Every now and then, a moment comes along that shakes the foundation of an industry, that opens eyes, shifts perspectives, and redefines what&rsquo;s possible. Monday night, April 28th, 2025, was one of those moments. Set against the backdrop of Midwest DJs Live in Milwaukee, what was billed simply as "Ladies Night" evolved into something far more significant. It became a movement. A revelation. A rebirth.
The brainchild of Nate Nelson, Ladies Night wasn&rsquo;t about checking a diversity box or creating a novelty showcase. It was about vision. Nate saw what many in the industry had overlooked for far too long, an untapped reservoir of talent, energy, and creativity among women DJs. And rather than talk about it, he did something revolutionary: he gave them the stage, the platform, and the spotlight.
What unfolded that night wasn&rsquo;t a lineup, it was a legacy in motion.
A Room Reimagined
From the opening track to the final beat drop, the air inside the venue was different. Electric. Reverent. Charged with something deeper than entertainment, it was witnessing history. As each DJ stepped up, there was no pretense. No gimmicks. Just raw, unfiltered artistry.
You couldn&rsquo;t stand still. Whether you were on the floor, posted at the bar, or leaning against the wall in the back like I was, you felt it. Every transition, every rhythm, every lyric was purposeful. And the crowd? Unified. Uplifted. Connected. It was as if we all knew we were watching the game change in real time.
The Power of Five
DJ Staz
Kicking off the evening was DJ Staz, a classically trained multi-instrumentalist born in Russia and raised in the U.S. With a background in piano and guitar and a degree in Entertainment Management, she took her knowledge of music theory and fused it with a fearless love for genre-mixing.
Her set was mesmerizing. She blended nostalgic hits with modern twists, infusing each track with her own style, part educator, part innovator. She didn&rsquo;t just warm up the room. She ignited it. Her energy set the tone for what would become one of the most unforgettable nights of the year.
Kristin Lee
Kristin Lee didn&rsquo;t just command the stage, she owned it. Known as a sought-after DJ, business owner, educator, and speaker, she brought a level of professionalism that could only come from years of grinding at the highest levels. Yet, despite her accolades, she was visibly moved by the moment.
We later learned she had been nervous before taking the stage. But once the music began, Kristin transformed. She sang. She mixed country with pop, added her own vocals, and created a performance that felt deeply personal. The vulnerability, the joy, the authenticity, it was magnetic. Kristin reminded everyone that excellence is born not just from talent, but from truth.
Jaymie Perez
Jaymie brought the club and the concert to the same place. A bilingual MC and planner with luxury events on her resume, including work under David Tutera, she understands how to build energy. And she did just that.
Her set was a dynamic blend of house, Latin rhythms, and EDM textures that had the room moving as one. You could tell Jaymie wasn&rsquo;t just playing tracks, she was conducting an experience. Every beat had purpose, every blend a statement. She moved the room like a conductor moves an orchestra, with grace and power.
DJ Nicki Nell
Nicki Nell&rsquo;s set didn&rsquo;t go off without a hitch and that&rsquo;s what made it legendary. Early technical difficulties threatened to derail the flow, but instead, she turned a challenge into a triumph. Her recovery was so masterful, so seamless, it felt like something out of a movie.
Imagine a Men in Black moment: when Will Smith tells you to look into the light, and then everything you remember is erased. That&rsquo;s what Nicki did. She stepped up, refocused the crowd, dropped a track so heavy and perfectly timed, it erased all memory of what had gone wrong.
From that moment forward, the crowd was hers. She didn&rsquo;t just regain control, she elevated it. Her infectious charisma paired with slick transitions and high-impact selections took the room from disruption to domination. She reminded us that the art of DJing isn&rsquo;t about being flawless, it&rsquo;s about knowing how to turn friction into fire.
A former competitive dancer, Nicki knows how to work a room. From club residencies to performances with the Miami Heat and MGM Springfield, she&rsquo;s seasoned. But that night, she was surgical. She executed her set with grit and grace, and the crowd responded with explosive energy.
DJ K. Sprinkles
Closing out the night was DJ K. Sprinkles, and she did it with unshakable poise and unforgettable fire. At just 19 years old, she has the presence of someone who&rsquo;s been doing this for decades. A graduate of Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, she&rsquo;s no stranger to high-pressure environments, and she showed it.
Sprinkles took to the booth like a headliner. Her set was bold, melodic, and perfectly paced. She pulled from hip-hop, trap, and R&amp;B, layering beats that made the crowd bounce while telling a story. You could feel her musical influences, mentors like DJ Shortee and DJ Rob Swift, woven through her technical cuts and transitions. But her voice? All her own.
