black history month 2023: community spotlight on soriah lewin

This month we are celebrating Black History Month UK with Birmingham Pride & SHOUT Festival. Follow us as we shine a spotlight on the incredible LGBTQ+ black individuals making moves in our community, as well as businesses, events and resources in our vibrant city.

Meet Soriah (she/her)

Tell us about yourself Soriah!

I’m Soriah Lewin also known as Just Soriah and I’m a multi-genre DJ from Birmingham. My main residencies for the last 7 years are at The Nightingale Club and The Village Inn. I also play for various events and venues around the country including: Vanilla Manchester & Manchester Pride, Lick Events, Leicester Pride, Fatt Projects and Knickerbocker Glory among others. I also had the wonderful opportunity of DJ’ing for the Commonwealth Games in 2022 and the British Betfred Masters in 2023.
I’ve had my guest mixes featured on BBC 1Xtra, Reprezent Radio, The Beat London & Kiss Fresh, recently I joined the team at Gaydio to do a monthly mix show on every 3rd Friday. I’ve become a regular fixture at Birmingham Pride festival and also recently joined the team to become a programmer for the Dance Arena and the Future Stage.

I strive to provide a multitude of opportunities and safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ POC community and also for the wider community. I’m dedicated and driven when it comes to empowering the voices of people who are typically marginalised. As someone who is neurodivergent, I’m always working hard to advocate for people who don’t have the platform or opportunities to advocate for themselves.

I run my own LGBTQ+ event in Birmingham called ‘Wile Out’, this event was created to celebrate music of black origin and to give the community another space to feel seen. Wile Out is my way of inviting people to spend a night inside my weird and wonderful brain and encourage people to let loose and authentically be themselves no matter what.

What does Black History Month mean to you?