By Elvia Francis. Twitter: @elvia_francis
DJ Goddess recently took over NYC, mixing exclusively at the Asian-fusion hot spot Pranna, on Madison Ave and East 28th St., and Bibi Magazine got the inside scoop on what makes DJ Goddess a truly inspiring woman!
Jessica Dhillon, popularly known as DJ Goddess, started out as a biology major, with a minor in business, at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. She later decided to go into modeling, acting, dance choreography, and film production.
Starting out as an intern for a film producer in Vancouver, she paid her dues. From there, she worked her way up to becoming an executive assistant and then a production associate, before becoming a management consultant between Bollywood and Hollywood.
When asked what made her want to be a DJ, Dhillon said: “I was doing production on films [and] I had a lot of down time in San Francisco.” There she met a friend who was a DJ: DJ Risk One. “I’d hover over his booth rather than partying, because I’m such a nerd. I learned the craft from a female DJ in Vancouver. I practiced for three months straight in my bedroom, until I booked my first gig.” Her first gig happened to be a massive NYE bash in Calgary with none other than Canadian singer Raghav, talk about a debut! “I executive produced his music video in the past, so that’s how I got that gig,” Dhillon explains.
With the great imbalance of female DJs to their male counterparts, Dhillon (like any other female DJ) feels “there’s definitely [an added] pressure.” “With female DJs, I feel like you have to push a lot harder because there’s a stigma to being a female DJ,” Dhillon states. As noted in the 2013 book DJ Culture in the Mix: Power, Technology, and Social Change in Electronic Dance Music: “as the media places more surveillance on the appearance of women, female DJs have to manage their femininity both in terms of the connotations and issues they raise, as well as their physical appearance. Paradoxically, the more women achieve in male-dominated professional hierarchies, the more their looks, image, style, and size carry significance.”
DJ Goddess is best known for her glamorous aesthetic and electro-Bollywood style of music. But, Dhillon states, “Looks can be deceptive—literally”! As a self-professed “tomboy,” she grew up wearing basketball shorts and baggy t-shirts. “It’s hard to envision me then with who I am now. It’s definitely a night and day difference,” Dhillon says. “The transition happened in London,” where her sister was living at the time. “I was wearing basketball shorts, and my sister was like, ‘you can’t leave the house like this.’ Over time I gained an appreciation for fashion. I think I’ve learned how to do my own makeup, and I’m working on my hair.” (But, we’re pretty sure it’s easier to get dolled up with a glam team that involves NYC-based freelance makeup artist Jasmin Rahman!)
Between touring as a DJ throughout India and working overseas, Dhillon says, “I feel very rooted and grounded in my culture. My music is predominantly Indian [and] I’m mainly booked for my Bollywood gigs.”
But, what advice would DJ Goddess have for South Asian females who want to live a similar lifestyle? Well, “I think it takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and knowing what you want to do. As soon as I played on the decks, I pretty much knew I wanted to do this.” Her biggest advice would be to follow through on your dreams! “It’s easier to dream, but then people worry about executing,” she says, but the execution is where the magic happens!
Apart from her constant touring, DJ Goddess recently had her first wedding gig! Dhillon exclaims, “It was amazing—it was a Gujarati wedding!” Dhillon felt comfortable with the setting, since she worked with the couple in the past and the music was predominately in the Bollywood genre, although “they loved their house… and hip hop,” Dhillon reassures us. “I wasn’t sure if I was comfortable doing weddings initially [because] it’s their BIG day! I didn’t even DJ my best friend’s wedding because I wasn’t comfortable [doing that], but now I feel comfortable,” Dhillon says.
Finally, to conclude our interview with DJ Goddess, we asked her for her thoughts on how to balance a relationship with her current lifestyle and what advice she would give for young women who are trying to balance their career with their pursuit for love. Dhillon, who isn’t currently in a relationship, feels like a great relationship “requires a lot of TRUST, LOYALTY, and HONESTY.” “When you’re touring, you need that trust in your partner and vice versa – especially in [this] industry. You can make anything work! You also need SUPPORT from your partner! Women going for their dreams is hard enough,” but without that emotional support, your relationship can deteriorate!
For more on DJ Goddess and her upcoming mix tape, visit: DJGoddess.com
