from art, she is now an art agent. For someone who welcomes challenges, encounters, and learning, this is a new career that she is discovering and appreciating. Her first client is a true artist, one of those who lives only for his art and forgets to promote his work. Gotz, a famous painter who lives on Moorea, has placed his trust in Mateata. As an art agent, she will catalogue all this master’s canvases, re-do his website, take care of his correspondence, and organize art shows…a new, passionate life that will allow her to fully express herself on her path to realizing her potential…and to show that it is possible to live one’s passions.
