Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Andre Johnson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Andre thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

One of the first things my mentor, who also taught me how to DJ, told me was to hold on to my full time job as long as I could. I started DJ’ing about 6 years ago as a hobby. My original goal was to be the opening DJ at events for friends. As I became better at DJ’ing that goal shifted. I took on more bookings and decided I wanted to DJ full time. At the time I was an Associate Property Manager, overseeing luxury Coops and Condos throughout the city. My work was fulfilling, but time consuming.

About a year ago, I decided to take a leap of faith and commit to DJ’ing full time. You can imagine how scary that was after 8 years of being salaried and having a steady income. I can confidently say it’s the best decision I’ve made. In this past year I also took on a role as an assistant to my mentor which has led me into event coordinating. I’m happy to be expanding my skill set and leveraging skills from Property Management to coordinate events. Haven’t looked back since!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

The name my mother gave me is Dre (Andre) but these days I’m better known as Milhouse. I’m a DJ, DJ Assistant, Event Coordinator and Sneaker Enthusiast from Queens, New York. I’ve been DJ’ing for a little more than 6 years now.

The name Milhouse actually started out as a joke. My friends would mess with me and say I look like the character Milhouse from The Simpsons. If you go look at Milhouse, you’ll see why the name stuck. There is definitely some resemblance. Or maybe it’s just the glasses. Either way, it worked as a perfect name for me as a DJ.

Music wise, I would classify myself as an open format DJ. The music at the events I play is a wide range from Hip Hop and R&B, to Oldies, Top 40, Pop, Dancehall, Afrobeats, Amapiano and much more. I DJ some of the biggest recurring events in NYC and I’m also a member of and resident DJ for Everyday People. Additionally, I DJ events for brands such as Dreamville, Nike, Jordan Brand, Footlocker, Fashionphile, & Nordstrom to name a few.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of my role as a DJ is making people happy. When people come out to events, they want to have a good time and forget about anything else that may be going on in their lives and in the world. To curate the soundtrack to acknowledge someone’s accomplishments, to celebrate someone’s birthday or something as simple as just a Friday night out, is a rewarding feeling.

Have you ever had to pivot?

This story is a little funny. When I started DJ’ing, I wanted to brand myself as the “Trap DJ”. I wanted to be known as the go-to for all trap music and that’s all I wanted to play. One night, I DJ’ed a birthday party for a friend and without paying attention to my crowd, all I did was play trap music. I got pulled off the set because the women were complaining that they couldn’t dance to the music. Very humbling, and necessary, experience. From that night on, I realized not only was it a bad idea to box myself in music wise, but that the vibe (answer) comes from reading the room. PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR CROWD!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milhousenyc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/milhousenyc
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/milhousenyc

Image Credits
@elliott_ashby @djkingszn @tasiamc @humbleroa