Every night in Dubai’s club scene, someone in the booth is quietly deciding whether the room stays or goes home early. That someone, on many nights at La Tres Bar & Lounge, is Clark Nunga — a 24-year-old Filipino DJ who arrived in the city just over a year ago with a passion for music and not much else guaranteed.
From band stages to the booth
Before Dubai, Clark was already building a life in sound. Back home in the Philippines, he worked as a DJ and played saxophone in a band, performing at events and learning how to read a crowd. Music was never a backup plan for him. It was the plan.
The move to Dubai in January 2025 was about scale. He wanted rooms he couldn’t reach at home. “I decided to pursue my career here in Dubai because there are more opportunities in the entertainment industry,” he shares with TGFM. “I wanted to grow as a DJ, gain more experience, and reach more people through my passion for music.”
The months no one saw
The version of the story that plays out on the dance floor hides the harder one behind it. His first month in the city, Clark landed a job at a new bar — and then watched his salary arrive late, again and again. He moved on, got hired as a resident DJ at a new club, and played there for two months. The first month went fine. The second month, the pay simply never came.
“It made things very difficult for me financially,” he recalls. For a newcomer with no cushion, that kind of setback can end a career abroad before it starts. It nearly did.
What he chose to do instead is the quiet turning point in his story. “Even though I struggled, I didn’t give up and continued looking for better opportunities,” the young Filipino says. He kept working, kept sharpening his sets, and waited to be noticed. Eventually, other clubs were. Now he holds a spot at one of the top Filipino clubs in the city.
What keeps him in the booth
Ask him why he stays with it, and the answer has nothing to do with money or recovery. “The most satisfying part of my job is seeing people enjoy themselves and knowing that I’m part of making their night memorable,” Clark says.
He is already thinking past Dubai. Someday he wants to return to the Philippines and mentor young musicians who are starting, as he did, with very little. “I want to support talented people who have the same passion for music and encourage them to pursue their dreams,” he says.
For kababayans facing their own rough stretch abroad, the DJ offers what got him through his. “Be patient, work hard, and trust God,” he says. “Everything will fall into place at the right time.”
