Jaguar: “I fit into a lot of boxes, and also none of them”
The DJ on the importance of mixed friendships and why she accepts 100% of her DNA
Hi, welcome back to Mixed Messages! In a change to the schedule, this week I speak to Radio 1 DJ Jaguar, who is of Ghanaian and English heritage. As a DJ, Jaguar’s appearance leads to assumptions about the kind of music she plays, but as she explained to me, electronic music shouldn’t be considered an unusual genre for a mixed-Black woman when it came from queer people of colour. Read on for Jaguar’s mixed experience.
How would you describe your ethnicity?
I refer to myself as mixed-race – I’m half-Ghanaian and the rest English. My mixed experience is different to a darker-skinned Black woman, so I have to be aware of where I stand.
When I was a teenager, I referred to myself as Black, which I guess was me exploring my identity. I think I did that to take control rather than let other people define me, like my friends who expected me to run fast and act ‘gangster’.
Do you relate to our Black identity more than your white heritage?
Maybe, but even if I do, I can’t forget that I’m half-white. I find it interesting how people can feel bad about their DNA – I can see why you might want to, but I don’t think it helps to erase part of you.
Growing up in such a white space, how did you come to explore your Black identity?
As a teenager, I was confused, as we all are. We grew up in Alderney, a tiny island in the Channel Islands, which is pretty white. I had a few Black friends at secondary school who I really appreciated, but in that white environment you really notice your otherness.
Going to university in Leeds was transformative. I was around a more diverse group of people, and started reading about race.
Another pivotal moment for me was going to Ghana. I’d always ask my mum when we could go so I could meet my aunties and cousins. When we did eventually go, it was amazing. When you go back to the motherland, a lot of people say there’s this weird connection. I do remember sitting down, closing my eyes and just feeling like, “I’ve been here before.”
I feel more secure having actually been to Ghana, like I understand my roots better. Now when someone tells me that I say fufu “too white”, I know that it doesn’t matter. I’m still half-Ghanaian. All I can do is learn.
As a DJ, do people expect you to play certain styles of music?
People expect that I play hip-hop and grime, but they don’t realise that house and techno is Black music. Electronic music came from LGBTQ+ people of colour in Chicago, Detroit, and then it came over to Europe and Berlin techno came about, before the music was exported back to the US.
Do you think communities of mixed people are important?
I think that it’s important to have people around you who understand. I wish I had been able to see and connect with people like me when I was younger. It’s such a unique experience, and we all share a lot of similarities, but also a lot of differences. We fit into lots of boxes, and also none – some people don’t understand that.
If you could define your personal mixed experience and sum it up in one word, what word would you pick?
Authentic. All you can be is your authentic self, which I truly believe I am.
Listen to Jaguar on Radio One’s BBC Introducing Dance on Sundays at 00:30. Next week I’ll be talking to Natalie Lee, more commonly known on the internet as @stylemesunday. Subscribe to get Mixed Messages in your inbox next Monday!
Mixed Messages is a weekly exploration of the mixed-race experience, from me, Isabella Silvers. My mom is Punjabi Indian (by way of East Africa) and my dad is White British, but finding my place between these two cultures hasn’t always been easy. That’s why I started Mixed Messages, where each week I’ll speak to a prominent mixed voice to delve into what it really feels like to be mixed.