Sam shares with us her reaction to the news.

“Wow, what an amazing way to make my day. I really am surprised, I never expected to get as far as the semi-final let alone to win the final! It is a great opportunity and I am going to grab it with both hands.  Thanks to everyone who has supported me throughout the competition, you have all helped to put this really big smile on my face. Look out France here I come… whooo hooooo!”

We’ll be following Sam on her journey to the Roxy Jam festival, so watch this space for news and reports on all the hi-jinx!

So what happens next? The four finalists, Sam Red (UK), Mamz’Hell (France), Miss Inshara (Belgium) and Lucilia (Germany) will upload a 30 minute beach themed mix to nextgirldj.com by 12 midnight this coming Monday, 7th June.

The votes from you lot will count for 50%, the rest – and final decision – will be made by our final panel of judges, whom have all been involved in the contest from the beginning. We have on the judging team, DJ Sand from Moonday, Nick Sabine & Audrey Powell from Resident Advisor, and DJs  Anthea, Anja Schneider, La Fleur and me!

Members of the public – yes you, out there! – will be asked to vote like mad for your favourite mix. Public voting closes at midnight Wednesday 23rd June, the Panel decide on the winner on Thursday 24th June, whom will be announced on Friday 25th June!

And what will the winner get, after all this? Not only have all the finalists received loads of cool gifts, but The Next Girl DJ Winner will be invited to DJ at the 2010 Longboard World Championship held in Biarritz, France July 10th – 14th and will also be playing at a super secret gig which we will announce to you all at the end of the month – so you’d better watch this space!

It was a very impressive event! Sand and her team in Brussels did a fab job. The club was sleek with an excellent sound system, and by the time I got there it was already rammed – a nice mixed crowd, and I will even forgive the dodgy tranny in that awful outfit and hairdo, and yes I have evidence!

The girls had a vibrant and supportive crowd to play to, and the vibe in the club was growing with every DJ. The girls on the night were Nonoo, Angela, Druvmix, Cixi, Anaëlle and Miss Inshara and how good were their sets? No wonder the crowd were up-for-it, they had the soundtrack! After a few vodkas I was back on form again, and the judging was in full flow.

This was the biggest judging team the contest had boasted thus far (deep breath) – Carl De Moncharline (Event Bruxelles), Markus Vektor (Toys For Boys), Florence Atlas (Nightcode), Bea Ercolini (Elle Magazine Belgium), DJ Sand (Moonday), Ajouad el Miloudi (3-fm), Electric Indigo (Female Pressure), Olivier Mateu (aka DJ Rodriguez Junior- Mobilee) and
Eva-Marie Pinon (TSUGI magazine). Phew. And they had the tough task of picking the winners.

First place was Miss Inshara! Cixi came 2nd and Nonoo 3rd. But as always, it was a tough decision and every single girl in the contest has been a winner in our eyes.

Miss Inshara – The Winner!

So we have our 4 finalists. Watch this space tomorrow for news on what happens next…

Anaëlle

‘This contest is pretty interesting! First of all that’s nice to meet some other girls who got the same passion – it doesn’t happen every day – and we have the opportunity to prove what we are really able to do. It should be a great moment playing my favorite tunes!’

Cixi

‘How nice to be invited to take part in the semi-finals! I like the Fuse for its superb sound quality and great atmosphere. I’m looking forward to spending a groovy night with all the other music lovers & friends!’

Angela

‘I’m more than excited, I can’t find a word to describe my feelings, I never imagined that I’d go so far! This is a really great opportunity to open the doors to the ‘nightlife’ in the rest of Europe. I’m going to play a pumpy, full of energy set, but most importantly, I’m going to share with the people the magic of sound’

Nonoo

“Waw! I still can’t believe I’m in the semi-finals and that I’ll be playing in Fuse! So far it has been an exciting experience. Meeting the jury and the other girls is going to be great as well as playing in one of my favourite clubs and seeing people dance to my beat – I can’t wait!’

Look out for the announcement of Berlin’s winner, which will be posted up tomorrow morning.

Johanne

“I think this is a really great opportunity for the music dictator inside of me to show it’s full potential. Therefore I was thrilled to hear that I had gotten through to the live final, where my energy and enthusiasm has a chance of supplying the music and the mixing. My set
will, as it always does, reflect my mood, which at the time being is constant spring friskiness!”

Alize

“How nice to be invited! It was quite a surprise for me when I got the message! As my uploaded set is more laidback and different from the others, I didn’t really expect to be chosen for the semi-finals. I like the Horst and I am really looking forward to play some of my favourite records there! The ingredients for my set is going to be house, deep techno and some disco”

Dorkah

“I am so happy to get a chance to play in the live final. I can’t wait for this fantastic event, I have to come far but it’ll be worthwhile – it’s sure to be very exciting night!”

Ina D

“When I was on my way to the VIE airport to catch a flight to Paris I received a message that said that I was chosen to be one of the five girls who are going to rock the semi-finals in Berlin.
I’m so happy to be given such a great opportunity to play a set in front of such an experienced jury. I’m also looking forward to meeting the other girls and we will have a great time in Berlin!”

Lucilia

“I’m so excited I can hardly sit still! I’m currently poorly with a terrible cold, and I’m pouring tea down me, bathing in donkey milk, and petting the cat wildly, all in preparation for a nice Horst-cracks-the-bee set!”

How did you feel when you were announced as the winner?

I was in complete shock, a real mixture of emotions. I’m still trying to absorb it all now, it was an amazing experience. I didn’t expect to get to the semi-final, let alone to win it.

Did you feel confident with your set?

This was probably one of the most nerve-wracking things I have ever done! I enjoyed it and just tried to do my best. As for confidence I definitely have more faith in my abilities now than I did before the competition.

Who did you think was going to win?

To be honest I really didn’t know. It was great to be in the company of such talented female DJs, each with their own great qualities and style. I am just happy the judges thought I was worthy of the title.

Any ideas for your beach mix yet?

I haven’t really got my head around it yet!  I’m going to hunt around for some tracks and see what inspires me. The sunshine today is a good start too.

Sam Redhead

“I can’t wait for the semi-final, I’m very excited and ready for action! I’m looking forward to sharing the decks and listening to some top tunes from the other female DJs. Roll on Thurs…”

The Womso

“I’m really looking forward to the live final, gonna be fun fun fun!
Disco has been making a massive revival over the last year and after listening to the other girls electronic mixes, I’m really looking forward to see if it might take over electronic music at the contest”

Anna Gram

“How am I feeling about the finals? ARRRGGGGHHHH! So excited!
The thing I’m looking forward to the most is having the chance to play in front of such a well respected panel of judges. Even if I don’t win it’s still an amazing opportunity for me. I’m also excited to meet the other ladies competing and am really happy to have been able promote just how fantastic female DJs are!”

Ciara Kellerher

“Am very excited.com over here in Cork – whoop! It feels rather fantastic to be part of this. I’m looking forward to playing my music in an electric atmosphere with like-minded people, so see you there!”

Fabrizia

“I express myself with the music I play and I can’t wait to share it with the jury and the others girls! I’m very excited! The next day I have a big gig at Ministry of Sound and it’s also my birthday! Things always have to happen all together!”