Kuala Lumpur&rsquo;s hottest music star sound off on the city&rsquo;s sonic underground &mdash; and how she burns the house down.

Aidaho, mother of the House of <a href="https://www.instagram.com/goodnightkl/">Good Night KL</a>, isn&rsquo;t just a fixture in the city&rsquo;s DJ scene &mdash; she is the scene. Spinning beats that move more than just feet, she&rsquo;s turning nightlife into a sanctuary, where everyone is free to show up exactly as they are and dance without apology. You&rsquo;ve carved a distinct sonic identity under the name Aidaho. What personal experiences or philosophies have most influenced your musical direction and the way you curate your sets? I don&rsquo;t take myself too seriously and I think that can be heard in the way I play music. Life is about having fun and creating joy, especially <a href="https://www.hommesmalaysia.com/personalities/interview-on-the-floor-with-sean-ng">on the dance floor</a>. So when I play music, my goal is simple: to make people move, laugh and feel good. At the same time, I am very aware of how important representation is. That makes it even more important for me to be myself. Being in such a male-dominated industry, it&rsquo;s easy to feel like you need to shrink yourself as a woman to be taken seriously. But I&rsquo;ve made it a point to stay true to myself, whether that means leaning into my silly side or playing &ldquo;girlie&rdquo; sounds, it&rsquo;s that balance of fun and authenticity that drives everything I do as Aidaho. Your performances span a diverse range of genres, from house and techno to hip-hop and R&amp;B. How do you approach blending these styles to create a cohesive set that resonates with your audience? I&rsquo;ve never believed in the boundaries of genre &mdash; good music is good music. When I DJ, it&rsquo;s clear that I&rsquo;m just <a href="https://www.hommesmalaysia.com/personalities/interview-this-is-how-noki-does-it">a big fan of music in general</a>. That being said, I know that not everyone has the same mindset, so I always try to balance playing for the crowd and playing for myself. It&rsquo;s about reading the room and seeing when to drop a classic that everyone loves, and when to throw in something unexpected. I have this little rule that I go by: two for them, one for me &mdash; two songs that the crowd will definitely know, followed by a song that I want them to know. That way, the set still feels cohesive and fun, but there&rsquo;s also space for surprise and discovery.

What&rsquo;s the most misunderstood part of being a DJ or music curator today? What do you wish more people knew about the work behind the decks? I think one of the most misunderstood parts of being a DJ today is how much time and experience actually goes into it. Social media can make it look easy, especially because social media has been a shortcut to fame for a lucky few. But the truth is, you have to put in the work! You need to know what it feels like to play for five people before you play for 5,000 people. You need to learn how to be an opener before you can be a headliner. Lately, there&rsquo;s been a real disconnect &mdash; openers playing like they&rsquo;re closing a festival set without understanding how that throws off the crowd. DJing is a shared experience! It&rsquo;s a group effort. You have to work with the crowd to create a night that feels good for everyone, not just you behind the decks. Good Night KL is more than just an event series &mdash; it feels like a community. What kind of legacy are you hoping to build through this platform? Good Night KL has been around for almost a decade! My best friend, Rebecca, and I started it back in 2016 when we were just two college girls trying to navigate KL&rsquo;s nightlife and make a mark as women in the scene. Rebecca ran the media side, sharing cute events and venues we knew the girlies would love, while I focused on throwing female-forward parties. From the start, we wanted women to feel seen, safe and celebrated. Today, with my new partners, Good Night KL is fully focused on events, but our goal hasn&rsquo;t changed. We&rsquo;re still all about creating safe, inclusive spaces and championing female-forward events. From launching KL&rsquo;s first Emo Night to bringing Cherry Bomb to life, we want to keep being the first to introduce new, exciting experiences to the city. We want Good Night KL to be remembered as a movement that opened doors, shifted the culture and made space for more women to shine.

"I&rsquo;ve never believed in the boundaries of genre &mdash; good music is good music." - Aidaho

In the context of Southeast Asia&rsquo;s growing presence in global music, what role do you think Malaysian artists can play &mdash; and what&rsquo;s still missing from the conversation? Malaysian artists have so much to offer, not just in terms of talent but through our unique cultural perspective. <a href="https://www.hommesmalaysia.com/personalities/interview-how-darren-evonne-and-chloe-freshened-up-the-local-fashion-scene">We come from such a diverse country</a> &mdash; a melting pot of sounds, languages, traditions and influences that you can&rsquo;t find anywhere else in the world. That diversity is our strength and something that&rsquo;s still missing from the conversation around global music. I truly believe Malaysian artists are in a position to introduce something fresh to the world, not by copying what&rsquo;s already out there, but by showing what makes us different.

CREDITS: Creative Direction Syazil Abd Rahim Photography Joe Ng Styling Amelia Tan Hair Juno Ko Makeup Eranthe Loo Photography Assistant David Ong

Interview: Aidaho will make you dance all night long

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