When the DJ Has a PhD

Jun 7, 2025

DJ performing under colorful laser lights in front of a cheering crowd, representing the growing legitimacy of creative careers once considered unconventional.

A once-unthinkable scene: a DJ at the center of attention, no longer just entertainment—but part of a broader shift in how careers are seen and respected. (Source: Pexels)

A recent episode of The Mayman Show, a podcast by Arab News, featured a Saudi-Canadian woman, DJ Viva, who once lectured at a university and now earns her living as a DJ. A decade ago, such a move might have inspired mockery—or worse, concern. Today, it merely reflects a changing reality: the Kingdom is broadening its definition of what counts as a respectable career.
Mayman Show | S7 E3 | DJ Viva Saudi-Canadian DJ and Music Producer via @YouTube

For much of the modern era, professional respectability in Saudi Arabia followed a narrow script. Medicine, engineering, and civil service stood at the top of the social hierarchy, conferring both pride and stability. Creative or athletic pursuits, by contrast, were often relegated to the margins—tolerated perhaps, but rarely embraced. Even footballers, now central to the country’s international image, were once considered unsuitable marriage material. Admiration on the pitch didn’t always translate to approval at the family gathering.

This mindset proved remarkably durable. In one telling case, a gifted volleyball player—approached by several professional clubs—was advised by his parents to decline. Promises to maintain high academic grades were not enough to override the perception that sport was not a serious career. Only after he won a scholarship abroad and joined a local team did his ambitions gain partial legitimacy. Even then, approval came grudgingly. Such stories were hardly unique.

But that is changing. Footballers are now national icons, appearing in advertisements, public health campaigns, and celebratory state events. DJs, musicians, actors, and filmmakers are enjoying similar—if still nascent—visibility. Their emergence is backed not only by cultural liberalisation but by serious investment. The state is not merely permitting such careers; in many cases, it is promoting them.

Respect, once tethered to formal titles and state employment, is being reassessed. Impact, talent, and visibility are increasingly part of the equation. What was once seen as indulgent is now recognised—cautiously—as ambitious. The cultural math is shifting: a steady job no longer requires a suit and tie.

There is, of course, some way to go. Creative and athletic careers remain precarious. But when a university professor can swap lectures for basslines and be taken seriously, it is more than a personal reinvention. It signals a society tentatively learning to applaud not just stability, but originality too.