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Home / News / World News / Meet the women DJs making Saudis groove to their beats
World

Meet the women DJs making Saudis groove to their beats

Meet the women DJs making Saudis groove to their beats
Written by Priyali Dhingra
Jul 31, 2022, 05:08 pm 2 min read
Meet the women DJs making Saudis groove to their beats
Leen Naif, one of the first women DJs, got the chance to perform for a global audience at the Dubai Expo 2020.

Women DJs, a once unthinkable phenomenon in Saudi Arabia, are taking the country by storm. Women in the music industry are benefiting from Saudi Arabia's attempt to change the global perspective towards it. Over the last few years, many women DJs have been coming up and performing at grand events, including the Formula 1 Grand Prix and Dubai Expo.

Context
Why does this story matter?
  • Saudi Arabia has historically offered very little freedom to women.
  • Under the strict form of Islam (Wahabism) practiced in the country, women have often been segregated and placed under a system of guidance by male relatives.
  • Only in 2018 did women get the right to drive, the same year as Saudi Arabia was labeled as the fifth most dangerous land for women by Reuters.
DJ Leen
Women empowered through music

Leen Naif, one of the first women DJs, got the chance to perform at the Dubai Expo 2020 in front of an international audience. First introduced to electronic music by her uncle, Naif has benefited from government attempts to trumpet Saudi's entertainment-friendly image. "With more female DJs coming up, audiences have become 'more comfortable' in seeing them on stage," she told AFP.

Instagram Post
Watch: DJ Leen at Dubai Expo 2020

Instagram post

A post shared by dj.leen on July 31, 2022 at 4:47 pm IST

Information
Saudi Arabia's attempt to expand the entertainment realm

With Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman expanding Saudi Arabia's entertainment realm, music has entered the fore. Historically, music has been discouraged under Wahabism. This has given more opportunities to DJs, and especially women artists in the field.

Struggle
Feat for some, struggle for others

While Naif's parents supported her in the journey, another DJ, Lujain Albishi or 'Birrdperson' had to struggle for a long time. After experimenting with DJ decks during the COVID-19 pandemic, Albishi had to fight to gain her family's approval who wanted her to become a doctor. In 2021, she performed at Saudi's first electronic music festival, MDLBeast Soundstorm, for a crowd of 7 lakh.

Instagram Post
'Biirdperson' at Saudi Arabia's first electronic music festival

Instagram post

A post shared by biirdperson on July 31, 2022 at 4:48 pm IST

Women DJs
'Women DJs are here to stay'

"My family came to Soundstorm and saw me on stage. They were dancing, they were happy," Albishi said. Naif, who has also been heckled at events by male audiences, said that women DJs succeed because "they are better than men at reading people. Both the women are now turning heads in the kingdom's new era and believe that women DJs are here to last.

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Priyali Dhingra
Priyali Dhingra
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Priyali Dhingra is a multimedia journalist based in New Delhi and a National Writer with Newsbytes. She loves to report on politics, gender, health, and education, especially through the lens of her camera. Priyali has worked as a reporter and producer with Mojo Story, The Better India, and Newsmeter. She holds a Masters' Degree in Journalism from the University of Hyderabad.
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