We were lucky to catch up with J Nikolé recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi J, thanks for joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
I am extremely thrilled to be a creative. Just like with any passion/field, it comes with hard days and moments that have you wondering if you’re really cut out for this path. But looking at my life and where it is now, I am the happiest I’ve ever been and sometimes wish I would have pursued DJing sooner.
Throughout the course of my journey I’ve had regular jobs that were both good and bad, but the fulfillment I get putting work in towards after my creative goals is unmatchable. Also, I’m never one to side eye the regular 9-5 lifestyle because there are many avenues for fulfillment there as well, but over time I had to realize which space made me the happiest.
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’d like to describe myself as a Southern California DJ with a strong passion for music and the energy that comes with it. When I think about it, my love for music stems from my musician mother, who was always in the studio or performing at venues around Los Angeles. My journey into my musical career started in 2020 by writing, singing, and releasing my own R&B music under the artist name J Nikolé on all streaming platforms before beginning my vibrant DJ journey.
In 2022, I was accepted into the Academy of DJs program where I spent about 25 weeks learning the art and skills of DJing. It was there that I developed my high energy style of Trap, Hip-Hop, & House that I now loves to share with my audiences. After graduating from the program, my DJ career has kicked off tremendously.
When it comes to DJing, my style is mainly rooted in her love for House, Trap, R&B, & Hip-Hop so my mixes on SoundCloud reflect exactly this. One of my main goals while DJing is to make sure the crowd has just as much energy as I do no matter what genre or mixture of genres I’m is spinning at the time, and having all that energy behind the decks is one of the main things that sets me apart from others.
So far, some of the accomplishments I am most proud of are DJing for Better Than One Music Festival in Los Angeles, opening for Murda Beatz at TIME Nightclub, headlining Yashi Lounge in Dallas, TX, creating a guestmix for BPM Supreme, and making my international debut in Tokyo, Japan.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Content, content, content! One of the reasons I was able to get seen by audiences outside of my creative circle was because I consistently released content on a weekly basis.
I did everything from researching hashtags, the best times/days to post, tagging pages that were known for reposting creatives, etc. Eventually, my content started to catch on and left my audience waiting to see what I could come up with next, while party promoters took an interest in wanting to book me.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
One of the biggest missions driving me creatively is the fact that I want to leave behind an amazing legacy. I want to encourage my future children and others in the creative space to follow their dreams (as cliché as that sounds) because you never know how life changing doing so may be.
When I first started learning how to DJ, I did not always have the support that I do now. In fact, certain entities were trying to talk me out of it.
So if you have a creative dream, pursue it and don’t let anyone (including yourself) stand in your way.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jnikolethedj/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jnikolethedj
- Other: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jnikolemusic TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jadieboo_22