LSA100: Tastemaker Jovynn invites everyone to enter her electric wonderland

From twisting turntable knobs behind ring lights to making waves in the biggest clubs with amplified light shows, Jovynn’s journey is a musical wonderland. Sought after for her unparalleled skills, the DJ creates lifetime memories — one set at a time. Here, she speaks to us about her highlights for 2023, love for Paris Hilton and Peggy Gou, and more.

A rising House icon with an exciting hold on the local club scene: Jovynn’s a household name, alright. And mind you, she’s only 21 this year — thriving as a young female DJ. With every set she plays, the Gen Z superstar continues to defy stereotypes one performance at a time. Don’t let her calm demeanour and starry eyes fool you; Jovynn knows what she wants and she’s here to claim her rightful throne. Her “weapon” of choice? The DJ deck, of course!

This wasn’t my first time meeting Jovynn but the anticipation is also unwavering. Earlier this year, the musical maestro was part of Lifestyle Asia KL’s The Z List Class of 2023 and she also performed a fiery set at our party on the 33rd floor of Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur. She lights up every room she enters, with her moon-lit smile and ravishing outfits (come through, fashion queen!). But that’s Jovynn for you, a beaming entity of sick beats on and off the stage. On the day of our LSA100 shoot, it feels like nothing has changed as she walks into the studio exuding the same aura.

Jovynn, with close to a million followers on Instagram and almost 11 million strong on TikTok, is mega-whatchamacallit — a bona fide superstar? But no, she’s as chill as it gets, and even the most introverted (hello, it’s me) can feel comfortable and at ease in her presence. The artist has been everywhere this year, culminating in a total of 17 shows so far! Continuing from 2022’s impressive run with appearances in Dubai’s SUPERVERSE and in Pattaya, Thailand, Jovynn made waves in 2023 with performances at Good Vibes Festival, and Out Of The World among others.

Another highlight for Jovynn is when she performed at Paris Hilton‘s Ruby Rush fragrance launch in Kuala Lumpur, which she says is a dream come true. “It felt a little surreal: she’s a queen and a doll in real life,” expresses Jovynn.

At the end of the day, she deserves all the success and love going her way — all thanks to the amalgamation of her effortlessly cool vibe and mixing talent combined with an infectious personality.

“My eyes are fixated on music right now and I don’t see myself doing anything else,” she opens. The starlet released an original song, ‘No Drugs’ in June this year with plans to drop more tracks in 2024. Well, that’s if she can complete at least one of the 10 projects in her drafts right now. Jokes aside, it’s amazing to witness Jovynn’s meteoric rise from her TikTok beginnings to her prodigious accomplishments.

It’s clear, she has ‘Your Attention’ now.

How has 2023 been for you so far and what are the highlights?

2023 has been extremely hectic and there was so much going on — with everything starting to get back on track especially post-pandemic. Hectic but fun, and the stress has been good. I think my highlights for 2023 are playing at festivals such as the Good Vibes Festival, Out Of The World, and of course meeting Paris Hilton. She’s my icon and I love her so much. It felt a little surreal: she’s a queen and a doll in real life. I got really comfortable as soon as I spoke to her because she was really nice.

This year, I learned to take things slow and not to rush things. The more you rush, the messier it gets. Especially when you can’t think clearly. Also, I learned to just be patient with things and go with the flow. There are things that I can’t actually fix and I wish I had the music production skills earlier but I’m just going to take my time with it.

With the Good Vibes Festival this year, I was surprisingly not as nervous. I did do a couple of shows before that. When I was there, I was just like “Okay, let’s do this”. Usually, I would be super nervous and wouldn’t talk to anyone. It felt nice to be playing a show at home because I have all my friends around me. I think that’s one of the reasons as well why I didn’t feel nervous at all. With overseas shows, it’s usually me and my videographer. It felt like a humbling homecoming to have everyone there.

How does it feel transitioning from producing content on TikTok to making waves globally in front of massive crowds? 

At first, it felt really scary because it’s in real life and you can see their reactions. I wasn’t ready to be out there yet when I got my first gig. Once I got on the stage, it was like discovering a whole other person. All the stage fright and everything went away. You get live interaction. At the end of the day, you’ve just got to syok sendiri and the crowd will reflect on your energy. If you’re awkward on stage, the crowd will be awkward too. I think I’ve learned that from a lot of my first few shows.

Right now, preparation for my shows takes me a day or two but in the past, I took about two months with a bunch of rehearsals. I really wanted to make sure everything went well. I’ve done 17 shows this year and it feels natural now. I just need to prepare the songs and I know what to do on stage. One of my favourite shows I performed at in 2023 is Cherry Bomb. It’s like an underground gig and there’s like a whole community that’s very different to what I would play in a club. They are very accepting of new music and I love the environment. My ultimate goal is to play Coachella. I feel like that’s every artist’s dream.

