02 August,2026 08:52 AM IST | Mumbai | Isha Ganesan
Snehal Shah, aka DJ Rink, entered the industry in 2005, and still dominates the space. PIC/DJ RINK
The clubbing scene will always be incomplete without the DJ booth. Imagine it: dancing, drinking, and jamming to a brilliant set list by your local DJ. Now, who did you recreate in your head, a man or a woman?
If you imagined a man in his early 20s, you're not alone. A 2021 study carried out by at the University of Portsmouth, UK, found that women comprise less than 10 per cent of DJs. Only in the last decade has the gap actually start closing, with female participation steadily rising.
In the vanguard are women DJs now in their 30s and 40s, beating stereotypes on both gender and age. For most of them, DJing is a second act in a play, as they arrive at the scene after careers and degrees in marketing, acting, writing, modelling, and entrepreneurship. These women bring together lived experience into an industry that specialises and usually prizes the male youth as the cover image.
Snehal Shah, aka DJ Rink, entered the industry in 2005, when female DJs were sparse in number and still dominates the space in her early 40s. "I actually stumbled into it. I was at a party, requested a song, and the DJ refused to play it. So I asked if I could try it myself, and that was it. I was hooked instantly," she recalls, "I came from a marketing background, an MBA, a completely different world, but I started collecting music obsessively after that night. Within a short time, I knew this wasn't a hobby anymore, it was what I wanted to do with my life."
But Shah knew that she had to be better than everyone just to be taken seriously at the console.
"I went and got certified as a Sound Engineer specifically so that no one could question my craft," she says. "That negotiation [over gender] doesn't fully disappear, but the terms have changed a lot since then."
The switch-up has definitely taken place, as women DJs in their 30s and 40s now occupy more space in lineups and festivals. As the gender barrier to the DJ booth slowly erodes, Shah believes that many women are now choosing this even in later stages of their lives.
"By your 30s and 40s, you've usually stopped performing for other people's approval. You have the confidence, and often the financial independence, to finally build something that's just yours. Creative reinvention at that age isn't a risk anymore, it's a form of self-respect," she states.
Akshitaa Agnihotri, for instance, is in her 30s and only started DJing three years ago. Before making a name for herself as DJ BeatDoll, she was a national-level gymnast, supermodel, actor, and an author, and had also worked in event production.
"Music was always there in the background, but I never imagined it would become my profession," she says.
But even today, Agnihotri believes that audiences walk in with assumptions when they see a female DJ walk up to the booth. "People often see the supermodel or actor before they see the DJ. Some assume I'm behind the console because of my public image rather than my skills," she states. "I've never tried to convince people with words. I let my performances speak for me."
Sadly, the stereotypes don't end there. Shah's experience in the industry shows how women continually face invisible barriers - being paid less for the same slot, having set "checks" by promoters which never happen to male DJs, being looked down upon by their male peers, or being boxed into certain event genres or types because of gender expectations. But she believes that there is a slow change taking place.
Another side highlighted by Agnihotri, which most still don't speak about, is safety, whether that's night travels, unfamiliarity with areas, or constantly being on the move. "One of the biggest challenges is that women are often judged on everything except their music first," Agnihotri states. "People notice what you're wearing, how you look, or your social media following before they notice your technical skills. There are still assumptions that women don't mix their own music or don't understand the equipment."
When asked the question about one thing they could change in the way people speak about older female DJs, both Agnihotri and Shah had the same response: "Rather than saying female DJs, we should get rid of the label altogether."
"Music doesn't know gender. A great set is a great set. I hope we reach a point where artistes are remembered for the experience they create, rather than whether they're men or women," says Agnihotri.
Shah and Agnihotri hope that their journeys can show others that the female voice won't be buried under the repressive gaze of the patriarchy any longer.
"Once a few of us proved it was possible, it stopped looking impossible for the next generation," Shah concludes.
