Are There Any Female DJs?

When you do a search for questions asked about the keyword “female DJ,” this is one of the top questions asked on answerthepublic.com. As you may or may not realize already, female DJs are given very little thought or recognition in this world. 

I did not aspire to be a token female in a herd of males. I did not set out with any intention of changing the game, proving myself, or challenging social norms. No, I was actually ignorantly content with the demographics. I never gave any thought to why men took the lead more. I mean, come on…. all of society reinforces the thought that men are our natural leaders. Women are the strong figures holding her man down behind the scenes, remember?

If I had had a boyfriend when I started hosting events, I probably would have followed the same old pattern so many of us fall into - get him to be the face of it and do the rest of the work myself. Nice, simple, safe. As a non-entertainer personality, that would have totally been my vibe. Since that was not the case for me, I began playing music at my own events out of necessity. My events themselves were forged in an environment of very little support and tons of social turmoil over the fact that I dare ask people to play, dance, and enjoy Bachata. I had, after all, tried to get the current DJs to play more Bachata and they all turned me down, so I was my only hope.

Over the years, I worked on my philosophy of music by first planning for energy builds and releases in iTunes playlists, thinking how music would motivate me to move as a dancer. I have never just thrown on some songs I liked. Later, in 2015, I learned to manipulate the energy live from song-to-song with real DJ equipment. I was so fortunate that when I made this leap and finally accepted that I would, in fact, be a real DJ, a few great mentors appeared that helped me build my confidence and keep my fire burning. I’m not sure I would have made it without them in that time when my dance community environment was still largely passive-aggressive and my work was half-heartedly supported. I had two choices: believe in myself or quit. Not only am I no quitter, but I knew I couldn’t give up because some people were telling me how greatly inspired they were by my music. A few great promoters also appeared in the near future and gave me my first notable gigs, including some festivals and congresses that would give me greater visibility, such as the Afro-Fusion Dance Fest in Cleveland and Baltimore Salsa Bachata Congress. In some ways, these promoters treated me really well and did their best to lift me up, though their efforts were not always received with warm enthusiasm by the rest of the world. Most people ignored the female on the lineup. Being new, I didn’t think the lack of attention on my DJing was because of my gender at all. I just figured the lack of visibility was part of being a newcomer, and in many ways, it was. But over the past 5 years, that visibility has changed only a little despite being hired at numerous festivals and events around the country and being invited back again and again to a few big-name gigs. I mean, my friends know me and think I’m cool, but I’m not known like that. Now, I’m not saying it’s all because of my gender. DJs alone get ignored a ton in promo because people would rather watch a 3-minute video of fancy dancing than listen to our mix or read testimonials on our work. I also feel I held myself back in many ways by attempting to be so humble that I didn’t promote myself enough. This was an overcompensation for the people who called me arrogant when I started promoting and DJing - because, you know, women who step out of their prescribed lane are seen as arrogant (often followed by the word bitches), not leaders, not normal people trying out new interests, but arrogant B-words.

Even though I did not view my struggles as connected to sexism at all, over these years I have collected some memories that made me question whether it was my gender after all, moments such as: 

  • when attendees repeatedly approached the male DJ near me to ask him what song was playing when his equipment wasn’t even hooked up yet and his laptop was closed.

  • when people ask if you are really playing the music right now. (I guess it was too good for a woman to play it?)

  • when a male DJ (who wasn’t even hired at the event) came over to me and started telling me what to play, physically yanking me under his arm, and saying, “awww, I’ll help you” even though the dance floor was packed and vibing to my music. 

  • when the male DJs in an event’s DJ chat started spewing sexist garbage, obviously forgetting there was a woman in the chat to witness it. 

  • when even your own friends blow up their FB and get animated in public over the male DJ, but not you. 

  • when barely anyone listens to or shares the mixes that you put out. (For me, this is slowly changing weirdly thanks to the pandemic and my friends being an awesome hype squad.)

  • when you get only the absolute worst DJ hours event after event after event (i.e. hours when the room is guaranteed to be empty, like during the concert).

  • when they don’t want to compensate you equally to the other male DJs they hired

  • when the male DJ rips apart your set, even though the whole crowd raved how much they loved it.

  • when a male DJ who normally ignores you reads this list and says “some of those have happened to me too, it’s obviously NOT because you’re a woman!” 

The thing about sexism (or racism, or other -isms) is that, purely because it exists on a deep, subconscious level for people, you’re never sure whether it’s because of your gender, or something else. You just know it’s happening. Is it that I’m still kinda new? Is it just the way it worked out? Is this person just a jerk? The more I connect with other badass women who DJ and I hear that their stories echo mine, I realize it’s a real problem. 

But what can we do to make female DJs seen in a way that normalizes their existence?

While mass social change is usually a long and messy process, there are some subtle things we can all do right now. Here’s a short list: 

  • Challenge your own thoughts when you come across a female DJ’s mix or set. Give it an honest listen. Ask yourself what you would think of this if it were a man’s work. (It’s sometimes scary what we learn about ourselves when we practice this exercise.) 

  • Actively hire more female DJs and solo female artists (including my dark-skinned sisters who often get overlooked the most) to change the demographics of visibility. Do not promote us as an exotic feature on your lineup to be objectified and used as a promotional quirk. (“Looky, looky! We hired GIRLS!”) We want to be regular members of the lineup. Include us, but don’t sexualize or fetishize us. (Interestingly enough, one of the other 8 questions asked about female DJs online is “What do female DJs wear?” Yuck.) 

  • Share our work. Congratulate us when we get hired for a new event. Let us know when we’re doing a good job. Make us feel seen as much as you would for a man.

  • Encourage women to step up to the plate. There is room for everyone here and I guarantee the world is missing out on some amazing music right now because of the lack of representation.

  • When women do step up to the plate, don’t accuse them of doing it “just because guys do it and [they] want to do it too.” (Actual quote from a male DJ about aspiring female DJs.) If we don’t question a man’s motives for wanting to do something, don’t do it for ladies or our non-binary friends either.

  • Mentor an up-and-coming female DJ without taking any credit for her work. Be the honorable guide who gives her security and helps build her confidence while leaving the freedom for her to blossom in her own way. Be comfortable stepping back when she has outgrown your help. Be the role model you wished you had had.

  • Normalize DJs of all genders so much that saying “DJ” no longer automatically conjures up a mental image of a male DJ.

  • Follow my DJ sisters:

  • Share this blog and recruit others to the mission. 

Post written by: Jessica Taylor, AKA DJ Tay

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