Her breakdowns and rebuilds were masterful, and just when you thought the energy couldn&rsquo;t go higher, she pushed it there. Her set was structured like a seasoned storyteller building to a cinematic climax, emotional, commanding, and rich with rhythm. People weren&rsquo;t just dancing, they were watching, locked into her movements, her timing, her command.
And when she brought the set to a close, the roar of applause wasn&rsquo;t just for the music. It was for the moment. DJ K. Sprinkles didn&rsquo;t just close the show, she cemented the night as legendary.
The Unshakable Center: DJ Tori Vee
Let&rsquo;s talk about the glue&mdash;DJ Tori Vee. An award-winning DJ and emcee with a musical background and magnetic stage presence, Tori was more than a host. She was the soul of the evening.
Her introductions felt like blessings. Her commentary, heartfelt. She supported every DJ like a sister, amplifying their energy and calming their nerves. She brought warmth, professionalism, and grounding to a night that could have easily spun into ego or competition. But not with Tori. With her, the night became sacred.
This Was Not a Showcase. It Was a Statement.
Let&rsquo;s be clear, what happened in Milwaukee wasn&rsquo;t about proving anything. These women didn&rsquo;t show up to be the best female DJs in the room. They showed up to be the best DJs, period. And they delivered.
Too often, we talk about diversity as if it&rsquo;s an obligation. But what we saw on that stage was proof that inclusion is a superpower. These women brought range. They brought perspective. They brought community. And they showed what happens when the booth is no longer seen through a gendered lens, but through a lens of talent.
The phrase &ldquo;representation matters&rdquo; isn&rsquo;t just about visibility; it&rsquo;s about redefining norms. It&rsquo;s about giving others permission to dream. And that night, you could see it on the faces of every woman on the dance floor, every girl in the crowd, and every man in awe: DJing is no longer a boys&rsquo; club. It never should&rsquo;ve been.
<h3>A Movement Begins</h3>
The beauty of Ladies Night wasn&rsquo;t just in the music, it was in the aftermath. The buzz. The bookings. The reflection. This night sparked a ripple effect. Conversations about change, inclusion, mentorship, and opportunity began to swell across social media and within industry circles.
This wasn&rsquo;t just about who played that night. It was about every woman who watched and saw herself reflected. It was about every man who walked away with a new understanding of what DJing really means.
Talent. Preparation. Passion. Presence. That&rsquo;s what matters.
And here&rsquo;s the truth: these five women didn&rsquo;t just raise the bar, they reminded us that the bar was never gendered to begin with. It was always about the work.
But perhaps the most powerful outcome of the evening was something that can&rsquo;t be quantified&mdash;a bond. An unbreakable sisterhood was formed that night. Between each performance, you could feel the love. After every set, the other DJs were there, not to compete, but to uplift. They hugged, they laughed, they danced to each other&rsquo;s tracks with admiration, not envy.
What formed on that stage wasn&rsquo;t just artistic collaboration; it was emotional alliance. A true sisterhood that bloomed under stage lights and bass drops. You could feel that their connection wasn&rsquo;t just about that night; it was something that would echo long after the crowd dispersed. In an industry that often isolates, these five women found unity.
And that unity became the real headliner.
<h3>Final Thoughts</h3>
As hosts of 2 DJs 1 Mic, we&rsquo;ve been to a lot of shows. But this one? This one felt different. It didn&rsquo;t just inspire, it instructed. It didn&rsquo;t just entertain, it enlightened.
To DJ Staz, Kristin Lee, Jaymie Perez, DJ Nicki Nell, and DJ K. Sprinkles, thank you. Your artistry, your bravery, your sisterhood, it lit a path for others to follow. You didn&rsquo;t just DJ. You changed the temperature of the room and rewrote the script.
To Tori Vee, thank you for holding space and commanding light. Your role wasn&rsquo;t secondary, it was central.
To Nate Nelson, thank you for believing in what was possible, and then building it.
To everyone reading this, remember this night. Study it. Talk about it. Recreate it in your city. Book these women. Share their stories. Because what they gave us wasn&rsquo;t just a vibe&mdash;it was a vision.
Ladies Night 2025 wasn&rsquo;t about women taking over.
It was about DJs showing us how it&rsquo;s done.
Photo Credit @bird.shot.media
<a title="Ladies Night DJs" href="https://youtu.be/6Q5ubjXdrAE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CLICK HERE</a> to see the full interviews. From 2 DJs 1 Mic and Pro DJ App Magazine&mdash;salute. Peace.
&mdash; Mike Garrett

Midwest DJs Live 2025 made history as five powerhouse women DJs took the stage for Ladies Night—an unforgettable night of talent, unity, and transformation.

Ladies Night 2025: Five Women DJ at Midwest DJs Live