Nine year old from Milton Keynes has beaten rivals three times her age to book a place in the finals of a top music competition.
Eden Farrell, who’s known as DJ Steady in the electronic music scene, has beaten scores of hopefuls to reach the live final of the Mixmaster UK contest on 28th November at the Boxpark Wembley leisure park in London.
She only started Drum and Bass DJ-ing earlier this year but already Eden has achieved what most aspiring mixers can only dream of: a place in the national finals of the prestigious competition, which attracts thousands of entries from the UK.
The journey into disc jockeying started for Eden after dad Kevin bought her some turntable decks for her eighth birthday. The interest blossomed and soon the family had to find Eden a mentor to help her gain new skills in the high energy Drum and Bass discipline, which uses up to four decks rather than the usual two.
“Because of her age nobody took Eden seriously,” said mum Maria. “After months of searching for a mentor, she found guidance at OTD Studios in Buckingham, which gives lessons to DJs of all ages. She started with House music in September 2023, before discovering her love for Drum and Bass in April this year.”
Now DJ Steady is practicing for the biggest gig of her young life – the national finals, which took several levels of elimination to get to. She first had to overcome a Midland and Wales region heat, playing a live streamed initial 10 minute audition.
From there she was whittled down to 42 DJs, then 14, and then just seven in a special live show. Now she’s in the final three and heading for Boxpark Wembley.
“The competition is open to anyone of any age,” said Maria. “Eden beat several adult DJs and some well-known artists too who already play gigs. There are nine finalists in total including Eden and two adults from the Midlands region.”
DJ Steady’s talent has already earned her international recognition. Represented by Kids Rave, an organisation spotlighting top young DJs globally, she’s already booked for an international festival next year.
Her skills have been showcased on MKCTV’s televised Kids Club, where she performed a live set, sharing her passion and inspiring other young viewers to pursue their own artistic dreams.
Eden is determined to use her platform to encourage more young women to step into the Drum and Bass scene, which is traditionally dominated by older, male DJs.
“I want other young artists to know that age doesn’t have to be a barrier to following your dreams,” she said. “I hope to show other girls they can achieve big things in Drum and Bass, just like I have.”
