Minx fills Liam McGinniss in on the benefits of winning the She Can DJ competition.

Minx, AKA Rachel Phillips, first gained national attention when she won the She Can DJ competition, catapulting her into a record deal and booking her a place in the Ibiza International Music Summit. But if you think this was overnight success, you’d be dead wrong. “I’d been DJing for about eight-and-a-half years before that competition,” she says. “A lot of people aren’t aware of that, which is why I get out there a lot, doing press and interviews, working my little butt off. I just got back from a trip to Bali and Adelaide, and it was all work. I never take a holiday.”

Minx has always been a music lover, and when she turned 18 she found her true calling in electronic music. “I’d been going to concerts as long as Mum had let me, and it was always about music, buying CDs and albums. And when I was 18, and I first started clubbing and listening to house music, I was really intrigued by the DJs, the guys behind the stands.

“So I would find my way back down there with them, and find out what they were up to, and meet them. There were lots of local guys that I followed and supported and looked up to. I liked the local guys because it was easier to see them more often, more regularly. Guys like Grant Smiley, Sour John, all those guys who were there right from the beginning. And it’s weird, because I met Grant that way, and now he’s my manager and my business partner, and also one of my best mates.

“At first, it was always a hobby, I never wanted it to be a career.”

But all that changed when Minx won the She Can DJ competition in 2011 – one part of the grand prize was a spot alongside some of EDM’s biggest names, playing the Ibiza International Music Summit. And she’s not afraid to admit she was a little starstruck. “It was crazy. When I got there, I landed and I saw this life-size poster with all these amazing artists on there. And there was my name! And the poster was just everywhere, everywhere we went. And then being on stage, and backstage, with Paul Oakenfold, Carl Cox, Diplo, David Guetta. It was just such an unreal moment.”

But Minx isn’t letting fame and popularity go to her head – she’s still involved with She Can DJ as a global ambassador. “It’s hugely important. It gives me a chance to work with the girls and see the different talent. A lot of the girls in the comp I’ve never heard of, so it’s great to meet new girls and take them to different events. But it’s also good to share my story and encourage the girls with what I’ve done to really just get themselves out there.”

Minx has released a mix album, but promises an album of her own is not far off. “The album is being worked on at the moment. The first single is due out September 5, called “Night to Remember”, and then the actual album will be out next year around March/April.”

For Minx, composing her own music is about balancing her influences and bringing her own ideas. “I kinda do want to incorporate a lot of my influences, especially my main influence, Eric Prydz. I really want to show people that that’s a huge influence for me, and what I love, and what gets me moving. But at the same time, as a girl, I love a good singalong, so I always try to have some tracks vocals, and use local talent for that.”

Minx’s success couldn’t have come at a better time, with electronic music making ever greater forays into the mainstream. “Honestly, I think it’s on its way up, in my eyes. I never thought I’d think that way, but in the stuff that I do, in my scene, it’s just become so much more popular. There’s lots of different DJ competitions, and lots of young promoters out there. I’ve got 17-, 16- and even 15-year-olds contacting me, interested in DJing. And I just think, ‘Wow. I didn’t even think about it, that age.’”

For Minx, the ARIA Awards represent a chance to promote electronic music even further. “I think it’s great to be able to be involved in the Australian scene, and showcase talent from here in Australia. We’ve got so many incredible artists – singers, songwriters, dance music, DJs, so it’s great to see it all showcased.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t get to go to the ceremony last year, but I did play the EMI afterparty. And it was filled with people, some possibly drunk,” she laughs. “So it was just great, getting to meet people, being in there with the EMI team, and just showing my stuff.”