We were lucky to catch up with Joshwayy Smith recently and have shared our conversation below.
Joshwayy, 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.
Not all paths are the same but they all start with a particular choice at a particular moment. My DJ journey started in 2013 as I sat in my dorm room at Florida Atlantic University. As a prior athlete I was used to putting all my focus and having my time consumed with football, workouts and meetings. Now I was at a place of not doing that anymore and I was looking to fill that void of purpose in my life.
That fall of 2013 I was rewatching the livestreams of TomorrowLand, the largest and best festival in the world. I was watching Hardwell’s set and I was just in awe of how 1 guy on a stage was entertaining people from all over the world who have different backgrounds, perspectives, languages and lives. In that moments all of the differences didn’t matter, it was all about unity and the music. That moment was where I decided “I want to do that”. Music has the power to bring joy, create memories, bring back great memories, create love and give you an escape from the worries around you. I saw that, understood that, and decided this is where my DJ journey begins.
As the livestream continued to play in the background, I began my search online on what I needed to get started. I found myself on “shopgoodwill.com” which is their action website that I never knew even exited LOL. I ended up winning the auction for the ION Discover DJ Turntables (very cheap equipment). I immediately enrolled myself into Youtube University haha, and watched almost every video I could find on using those turntables, how to connect them to my computer, what software I needed to use, how to get music and so much more! I knew that if I am going to do this, I am going ALL in, I want to do my best, and I want to be the best. Not for myself, but for the people I will be impacting every time I step out and play music for them.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Joshua “Joshwayy” Smith was born and raised in Washington D.C. From there he has lived in multiple locations but now has taken root in California. The diverse areas he has lived has allowed him to connect with people from all types of background and walks of life. Since living in California he has developed himself into the great all-around entertainer that he is! He has been making moves in the entertainment world from television work where he has starred in commercials, Netflix, National TV, live interviewing and creating his own Original Podcast named DRIVE (on streaming platforms).
Joshwayy has created his business Joshwayy Productions where he DJ’s & Hosts. He has Hosted & DJ’d all across the country and internationally in such places as Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and Colombia! And has worked with large brands such as M&Ms, LOUIS VUITTON, VIZIO, NCAA, NBC, and Ultra, to name a few!
As a host Joshwayy elevates your event to the next level! He isn’t over the top and uncomfortably energetic, but crafts your vision of what you’re looking for and blows you away with execution. He is so funny, well-spoken, professional all by making you feel as if he is your new best friend. He does what he does so well because he is passionate about who he is doing it for and making sure everyone feels that. It’s not a job for him, but a way of life.
So if you need a Host or DJ for your next event or show, why look any further than Joshwayy? Reach out to him now and have peace of mind knowing someone will have your back as much as he does
What he likes most, is seeing people smiling and enjoying themselves and to think and know that he had a part in that happiness. He LOVES what he does, not for the fame, the money, or notoriety, but to be the source of joy and entertainment in people’s lives because YOU deserve it.
So come join the Wayy! Because “The Best Way… is the Joshwayy”
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
On my journey two major goals for myself come from both; my hosting world and my DJ world. When it comes to hosting I would love to have a similar career to Steve Harvey where I am hosting my internationally televised talk show while also hosting other large scale events and shows.
When it comes to DJing, I would love to go full circle and perform on the mainstage of TomorrowLand (the festival I was watching when I decided to start DJing). I would also like to have many DJ’s in the Joshwayy Productions brand that will go out with the same heart and mindset of creating amazing experiences for everyone.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
After I started my DJ journey I became pretty successful pretty quickly and my name was growing in the area of Florida I was living in. I was able to go beyond just Hosting & DJing my college’s events and I am now traveling all over Florida for events. A couple of years later I took the risk with my wife to move across the country to California.
We had no family here, and I had no professional connections here, but I knew I needed to relocate here for this season of life. I would be lying to say I was nervous about “restarting” with no clients, no connections and no one that would help me get going. However I did not hesitate for a moment, I immediately made phone calls to agencies for representation, set up meeting with venue owners, and event walked around our city speaking to business owners personally about my business and how we could work together. Soon enough I was back to having gigs every single weekend, 2 venue residencies, was working with the NCAA as an arena Host and DJ, and was making 12 hour round trips to Los Angeles for auditions and filming.
When you want something, you have to go all in 100% no matter how it may seem or how you may fear it. This is your life, and you have to trust yourself and what you have inside of you to make your life happen and not let life happen to you. You have what it takes and you must believe it and go for it.
Contact Info:
- Website: joshwayy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dj_joshwayy
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-joshwayy-smith-a05835121
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/nv1EnnDsM34
- Other: https://www.thumbtack.com/ca/moreno-valley/djs/joshwayy-productions/service/232993366058271848?utm_medium=web&utm_source=txt&surface=sp