Did you know that if you run a google search writing ‘Top 10 DJs around the world,’ you would not get to see the name of even one female DJ. Now you can envisage male dominance in the DJ industry. Well to be fair to women, this wouldn’t be a new dynamic for them because it’s not the only field where men outnumber them and they have to persistently outshine to make their mark.
Seeing a woman DJ at a party used to be a rare sight, especially given that DJing, like many other professions, has traditionally been male-dominated. But times are changing, women are increasingly making their mark in DJing, breaking stereotypes, and reshaping the industry. Well, in all honesty, we can’t deny the thrill we feel when we see a female DJ at the deck—it makes us want to scream our lungs out, “You go, girl!”
“The DJ industry though is a small industry yet the people here are very warm, they make sure to help others with the skills that they acquire,” says DJ Maurine who has been performing in Chandigarh for a while now. Speaking about female representation in the DJing world, Maurine added, “Girls are still hesitant about taking up DJing as a career. There are very few female DJs present in Chandigarh, but now I feel times are changing. People have started looking up DJing as a full-time career option. So I hope the representation of girls will increase over time, although the female DJs present right now are doing wonders though the percentage is very less. I hope this improves over time.”
DJ Maurine, as a young girl, was always fascinated with the world of music and on her path of exploration, she found her love for DJing.
However, whenever one is partying, they wouldn’t want to pay much heed to who is playing the music as long as the beats are good and they get to dance their hearts out but things are not as easy as it seems. Whenever we see the artists line up for any international music festival we can see the gender parity in it.
“The representation of female DJs in the industry has improved, but there’s still a long way to go. More women are breaking through and gaining recognition after struggling too much, which is encouraging, but the industry remains largely male-dominated. Greater visibility and support for female DJs are crucial to achieving true equality in the scene,” shares DJ Anamika, who was inspired to be a DJ owing to her deep passion for music and her love for performances.
Initially, she tried experimenting and mixing with tracks on her own and built her network which helped her to get some intriguing gigs. Whenever one starts to rise, a lot of people make sure to annihilate their energy, that’s how the world works, but the conviction of one’s desire can keep them going.
Speaking on the same note, she said, “I have faced challenges breaking stereotypes and proving my skills in a male-dominated industry, but these experiences have also motivated me to work harder and establish my own identity as a DJ. I have proved people wrong many times by playing at huge and good events. I have made up my own indemnity after struggling too much.”
So many women could be inhibited by professional hazards that Ding has. “Crowds do give a lot of song requests, the drunk people do create a ruckus and because of this they indulge in aggression with the bouncers very often,” believes DJ Maurine, “but your love for music could indeed fill you up with the power to tackle such ruckus.”
There are no two ways about the fact that they have faced their share of challenges but they did shatter the obstacles apart with their grit. These DJs are focused on instilling their music with feel-good energy to make the crowd grove on their beats. Since, keeping up with the Gen-Z is a tough nut to crack because their taste in music changes as quickly as their trends. Youngsters today are grooving to a mix of genres including electronic dance music (EDM), techno & tech house. “They’re particularly drawn to catchy beats, energetic drops, and collaborations between mainstream artists and DJs. Remixes and viral tracks on platforms like Instagram also play a big role in shaping their music taste,” says DJ Anamika.
Even though there are only a handful of female DJs in the country, we hope more young girls will step into the DJing world, undeterred by male dominance. After all, music never discriminates. So this is to all the aspiring female DJs out there: hone your skills, because the floor is all yours.
