Girl Whatever.

DJ, composer, voice.

Image courtesy of the artist.

 

  • I began making art very early in my childhood. I’d always love to sing and perform. Once in year 1, I brought in my mum’s Xtina album and sang Candyman for show and tell, taking the show part very literally. Guess who’s gay now? This is one of many performances I began to do through childhood and into adolescence, then into adulthood. I think it’s been quite intrinsic, but I was also exposed to art in the home. My mum is a trained actor/vocalist and we went through quite a lot together. In catharses, I would listen to her use full dynamics as an expressive form. I think for her it made her suffering bearable and I internalised that.

  • Thus far, my favourite project has been Orpheus. I had so much fun, it was my debut opera performance. I’d never been so nervous in my life for the opening show, I nearly fainted onstage. I lost my vision and could not hear the orchestra over the sound of my heart palpitating. I didn’t faint though I thought I might. I stabilised as soon as the first note came out and then had such a ball. I felt like for me that unlocked my desire to be a musician, as I was a little lost at the time discovering my identity as a performer.

  • I spent so long trying to think of an answer for this. I think I would like to let the world know I am a little bit of a weeb. I have a sizeable Azelf tattoo on my leg (a Pokémon for those who don’t know). I play all the games quite religiously, I even have a Mew haha! I’ve recently started watching Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures and it’s great. I’d floated around like a spectre as my housemates watched it but never sat down with it. I’m very impressed.

  • My favourite work of art (at the moment, cause it always changes) would probably have to be FKA Twigs’ new album. She is such a powerhouse, and I’m quite a big fan. I watched her at Dark Mofo a few years ago and it was truly the best concert I’ve ever seen. I was very inspired after my first listen of this album, a masterclass in deliverance.

  • I feel like I have differing answers for each medium. To sing, I would probably have to say the music on Fiona Apple’s 2012 album The Idler Wheel… She gets it. We have a similar range and tone. I often struggle at times to be fully engaged in the pieces I perform so being able to resonate with this album lyrically is quite an exciting feeling. To dance to, I really do indulge in my hyperpop. I spend hours scouring for songs and remixes to play in clubs so when I come across something that feels ecstatic, I often treasure it. I do love the classic pop bangers as well. Lots of Madonna too at the moment!

An emerging Naarm multidisciplinary artist (FKA s0dawater) reputed notably for alchemising classical and contemporary music worlds, Girl Whatever (Stel) encapsulates the trans artist experience, appealing to both the mainstream and underground with her developed musicality, curated image and boisterous stage presence. 

Her mixes seek to turn dancefloors into portals, peppered with iconic pop hooks and nostalgic deep cuts to craft sonic realms coloured with elements of bass, club, house, minimal, garage, baile funk and percussion. She has played twice at Bush Music Festival, has opened for artists such as Slayyyter and heavy gore and recently made her international DJ debut for Radio Tempo Nao Para based in Amsterdam. Girl Whatever has previously played at venues such as Miscellania and Colour Club and currently enjoys a club residency at Pride of Our Footscray. 

In her original work, Girl Whatever creates a sonic Frankenstein out of the pop music that fertilised her developing mind. The influence of 2000’s club music permeated the soundscape she hopes to renaissance and the nostalgia associated with it. Her lyricism references the alternative feminine subconscious, diving into oftentimes broody existentialism while her vocals reference the world of classical music, having learned to sing from her previously studied mother and then going on to study tertiary Music Theatre. 

Girl Whatever has also performed in various stage productions such as The Town Whore and the Town Crier are One and the Same (2022) and Winona (2022/2023) which was nominated for Best International Show and Best Duologue at the Hollywood Fringe Awards (USA) and Forest Collective productions such as the Green Room nominated opera The Sea (2023), in collaboration with BK Opera and most recently Labyrinth (2024), performed at Midsumma Festival.

 

Girl Whatever first performed with Forest Collective in 2019.

Her first performance was in Orpheus where Girl Whatever sang the role of Calais, the young boy in a relationship with the title character.

Girl Whatever’s major work with Forest Collective was as a DJ reimagining PIERROT, a digital experience that you can enjoy online now.

Her most recent work with Forest Collective has been as Daedelus in Labyrinth in 2025 and 2024, and as a vocal ensemble member in The Sea in 2023.