For DJ Dawn, She Spins Is a Community Designed to Elevate Women in Music

Dallas-Fort Worth native Clarissa Cross, professionally known as DJ Dawn, is working to help fill the longstanding gap in the music industry regarding female disc jockeys.

Cross, 33, has become a successful local DJ in the DFW area, working with prominent enterprises such as American Airlines, Ulta, Hibbett and Raising Cane's, among others. She recently sat down with the Observer to share why she wants to be a resource and voice for peers in music.

Unknown to Cross, growing up in a musically inclined family would be the catalyst for her to become a full-time DJ. Her innate connection to music became more evident once she attended the University of North Texas, as she began to expand her palette into different genres. When attending functions and parties, something that stood out to her was the inconsistency in different DJ sets.

"Music has always been a big part of my life," she said. "My dad's a musician, my brother's a musician, so I come from a family of being around people that are very deeply engrossed in music and just culture."

"I remember going to a lot of the college parties and just being the person that would always take over the aux cord," the creative added. "I would literally bully grown men at parties and be like, 'My playlist is better than yours.' And the funny part is, nine times out of 10, it was. So, I guess you can say that's like, kind of my DJ origin story, in a sense."

In 2016, Cross and a friend decided to plan out the following year while she was working in corporate America. One of her goals was to become a DJ.

"I started calling myself a DJ even before I got an actual controller and even before I went to a DJ school and all of that," she shared. "And so we had a podcast at the time, very unsuccessful, but on that podcast, I would introduce myself as DJ Dawn."

Eventually, she put her money where her mouth was to align with the mission she was on. Like anyone who starts something new, she wasn't the best and had to practice the craft continuously. She took on gigs to help her learn on the spot and grow her skills, but what ultimately improved them was taking DJ courses in 2017.

"I went to a DJ school to really get taught how to DJ properly. And that gave me a really great foundation," Cross noted.

Motherhood and divorce slowed down her journey before she picked it up in a serious manner again a few years later. In 2021, she decided to bet on herself and elevate her DJ career by becoming a full-time DJ, which she doesn't regret. But being in a "male-dominated" field, she noticed specific dynamics concerning female DJs that were hard to overlook.

"I realized it was a male-dominated and a very gate-kept industry in that there was a lot of [men] like, 'Oh yeah, I got you' or 'Oh, I can help put you on or whatever.' And then not a lot of follow-through with it," the mother of one explained.

After years in structured workplaces, Cross was struck by how few guardrails exist for DJs and how much self-advocacy the scene demands.

“There was no HR department [for the DJ industry]. I came from a corporate background, like I said. And so it's like the wild, wild west. You kind of have to fit in for yourself," she said. "I noticed that if you don't have the business structure yourself or that business acumen within you, it's very hard to navigate certain situations because you could be a very good DJ, but maybe not a good business person, and trust a lot of people, [so you] get screwed over."

Due to this, she tuned into the audiences that welcomed her with open arms, whether it was weddings, women's empowerment occasions, conferences, or company events.

"I kind of went where I was actually accepted and more celebrated and appreciated, which turned out to be doing events for a lot of women and also doing events for people of color and even some corporate organizations," the entrepreneur mentioned. "Because I had a corporate background, I knew how to speak their language."

In the last couple of years, corporate and brand activations have given Cross the opportunity, which allowed her to realize that partnering with them was more lucrative than just gaining access to the "cool places" she was trying to reach.

"I didn't know that there was even more money than me wanting to DJ at some of the cool places that at the time I saw my peers DJjing at, and I was like, 'Well, I'm being celebrated over here and the money's good," she said also adding that those that once played her are now asking for help.

Although navigating uncomfortable, unfair and flirtatious situations with male DJs wasn't easy, she found comfort, safety and connection when she started developing relationships with other women DJing locally who faced similar experiences.

"It was good because it made me feel less alone, if I'm being honest with you. Like, it's one thing to talk to, you know, the guys. It's kind of like a different conversation," Cross disclosed. "When I started opening up about being sexually harassed in the industry, which was something I was very ashamed of because as women, we always kind of question it. We gaslight ourselves. You're like, 'Did that happen?' 'Did I lead him on?' 'Am I sure? 'Maybe I shouldn't have worn that around him.'"

The sisterhood she was building led her to launch She Spins, "a creative platform and event series celebrating the presence, power, and artistry of women in music, especially women of color" in 2022, leading into 2023. Her participation in a day trading group sparked the ideal way she wanted to cultivate a sacred hub for female DJs.

"[The trading assembly] used Discord as a platform, and I was like, 'Well, how cool would it be just to have like a community of just women to be able to share resources?' Especially after learning after some years being in the industry that I wasn't the only person who dealt with sexual harassment somewhat. Women were assaulted and had really serious situations happen to them. It just led me to create a safe space that felt more authentic," she said.

She Spins is a free-membership organization with a mission to create real room for women to lead in music — performing, speaking, producing — and support the trailblazers setting the pace for what’s next.

"I was always very careful about really wanting to make sure that I'm leading with value, there are resources and things for them to do, and that the logo looks right and everything. I didn't just want to throw stuff together because people liked the idea and were on board."

"People even tried to take my idea and run with it, and I was like, 'No, we're gonna do certain things. Let's do it right," she added. "And I'm so glad I waited, you know, just to kind of roll things out how they are now, because now everything is more in line now."

She Spins will be hosting its inaugural event, She Spins Live: Where Music, Sisterhood and Opportunity Meet, at Emerald City Lounge in Fort Worth. A live boiler room–style DJ session will be filmed for the launch of She Spins’ new YouTube series. There will be cocktails, light bites and community networking. The night also features giveaways and a $500 micro-grant from Women in Music, sponsored by Akina Technologies. The night will end with an interview with Dallas' own DJ Duffey, moderated by Nina The Emcee, where Duffey will talk about her path from DFW gigs to global recognition.

"I'm hoping [attendees] take away from it that it's possible," she said. "Because women, we doubt ourselves so much. There are guys [who are] not even qualified. I want them to see at the lounge it's a woman-owned business, like everything you see in that room, a woman did that."
She Spins Live: Where Music, Sisterhood and Opportunity Meet will take place on Sunday, Sept. 14, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Emerald City Lounge, 937 Woodward St., Fort Worth. Tickets are available starting at $15 on Eventbrite. You can join their She Spins Discord to tap into a global network of women DJs and industry pros.