From YourShot to Hidden Valley: Girls On Watch Are Just Getting Started

Shaking up Aotearoa’s electronic scene is Girls On Watch, an all-female collective bringing some serious flavor to the decks and turning heads with their explosive sound.

Girls On Watch, consisting of producers Milan, ZOZO, and CLAAAUDB, weaves together an exciting genre-twisting melting pot of sonic textures, shaped by the distinct energy each member carries into the mix. ZOZO pours in a tinge of Afrobeat, Milan ferries in a dose of worldly rhythms, and CLAAAUDB fuses a healthy serving of drum & bass to their productions.

The trio’s journey kicked off at DISCO RALLY VOL 2, a showcase run by George FM resident and Kiwi dance music scene staple Pixie Lane. Not too long after making a memorable splash at this shindig, they now find themselves on the bill for the 10th edition of Hidden Valley Festival and the impending New Zealand debut of UK singer-producer Lu.Re. (October 11, 2025, at Brutto, Auckland)

We caught up with Girls On Watch (GOW) to talk about their origins, influences, the hustle behind the scenes, and what comes next.

TFword: Can you each share a bit about your journey into dance music and music production?
Girls On Watch: Each of us has always had a love for music in our own ways, which led us to enter a competition in 2024 called YourShot. YourShot is a great opportunity for people who have no experience in DJing to learn the fundamentals in approximately 6 weeks and then perform a 25-minute set in front of a crowd. Being part of YourShot really built a foundation for us to understand how to DJ and then step into playing gigs.

TF: What styles or genres does each member bring to the Girls On Watch resume?
Zo: GOW is a great outlet for the Afrobeat side of me, as I’m originally from South Africa, so it’s cool to bring that African flavor to NZ. However, I bring a bit of everything, but the main go-to genres for GOW would be garage and anything Afrobeat.
Milan: I typically play a lot of Global sounds as I’m forever inspired by different cultures and their own roots to music. Anything that gets people to shake their ass on the dance floor is what I bring to the GOW trio.
CLAAAUDB: Well, I usually mix and play drum and bass; however, I have a love for so many genres. With GOW, we have left drum and bass out and focus on staying in the 130-150BPM range. This allows us to build a really sick set that takes listeners on a journey. Whilst I love drum and bass, I really have loved the opportunity to grow and challenge myself outside of that genre.

TF: How did the Girls On Watch collective come together? And tell us about your debut with Pixie Lane. What was that first show like?
GOW: We all became pretty close friends after we went through the YourShot journey together, and have all shown up to support each other at various gigs. Zo was playing Huffer House Party, opening for Alison Wonderland, and in true GOW fashion, the three of us were absolutely vibing. Pixie Lane walked in and saw the three of us dancing together and had a vision. Pixie said that night, ‘You guys must form a trio, it’s happening.’ Pixie booked us on her line-up for Disco Rally, and far out, what an incredible night it was. The crowd was insane, we totally knew that night something special was formed with GOW. We are so grateful for Pixie, her belief in us, and the opportunity to be part of Disco Rally.

TF: Who are some of the key influences that shape your sound? Are there any female-led DJ duos or collectives you particularly admire?
GOW: We love so many, but here are a few that inspire us. PoppaJax, Messie, Effy, BabyJ.

TF: As a collective, what are some of your short-term goals, and what’s the long-term vision for Girls On Watch?
GOW: Our dream will always remain to inspire other females in New Zealand. Goals-wise, we are excited to continue growing in our craft, playing together, and seeing what happens.

TF: You’re set to play Hidden Valley in December. What can fans expect from your performance?
GOW: Get ready, the girls are ON! We are excited to showcase to Hidden Valley that GOW is made up of girls who love music and people. Music brings people together, and whilst we are all so different, being able to unite over music is what we are about.

TF: Are there any music festivals or venues—local or global—you guys dream of playing or making your mark on?
GOW: Establishing ourselves in our local scene is super important to us, so we would like to play BASSMENT. We are grateful for any opportunity that may come our way.

TF: What challenges have you faced as women in electronic music, and how have you turned those into creative fuel?
Zo: For me personally, I’ve faced hearing from mainly men that I’ve only got these opportunities because I am a female. It’s super disheartening when I put a lot of effort into music that not a lot of people see. This even goes for me and the girls, the late nights, networking, finding music and navigating the scene. But in saying that, we’ve taken all that negativity and made music fun again. Women in general just wanna have a boogie and that’s the vibes GOW brings to the music scene.
Milan: A challenge I faced personally was not letting judgment from other DJs (specifically men) get to me when starting out. Now I don’t feed into the mind games and focus on being the best version of myself where I can let my work speak for itself.
CLAAAUDB: Not so much a challenge but I have embodied a mindset of not putting heavy expectations on myself in this completely new part of my life. There can be a lot of pressure and the unknown when stepping into this new world.

TF: What does it mean to be a boundary-pushing, all-female collective in 2025, and what do you want the legacy of Girls On Watch to be?
GOW: We think it is super special. We are really proud of each other individually, and so to form GOW as friends and play together really is something we will all look back on one day and smile about.

TF: Do you feel like the representation of women and gender-diverse artists in electronic music is improving? What still needs to change?
GOW: Of course, we are hyped to see how many women are represented on local lineups. We also see the likes of our kiwi female artists being represented massively overseas. Poppa Jax, Messie, and Sin come to mind, playing all over the world, which is super inspiring and putting our country on the MAP!

TF: Do you see yourselves as role models for the current and upcoming wave of female DJs and producers? What would you say to young artists watching you from the crowd?
GOW: Yes, and that isn’t something we take lightly. In a world where there is so much division, we want to show that whilst we are each so different, we unite and lift each other up in the name of our love for music. So we want young female DJs and producers to know that life is short, chase your dreams, and dance along the way. We are just girls who decided to challenge ourselves, step into the unknown, and you can too.

TF: What can we look forward to from you during the rest of this year? Any exciting upcoming projects, collaborations, or releases you can share with us?
GOW: Working on Hidden Valley is our biggest project. We are opening for Lu.Re in October and have some cool ideas in the pipeline. We also have a podcast episode coming out with the lovely girls from GIRLS WHO MUSIC; make sure you give them a follow and see what they are doing in the NZ scene. Keep watch, the girls are excited to show NZ the future of GOW.

Find Girls On Watch on Instagram

All images courtesy of Girls on Watch; photography by Darren Knight

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