The Ultra Music Festival’s esteemed underground brand RESISTANCE 2025 will feature headlining sets from festival favorites, including more women DJs. Charlotte de White and Miss Monique will make their debut as headline performers, being the only two women DJs among 33 male DJs performing at the Ultra Music Festival.
After her historic main stage debut at Ultra 2023, Charlotte de White will return as a headline performer. She has been one of the small number of women who have performed at Ultra. She made history by being the first techno artist that Ultra has booked to perform on the main stage.
Ultra has been known as the premiere electronic dance event. It typically features performances from over 100 DJs and electronic artists each year, spanning multiple stages. However, just a few get to perform in the headlining on the main stage. This festival is known for its diverse lineup, but historically, female representation has been lower compared to male representation.
The Resistance Island hosts three days of the Carl Cox Megastructure, with Premieres Reflectors and 170,000 attendees from more than 100 different countries. The festival is scheduled to run from March. 28 to March. 30, 2025 at 4 p.m.
The number of female DJs performing on Ultra has been increasing, but few perform on the main stage. Most of the lineup is composed by male DJs. This year, it’s Axwell, Hardwell, Martin Garrix, Alesso, Tiesto and Afrojack. Two women DJs, Charlotte de White and Miss Monique, will perform.
Why are there more male DJs performing at Ultra than Female DJs?
Festivals like Ultra often involved significant music production, and women are often underrepresented in the technical side of music creation. This has made it hard for some female DJs to gain skill and recognition to perform at big events like Ultra. This has caused a lot of female DJs to lose big opportunities especially in this music industry.
The electronic music scene, like many others, is dominated by men. However, with time women are breaking into the industry. Women often faced challenges due to stereotypes and fewer networking opportunities.
“The biggest challenge that as a female DJ you go through is women not supporting each other, being criticized because of how you look,” said DJ Rere, a female DJ who had the opportunity to travel around the world as a professional DJ with Carnival Cruise Line.
“No matter what you do you will be criticized as a woman DJ for how you look, a guy will never be criticized for how they look,” she said.
There are a lot of reasons, say those in the business, why the industry is mostly dominated by men: male DJs received more recognition than women DJs, events like Ultra often market male artists more aggressively, creating a feedback loop of male dominance in the lineup.
SheSaid.so, a global independent community of women and gender nonconforming people in the music industry has been advocating for more visibility and more opportunities for women in the music industry. This is slowly improving the visibility of women in the industry, their performance on big music events like Ultra Festival.
The exact number of female DJs who have performed at Ultra over its history is not available to the public. However, it has been growing the presence of female DJ producers, and female performers since it began in 1999. Some of the notable female artists who have performed at Ultra are de White, Miss Monique, Nina Kraviz, and Alison Wonderland.
“If we want more women in the industry, we have to support each other as women DJs, we are normal DJs just like a guy,” DJ Rere said.
