GIRL power has kicked it up another notch in Bermuda with the introduction of DJ JADA, who has now made the transition from the placid club atmosphere to testosterone-fuelled dancehall sessions.

JADA, better known as Jamela Daniels, has become a fixture as a DJ spinning at local watering holes but the opportunity to carve her niche in the dancehall arena was too good to pass up.

While admitting playing at a session is different from the club environment she is used to, JADA has proved she is no shrinking violet.

"I think I got a good response considering it was the first time I'd done something on the turntables," she said after her first outing at a session in April.

When the opportunity to spin for Magnum Force at its sessions presented itself, JADA had already done her "homework" - which made some of the guys in the popular dancehall outfit "sit up and pay attention", according to fellow selector Kuane Smith.

"It was a shock to the girls in the audience when they first saw JADA working the turntables, but when she started playing she got a good response from the audience," he added.

JADA explained she would like to see more girls break the stranglehold male selectors and DJs have when it comes to both local and foreign reggae sessions.

"I would definitely encourage the local girls to start their own sound or get involved with a system if that's their dream of being a DJ," she said.

Keeping her material fresh has helped JADA stay one beat ahead of her male counterparts. She says she tends to play more of the new material and locals are accustomed to music coming from the East Coast.

"I want locals to catch on to a sound when it is hot and not wait until they see it on BET's 106th and Park (a music entertainment programme)."

A week before her dancehall sessions, JADA has usually already prepared her musical arsenal and, according to Kuane, she can mix better than many of the guys he knows.

When asked if she would ever participate in a sound clash she replied: "I would like to clash with another local sound system for the experience by Christmas and I'm preparing for it."

While she prefers the DJ's booth at clubs to the open arenas where reggae DJs operate, JADA has made a smooth transition. Not one to pigeonhole herself as simply a DJ, JADA is anxious to learn as much about the technical aspects of the equipment she uses as well.

"I enjoy working with Magnum. I also want to learn how to hook up the equipment and they are teaching me that right now. I like buttons and figuring out the equipment, the complete package and making things work," she said with a broad smile while cueing up a CD.

JADA may soon earn the title as the "First Lady of Dancehall DJs" but for now she is content thrilling the crowd with her brand of music and taking the quality of local sessions to another level.