If you’re not spinning for tons of people on new year’s eve, how would you typically usher in the new year?
If I wasn’t working on New Year’s, I would most likely be with my family at some type of family friend’s party. When I was a kid, that was always where you could find me when it hit midnight giving my parents hugs & kisses.
Out of 10 DJs spinning on stage, how many operate under the influence of alcohol?
I feel as though five years ago I would have said nine to ten. However, nowadays I feel that more DJs either don’t drink much or at all. My guess would have to be closer to six or seven now.
What do you have to say to people who claim women get it easier?
People want what they want. I would also say models & celebrities get it easier. In the same breath, I feel women, models and celebrities are also judged quicker. If a celebrity messes up, their two hour set may become a 20-minute set. Whereas a male DJ may have mistakes throughout the entire night. On top of that, the various categories that are said to have it easier may also not be given a fair chance or treated equally. It just depends on who you are speaking with and how much they embrace evolution. When I was first starting out, I received all sorts of opinions about myself.
However, a respected DJ of 20 years said to me, “It doesn’t matter if you have been DJing for 20 minutes or 20 years, talent is talent and no one can take that away.” I will never forget those words and I tell everyone who tells me that someone “has it easy” those exact words.
One place you’d pay to spin at?
I was actually recently asked this same question. I would love to play at Carnival in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Everything about it from the costumes, colors, energy, passion, entertainment & excitement have me topping my bucket list with attending.
Holy grail of being a DJ?
I feel that for DJs who strictly DJ, it would be festivals for hundreds of thousands of people. I feel that for DJs who branch into production or have the talent to be an artist, it is having a hit record that is played by fellow DJs all over the world.
What’s your earworm?
It really depends on when I am playing my iPod. If I’ve just spun at a nightclub three days in a row and listened to only a certain genre of music, I will usually steer to the opposite in my off-time. If it was an EDM weekend, I may put on some old school hip hop or R&B. If it was all hip hop, I may be on a progressive house trip. However, I strongly believe you can never fail with the likes of Sade, Etta James, Al Green, & all that original feel-good music.
Weirdest request from the crowd?
I think whenever I DJ in a nightclub and someone asks for country or mariachi music, I get a little thrown off. It’s just that they are two genres that are almost non-existent between the hip hop drumlines & EDM synthesizers. I will always try to find a way to please everyone in the crowd, but those are definitely requests I struggle with more than others. Haha!
What could be better in 2014?
As far as the music industry goes? I think that we (in the US) are embarking on a shift in genre popularity. Therefore, maintaining the energy in the clubs with new demands of the crowds will be crucial. I also hope that more of the “older generation” DJs will be welcoming to the “newer generation” rather than be upset or think of them as competition. If anything, it just challenges is to be the best that we can be in every way.
DJ Adriana performs at the Siloso Beach Party on Dec 31, 6pm. Siloso Beach, Sentosa. $45-65 from Sistic.
