Central Florida’s 1st Place Favorite Local Performer: DJ
In the simpler days of CDs and single copies, DJ Edil Hernandez of Mayaquez, Puerto Rico, would make dance sessions for himself and his friends consisting of the top summer songs — think Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Kelly Clarkson.
After craving more extended mixes, he began experimenting with a few songs every Saturday morning from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. After his friends made copies of these mixes and shared them with others, Hernandez gained notoriety in Orlando, and this feedback from friends and strangers alike encouraged him to pursue his creative passion and take it to the next level.
Fifteen years later, Hernandez has won Watermark’s 2025 WONDER Award for Favorite DJ in Orlando.
“If it weren’t for the city of Orlando, for the people here, I don’t think I would have made it this far,” Hernandez says. “I think it was the right moment and the right place to break through, to have the opportunities and the support I’ve gotten. It just feels like family.”
Hernandez got his start in the industry by being “persistent” with the owner of The Brink — an Orlando nightclub that has since closed — until they allowed him a performing slot.
“I told all my friends, ‘Okay, I have one day; I have to make an impression,’” Hernandez says. “It was like a big party, and from that point on, the rest is history.”
Since his debut, he has placed in the Top 10 of a National DJ contest and placed second for Best Of Orlando’s Best Club DJ in 2023. He performs at Southern Nights Orlando once a month, has DJ’d at two Equality Florida galas and will be one of the performing artists for One Magical Weekend.
Hernandez’s advice for anyone interested in DJing is simple: Don’t be afraid to start, even if older DJs mock your new-age methods.
“Don’t get intimidated, don’t listen to anybody, don’t look at social media,” Hernandez says. “If you are a baker making a cake, it doesn’t really matter if you use a fork or a Betty Crocker mixer or whatever. What matters is the end result, how you made the people feel and if the people had fun.”
To see all the other 2025 WONDER Award winners, go here.
