Today’s collectives can comprise as few as two creative soulmates and as many as a dozen or more artists, musicians, and multi-hyphenates who create together, eat together, and party together—an act of identity formation, an era of artistic community, collaboration, and growth. The music collective makes its own rules. The music collective marches to the beat of its own drums. Now, more than ever, the music collective is paving new paths to create art that’s more than the sum of its parts. This is Cherry Bomb’s story.

These girls don’t cry. They DJ. Behind the decks, Kuala Lumpur–based DJ collective Cherry Bomb is a sight to behold. While one of the three women is deep in the mix, the other two dance beside her, all smiles, queuing up tracks and working the crowd. The collective—made up of Aidaho, Ashley Lau, and Jovynn—have become, in just over the span of a year, rising stars of the city’s electronic music scene; think of them as the techno Powerpuff Girls, each bringing sugar, spice, and everything nice to the (turn)table sonically, though their playful tastes overlap. 

The trio has long come into their own—Aidaho and Ashley have been on the decks for six to seven years now, while Jovynn has played in Melbourne, Taipei, and beyond—yet as Cherry Bomb, they’re only just warming up. “I love being able to share my favourite songs with others,” says Aidaho, the glue of the group who conceived the all-girl lineup. “There’s something magical about creating a vibe that resonates with the crowd and seeing how the energy in the room shifts,” Ashley adds. “It’s like we’re all sharing a moment together, and that connection is what makes it so special for me.”

For Cherry Bomb, diversity, inclusion and gender equality aren’t buzzwords—it’s the very foundation of the collective committed to “elevate the visibility of female DJs, producers and performers” in the male-dominated music industry with entrenched, patriarchal expectations that accompany the art of DJing, to say nothing of casual misogyny. On the internet—particularly on TikTok, where Jovynn has over ten million followers—commentary reveals abuse and trolling. “I don’t waste my energy on it,” Jovynn says. “There’s an expectation to work twice as hard to prove our talent—that our success isn’t just luck or based on our appearances,” the girls add. “We deal with it by staying focused and ignoring the noise because it’s often projection, not genuine criticism.”

“Representation matters,” Aida asserts. Recognising the need to see more girls and women in the scene she’d adored for most of her life, Cherry Bomb debuted at REXKL to a crowd of 1,000 ravers, shattering societal misconceptions and stereotypes—both for themselves and importantly, for others. The collective is passionate about booking and platforming other female talents for their events, creating opportunities for diverse, underrepresented voices. “It’s about breaking barriers and showing that the stage is for everyone.” 

There’s a magic to Cherry Bomb’s parties. The key is in carving out space for celebration and joy, a sense of self, shared, together, to dance and congregate. For the girls, their sets are an opportunity to foster a safer, more inclusive space where anyone “can truly be themselves,” Aidaho says, “and feel a sense of belonging and community, even if they come alone, knowing they’re part of something special.”

While they shape up to shift Cherry Bomb into top gear for the year, the girls are also taking time to reflect on the state of the industry. “The local music scene needs more support from the public and within the community,” Aida says. “For everyone to thrive, it’s essential that we build a strong sense of community within the scene. We need to prioritise collaboration over competition. We’re all striving for the same goals.” 

Take their word. They’ve been there, done that, and designed the T-shirt: emblazoned across the chest of Cherry Bomb’s official baby tee merch are the words “i love when girls dj”. We do, too. 

This story first appeared in the GRAZIA Malaysia March 2025 issue.

Photography: Amani Azlin

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