Berlin-based DJ HEDDA is on the rise – for all the good reasons. Having just played her first festival gig at MELT, she spoke to us about activism, identity, and surprising people.
“A super random fact, I was competing in alpine skiing.” Swedish DJ Hedda (she/they) embodies the unexpected like no other. Having moved to Berlin three years ago, she has since made a name for herself, joined the collective Capsule Berlin and wrote an open letter against her former booking agency to stand up against a destructive system of patriarchy, sexism and racism within the industry. Now, she has just played her first festival gig on the Dr. Martens stage at MELT – just another milestone in the era of Hedda.
Still, the young DJ’s journey took a few turns before she got serious with her music. “I grew up in kind of a music environment, but it was only when I moved to London six years ago that I got into it,” she shares. However, particularly in the beginning, it was difficult to gain ground. Hedda even stopped making music for a few years. “I felt that in Sweden, people didn’t fully appreciate the style I wanted to play. Then Covid happened, and it didn’t seem like the right timing anyhow.”
As so often in life, everything has a time and a place. And the inner instinct that told Hedda music is what she is supposed to do luckily led her to move to Berlin. A place where she found a like-minded community and appreciation for her creative experimentation. “Here, people get me. So I just continued,” Hedda explains. And her persistence paid off. During the second lockdown, she made a stream for Capsule Berlin, a platform for up-and-coming DJs and live performers. A starting point for Hedda: not only did she become friends with the collective and got involved with Berlin‘s bass scene; the artist actively started shaping it by creating, curating and organizing club nights and events.
The move to Berlin also advanced Hedda’s musical style. “I’m very inspired by my friends and the people I meet in Berlin through music and deejaying, as well as by simply the locations,” she says. Now, her signature has become breaking with genres, a mix of juke vibes and strong beats, breaks, and catchy vocals on top. “I’m a very restless person,” Hedda explains. “I constantly need something new. So I like to tap into every kind of genre and then put them together, while still keeping the sound and the vibe. Just keeping this high energy, making people hear really unexpected things.”
However, for the artist, it is not only about the joy of the craft or inspiring people to dare to listen to things they otherwise wouldn’t. It’s about showing that a queer woman can prevail in a male-dominated environment. “It makes me eager to prove that I can do this and to be an inspiration for others to try, too.” There appears to be a relentless drive about the upcoming DJ, a positive embracing force spurring her. She is very aware of her privileges and uses the platform to raise her voice even if it will only have a tiny bit of impact.
Having said that, Hedda speaks very openly about her negative experiences with her former booking agency, which she describes as an extremely toxic gaslighting environment that accepted tokenism and queer baiting. “I kind of decided to do something about it by gathering all the people who left the agency and writing an open letter, and to raise awareness for what was actually going on.” Jointly, the former members created the activist platform ABCDLFG and published a restoration curriculum to offer support to those who experienced similar.
It is not a novelty that there is an extreme lack of sources and support for underrepresented communities in the industry. Platforms like ABCDLFG and sharing stories as openly as Hedda does can be extremely vital for the ones in need of help or guidance. As is the artist’s current representative, Layers, a FLINTA collective, promotion and booking agency. Particularly in spaces that thrive from the communities creating them, taking care of each other is entirely essential.
For Hedda, activism and music go hand in hand. “I think music has a really strong impact on our society and culture, in general. I want to continue deejaying but with more meaning behind it.” As much as many might go clubbing for the fun, the party, or are involved with music for the money, Hedda has found a different reason for herself. “I want to stand up for my values and connect them to music because it has such a positive and powerful effect on people.”
Having just played her first festival gig on the Dr. Martens stage and being able to connect with the audience on another level certainly feels like a full-circle moment. “It was so much fun! And surprisingly, I was not nervous,” Hedda confesses. “It was a special moment. And showing myself that I can stay calm in these moments is so important, too. Because, again, I can express that and show that to other people and just keep the energy high and yeah – play some of my favourite tracks!”
Artist: Hedda @heddadelin
soundcloud.com/he-duh/sets/mxxx
Production: OK Lah Productions @oklah.productions
DOP: Paul Bröse @paulbroese
DOP: Moritz Matthias @moritz.tth
Post-Production: Dave Nivison @davidleonivison
Photography: Julius Pfeiffer @juliuspfeiffer
In cooperation with Dr. Martens @drmartensofficial
