Playing her Passion

Like Anja Schneider to Ellen Allien, Monika Kruse, Magda, Cassy and many more around the world, Aminath Fazleena Abbas of the Maldives is out to make her own place as a female DJ. She is popularly known as DJ Angie in Male. The lady has broken many stereotypes by setting her mark in female DJing. Aminath Fazleena Abbas’s journey was not a bed of roses, though. It took a lot of rejections and not giving up in the name of the ‘not for girls mindset’. She had the gumption and the guts to stand and get what she had dreamed of. That brought her to where she stands today - the first female DJ of the Maldives.

Her passion for her craft can be felt through what she said in an interview: “You don’t just play to make people dance; you play for good music to fill the air”. From understanding and tuning to what the audience wants, to setting the ambiance and vibes, DJ Angie mixes her sets right. Her favourites include minimal techno, though she rarely gets to play it. This explains why she stresses that understanding and tuning to the audience is the key to the profession.

Now, with years of experience at hand and a recognized identity, DJ Angie is known not only in the Maldives but has also made a mark in countries like Sri Lanka and the UAE. But how did she do it in less than a decade? It was not easy. In her earlier days she was not considered by a local DJ agency because they said they did not need a ‘typically local’ female Maldivian DJ – a rejection that did dim her zest at the time but she didn’t give up and got her first gig in Kuda Bandos Island for a crowd of around 200 people. Her first resort gig was in Dusit Thani Resort in 2013 and, well, let’s say, DJ Angie never looked back.

The calling of DJing has great scope in the Maldives as it is a major tourist attraction. But the locals lack opportunity in the profession because foreign DJs are hired or preferred over local DJs. DJ Angie, however, believes that the local DJs should get gigs and a DJ must understand that highs and lows are a part of the profession.