We caught up with the brilliant and insightful DJ Miss Haze a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
DJ Miss Haze, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
Learning how to be a great DJ is an on-going process. It all started with me recording mixtapes for our local sports clubs and distributing them across the neighborhood at age 14. Looking back, those were my first steps into song selection, which is an essential DJ skill. Years later, I self-studied the technical aspect of being a DJ by reading books and watching tutorials as I asked myself questions: “Which equipment do I select? How do I connect all equipment correctly? How do I learn what sound techs know to be able to deliver the best sound at my performances? Which genres are people most drawn to? How do I structure a dynamic flow of music throughout a night?” Those and more were questions I knew I need to dive into to set myself up for success.
The next breakthrough in my mid-20s was DJ in front of various crowds across clubs, festivals, bars and concerts to start learning the skill of ‘reading the room’. I consciously rejected residency offers and exposed myself to different crows across multiple countries to learn how to keep hundreds of people I never met engaged on the dance floor. This is highly challenging and took me years to master. I am so happy I went through this phase diligently, not skipping or trying to accelerate it, even when there were times I considered throwing the towel, because ultimately this skill was fundamental for me to transition into the highest level of skill a DJ can have: crowd control. Mastering the art of crowd control is the most rewarding and energizing state. I am so grateful to be able to showcase it at my gigs and be a part of super fun dance parties through my work!
I am at a stage in my career now where I constantly fine-tune how to communicate before and throughout my gigs, verbally and non-verbally. Communication is key for us to be successful in any art, in life and running a business. For a DJ, it is an absolute must to communicate clearly and effectively with your audiences and it enables me me to pack the dance floor every single time I go out to work. This is what I strive for, and this is what keeps me going!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am a female DJ and owner of Haze Entertainment Group, which specializes in creating custom curated music and entertainment for non-generic events and people who truly care about music. Being a club DJ for the first decade of my career, I now love to bring that dance floor energy to weddings across Colorado and beyond! 300+ weddings in the past taught me not just all details about the music, but way beyond. Today, I am a trusted advisor on custom music creation and wedding flow for my wonderful clients. I truly care for their big, once-in-a-lifetime day and I am an open book in sharing my extensive experience with them. If you visit my website djmisshaze.com, you will notice an ethical statement within the ‘about’ section. I deeply value diversity and inclusion and expect mutual respect, love and care in anything I commit my time to.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
This is such a great question! My main struggle starting out as a DJ was the fact that I was highly introverted by the time and did not want any photos or videos of myself taken, nor did I want to MC. All of those are things you cannot avoid being a DJ. Ultimately, my pure love for music and bringing people together kept me going and I am so glad I overcame those internal challenges that come with exposure. Throughout the years I shifted my mindset to making it a point to be present when I enter a room, to be heard, and to be seen. And with that by no means do I mean being loud, but being confident and carrying yourself a certain way that reflects the image of an open-minded person and a winner. This shift empowered me to become who I am now. I love to interact and engage my crowds, I want them to get comfortable hearing me on the mic and I absolutely want them to know they can approach me with any song request or feedback on music.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
My creative journey is driven by my core values, authenticity, an open mind and my overall evolution as an individual.
Contact Info:
- Website: djmisshaze.com
- Instagram: @ djmisshaze
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djmisshaze