What does being a female DJ in Malaysia mean to you? 

It’s a motivation and it means a lot. There are also a lot of female DJs that I admire here as well. My goal as a female DJ is to inspire other women to pursue their passions. I want to help them step out of their comfort zones. Peggy Gou inspired me a lot and I hope she comes here soon. She was here for Circoloco but I was 16 back then and couldn’t go. I remember when I was at a House party and a friend put Peggy Gou on the TV — and we would just start dancing. I wasn’t very educated on House music yet but there’s so much more to it. It really enhances the environment, especially when you’re with your friends. It’s not too hectic and you can still talk over the music — good vibes.

I really want to venture into House music but I also can not stick to one genre. My mind is always finding new interests. House music is what made me fall in love with DJ-ing. I didn’t start with EDM but learning from House music. Some of the people I look up to are Fisher, Chris Lake, Fred again.., Skrillex and of course, Peggy Gou.

What are your hopes for your industry in the future, both locally and international?

I hope that more people will step in and join the industry. I feel like we’re lacking that and more people will be supportive of local artists. They really don’t get enough support and people usually just swipe. I hope for them to get more recognition.

What are the most common misconceptions about you, especially from those who say you’re too young?

A lot of people think that I’m just fake DJ-ing. But, it’s not true. I don’t fake DJ and I do not support that at all. I took months to learn this so I’m not going to just let all that effort go into fake-twisting knobs and everything. People have a lot to say until they watch you live. I’ve messed up a lot of times live. But, it can look fake though. If I was not a DJ, I would think they are just twisting knobs but there’s so much more than that. All of the buttons have their purpose.

From a Gen Z POV, do you have any advice for future generations who want to do what you do?

Invest all of your time into learning right now because it is so crucial to commit to a passion. Once you start growing up, it’s going to be harder for you to chase your passions. It’s life, you know. Investing your time is more valuable than anything in this world. A little cheesy but go for it!

There are a lot of behind-the-scenes that people don’t know about. They think it’s always glam but I think psychology plays a really big part especially when dealing with the business side. Everybody has different personalities and different ways to take in things. So, everyone just has to be patient with each other.

What are your expectations for the future as an entertainer? Do you see yourself sticking to being a DJ or do you want to try something else too?

I want to put out more music and play more shows. I’ve got too many drafts right now and they are all incomplete. They are all from different genres as well. I really have to set my mind to something and finish the project. Right now, I’m just jumping from one thing to another. I’m still in my experimenting phase right now so it’s hard to finish one. Next year, I want to complete at least three projects. I’ve got ten in my drafts so one of those has to be out! (laughs)

My eyes are currently fixated on music right now and I don’t see myself doing anything else. It’s still very fresh to me. Who knows? Maybe next year I’ll come out with something new. I like to paint and journal but I wouldn’t turn them into careers. They’re just something therapeutic to help me pass the time.

You’ve also released your own original songs such as ‘Your Attention’ and ‘No Drugs’. What’s your creation process like and how different is that from remixing or performing existing songs?

You get to explore more of your creative ideas when you create your own songs. When you’re just DJ-ing, you’re playing other people’s music and remixing is a whole different thing. With music production, you get to turn your ideas into reality — and you get to play that noise in your head out loud. It’s also more rewarding especially when you’re done with the project. Seeing others appreciate them is also a great feeling.

How do you want to be remembered, in life and in your career?

Wow, I’ve never thought of that! I want to be remembered for my style and for my music.

LSA100: 100 Malaysians, 100 Milestones

Lifestyle Asia KL introduces LSA 100, an annual list that recognises Malaysia’s most influential names and celebrates their talents, contributions, successes and milestones. As the bellwether of style, travel, design, entertainment, business, sports, and more, these 100 Malaysians represent the next generation of go-getters who are paving the way for sharing their know-hows with the world through the power of digital media. LSA100 comprises five categories namely The Rising Aces, The Trailblazers, The Disruptors, The Tastemakers and The Navigators. Find out more about LSA100 Class of 2023, HERE. 

editor-in-chief & creative direction MARTIN TEO | words RONN TAN | assisted by PUTERI YASMIN SURAYA & MALLIE MARAN | photography EDMUND LEE | videography SIMON TAN | video editing JACKIE MAH | makeup KF BONG using YSL BEAUTY | hair MEI CHOI | stylist AZZA ARIF | wardrobe MARC JACOBS