We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Elaina Gray a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Elaina thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

When I started my party, “Just For Friends”, I wanted it to be based around an environment where everyone would feel welcomed. It was always more about camaraderie than anything. I feel like it’s extremely important to make people feel safe, to make people feel included, and to to give people an opportunity to meet other likeminded people.

Elaina, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

For starters, I’m a self-taught DJ. I’d like to think of myself as more of a producer/composer when it comes to my style of music. I got into this industry about 8 years ago. Through many ups/downs, I’ve remained committed and consistent with working on my craft, while also being a member of the common workforce. As of recent, I’ve decided to make the jump to being a full-time DJ and pursuing entrepreneurship. When it comes to discipline, I’ve learned to set a schedule each day in order to fully commit my time to working on my craft. By doing so, I’m able to utilize my ability to focus on one task at a time. Being discipline is never easy, at first. However, once I became fully dedicated to being the best at what I do, I was able to grow continuously.
What I think sets me apart from others is my wide range of music. I’m well known for playing R&B deep cuts, House, Amapiano, Rap, and Reggae. I think the years I spent working on my transitions, have paid off in a tremendous way. I love being able to seamlessly blend different genres in order to keep people having fun.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I think the biggest lesson I had to unlearn was the need to please everyone. When it comes to performing an art, you can easily get wrapped up in trying to make sure everyone is happy. Unfortunately, that’ll never be the case. With that said, I’ve structured the way I perform to be as inclusive as possible, without compromising doing what I love on my OWN terms.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I always tell people, “Word of mouth is the best marketing strategy.” I’m not someone that’s extremely invested into social media. My goal was never to have the most followers or the best party. My goal was to always provide an incredible experience for my friends and myself. It just so happened, that with that outlook, I was able to capture an extensive reach to other likeminded people. With “Just For Friends”, it was always about just bringing people together and allowing people the space to dance, laugh, and sing.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: djlaineweeze
• Other: Other instagram @jstforfriends