Karla Kenya

Listening to her mother’s funk and soul records in the 80’s, Karla developed her passion for music at an early age. Staying up late listening to american radio stars like casey kasum, she started recording her own mixtape shows. She knew that she would one day become a famous singer and/or a Radio DJ. Not quite endowed with a nightingales voice, she went for plan B and set her goals on widening her scope of reach in the media world. Born and raised in Graz Austria, by way of Swaziland in South Africa, Karla developed a flare for trend spotting and an innovative outlook on design, fashion, music and cosmetics. She was recognized as a key influencer in the world of media and was soon hired as the first black Beauty Editor by Austria's largest lifestyle Magazine, WOMAN in Vienna. She brought an innovative and diverse look to WOMAN Magazine and was a major factor in groundbreaking articles and fashion spreads for 5 years. But this wasn't enough for her. Realizing her passion for music as well as journalism and noticing a recognizable lack of diversity within the realm of electronic dance music, she decided to leave WOMAN in search of building a vibrant career as a media personality and head to Berlin. It is where she began to create a viable on air personality that would add the diversity she sought to see within an industry that she loved. Harnessing her skills in Journalism, her ear for music, and her eye for style, Karla worked diligently and soon received her break in Radio on Energy Sachsen as the Morning Show Co-Host. With a drive field by her passion for success she was soon hosting her own on air Nightlife show, playing Dance music and adding much needed diversity to the landscape of the electronic dance music world in Europe, while simultaneously hosting the morning show. Working diligently for hours each night after her show, she soon honed her skills in DJing to become an award winning DJ. Birthing Karla Kenya she took the crown as the winner for EMI's DJ Competition "She Can DJ“ for GSA in 2012. Making her the first black female in history to win the electronic dance music driven competition. Through her connection with EMI and her newly minted persona as Karla Kenya, she released her first major label release on EMI, entitled "I WANT YOU" and further cemented her place in the electronic dance music world globally. From there she has continued to build the Karla Kenya DJ & Radio Personality and has played to crowds all over the world. Her clients include the likes of Hugo Boss, Serato, Diadora, Hercules, Festival of Ideas and more. She successfully produced and hosted "THE BIG WEEKEND", a cross platform electronic dance music mix show on 98.8 Kiss Fm in Berlin. Her unique style and approach to music landed Karla her own signature show "IN THE CLUB - THE KARLA KENYA SHOW" on Berlin's national broadcasting network RBB on Radio FRITZ. Here she continues to bridge A-List Dance Music artists, fresh underground music & DJs into the Berlin nightlife scene. She has worked with Major Lazer, Martin Garrix, Kygo, Duke Dumont, Chromeo, Far East Movement, Laidback Luke, Paul Kalkbrenner, Westbam and more. In 2013, Karla made the move to New York City in order to further her entrepreneurial endeavors, branching out into brand consulting and content development for small to midsize brands as well as large fortune 500 companies. Keep watching to see what she does. „I love to learn what drives people. This is what I love about being a Journalist. When I DJ, it is a lot more simple. I love to surprise the crowd. I try to never play more than 3 tracks of one genre, I want to keep people on their toes. Music is just as magnificently diverse as we are.“ "IM CLUB - DIE KARLA KENYA SHOW" @Radio FRITZ, Media Executive & Personality, EMI award winning DJ