For a new generation of women, DJing has become an exciting hobby, side-hustle or even career path. Whether it’s in clubs, at festivals or in foreign climes, more and more Irish DJs are arriving on to the scene and kicking impostor syndrome to the curb while they’re at it. While festival line-ups may still be dominated by male acts this summer, the situation is slowly improving, helped in no small part by the likes of free courses for beginner DJs, a welcoming sense of community and cheaper, more easily available equipment.
Still, there are times when misogyny and sexism rear their head, and women DJs struggle, for reasons beyond their control, to have their voices – and music – heard. Here six DJs – JWY, Yasmin Gardezi, Saz, Sleepless Beauty, Shauna Dee and Kaycee – share their experiences with The Irish Times Magazine. ‘They maybe just want you because of you being a woman’ JWY got into DJing, she says, in 2021, when she started attending free workshops run by Skin & Blister Originally from Amsterdam, Jo-Ann Ahia, 27, has lived in Dublin for six years.
She works full-time as a quality analyst for TikTok and part-time as a DJ playing under the moniker JWY at venues in the capital. She also organises events through her collective Foxgluv. She got into DJing, she says, in 2021, when she started attending free workshops run by Skin & Blister, a platform that aims to nurture and encourage creatives in the realm of music and the arts.
Starting off wasn’t easy, b.