​DJ Spoony awarded British Empire Medal for COVID-19 charity work

DJ Spoony – real name Johnathan Joseph – has been awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for his contributions to charity throughout the pandemic.

Through DJ livestreams, DJ Spoony raised more than £20,000 for the NHS and other charities across three months in 2020, with more than a million people tuning into his sets around the world.

The UKG DJ and radio presenter was amongst others including Grayson Perry, Brian May, and Denise Lewis on this year’s New Year Honours List.

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Speaking to PA Media, DJ Spoony said: “I didn’t think for the life of me that those streams would have the impact that they did. No way could I have imagined it.”

Over the course of 10 weeks in 2020, DJ Spoony streamed live across Twitch and YouTube every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, playing eclectic sets that spanned genres including garage, soul, and R&B.

“I see this award as much as for our community as for me,” he told PA Media. “And that’s largely why I’m accepting it because I’m a little bit conflicted with the whole thing.

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“But I’m going to take this on behalf of everybody that stuck together and made those afternoons and evenings streaming so pleasant.”

BBC Radio 2 commended the DJ on Instagram yesterday, posting: “Wishing a huge congratulations to DJ Spoony on his British Empire Medal in the 2023 New Year Honours for his services to charities through music during Covid.”

Born and bred in Hackney, DJ Spoony began his career alongside Mikee B and Timmi Magic as Dreem Teem, later joining radio stations including Kiss and BBC Radio 1 as a presenter.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag’s Editorial Assistant, follow her on Twitter