Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kami Gonzalez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Kami, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
It all started 2017 EDC Orlando, where I became curious about the electronic music scene and it was my very first festival. I had never seen female DJ’s perform in my life and it became so fascinating to me as time passed by. I was in college in 2019, where I made my first investment in something music related which was a DJ app called djay. I started messing with it on my phone during the pregames and I enjoyed learning as I played for my friends with my small jbl speaker. During my last semester as a senior in college, the pandemic hit so I had to find ways to stay entertained and creative. I decided to buy myself a ddj sb3 and started getting better at DJ’ing by watching livestreams of other recognizable DJ’s playing which continued to inspire me. At the time I was still considering continuing school after graduation to become a Dentist because I didn’t really like my field of study which was Management with Human Resources and I felt the pressure from my family to be involved in the medical field somehow, however my living situation got complicated and I was ready to move to a city after living for so long in the country side of NC, where I originally grew up so I took the risk of moving out of there to Charlotte, NC. I had never lived in the city before nor did I know many people so it was a big shift in my life. I was also gifted a cat during the pandemic so it was pretty challenging moving out from the university to back home in the country living by myself to my cousins house in Fayetteville and back to my home in the countryside to then Charlotte, NC. Moving to Charlotte gave me the opportunity to break out as a female DJ/ Producer/ Drummer and Event Coordinator. I never thought that 1 open decks gig would lead me to many others. Some paid, some scammed out and others just for the enjoyment of music /community. It was really hard finding a job after the pandemic was over but I eventually found an HR job in a luxurious building in uptown Charlotte, NC at an accounting firm that had 2 other employees other than myself and a boss who was a micromanager. I worked there for about 3 – 4 months and realized while working there that the 9 – 5 life was not for me. I was reading a book during my lunch hour called “Turn your dreams into reality” by Gini Graham Scott and that book gave me the motivation to leave this job and pursue my dream of becoming an artist and learn different skills that I know now. It was a difficult decision at the time and I felt like a huge disappointment towards myself and my family because I thought this was the life I had hoped for myself and I had no idea how I was going to make money or continue sustaining myself but till this day I haven’t looked back and have still managed to make ends meet with all my other side hustles. It has not been easy as a result, I’ve had a total of 26 jobs in my life and that has continued to increase as time has passed and things continue to get expensive. All to support a dream of mine that may or may not end up the way I expect but I always tell myself it’s about the journey not the destination itself and with that I am able to recognize that no matter what I will continue to find ways to support myself and this dream of mine. In some ways, it has been rewarding taking this leap because I’ve gotten to play in all the venues I’ve wanted to play at in Charlotte, I learned to play the drums 2 years ago and still learning, I have my own business where I rent my DJ equipment and I operate officially under my LLC for DJ gigs, I have gotten better at learning Ableton and coordinating my own bookings / hosting my own events to showcase other artists, I’ve grown my audience and learned a lot more about the music industry in general.
Kami, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I grew up in the country side of NC, went to Appalachian State University and graduated during the pandemic with a Bachelors in Business Management and commissioned in the Army Reserves as a 2nd Lieutenant. I currently reside in Charlotte, North Carolina, my project “Kamigo” is known for her mixing demonstrating creative, versatile, and authentic traits of musical blends while pushing through any boundaries. Kamigo provides a high energy focus with her mixing abilities by incorporating a diverse flow specializing in Latin Club, Open Format and Electronic mixing. Kamigo has an influential and cultural Latin background, which has enriched her capabilities of blending different genres. Kamigo can maintain momentum by understanding her audience and delivering creative musical transitions. Kamigo represents beauty, femininity, and charisma while proving glittery poise that most DJs don’t typically possess. With performances in local well known venues such as QC Social Lounge, Trio, Rabbit Hole, Rebel and many others. In 2022, Kamigo performed at EDC Orlando Homebass alongside other talented up & coming artists from the Charlotte/ LA scene. Recently, Kamigo made her debut in NYC at Make Believe for a records release party. The next step for Kamigo is to continue expanding in her career.
In addition to my solo project, Kamigo is also founder of “The Worthy Creatives”, which is a podcast dedicated to provide exposure on the importance of self care & expression in the music scene by interviewing artists, DJ’s, photographers and other creatives who share their own experiences on the subject. The Worthy Creatives will be launched in September so be sure to check that out to see highly talented creatives pushing the future of the art’s industry forward. In the next coming months, Kamigo will be announcing events under Black Cat Groove Entertainment, providing themed parties with an eclectic lineup of up and coming artists in the local scene.
I got into the industry after performing at an open decks event at a bar named “The Warmack” and continued to find ways to be involved in the Charlotte electronic scene by connecting with other artists and showcasing my journey through social media. I had to make a lot of sacrifices in the process and I still continue to do so, some of them being staying up late going out to events to network, working multiple jobs to earn income during slow months, learning to budget to invest into buying better equipment and music, staying up late taking music production classes/ learning DJ transitions / financial literacy / reading self help books and creating a routine for self care. I am most proud of my resiliency, courage and dedication despite all the curveballs life has thrown at me financially, emotionally, physically and mentally. I’ve been through heartaches with my family, romantic relationships, friendships and almost losing people due to drugs which has taken a toll on me. I want people to know that I am a Latina, daughter of immigrant parents that hasn’t had the support from my family to do what I do but despite going through all these hardships I continue to stay authentic towards myself and those who surround me / keep up with me on social media. I am committed to being in this industry for the long term and I don’t give up easily. This is a male dominated industry just like the military and I am proud of where I am now so I can only imagine what the future will look like for me.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
Being a creative means putting yourself out there for the world to judge you and your art. Not all advice is good advice and constructive criticism really goes a long way. As a female artist, there are certain things others will never be able to understand nor experience such as being discriminated against, talk down to, humiliated, taken advantage of both financially and romantically, scammed by your own so called “friends” or important people in the music industry while still maintaining professionalism and my dignity. There are many sacrifices that I continue to make for my own well being even when there has been pressure to deliver or show up, it has been both challenging and overstimulating especially when people are expecting to see the best version of yourself all the time.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
You can’t always give people the benefit of the doubt, you have to let people’s actions show you what they are really about and how they carry themselves around others. A bad ending to can impact your finances, mental health and overall trust of dependability in others. I’ve had friends turn their back on me, owe me money for DJ gigs and trips out of the state, rent money, etc. I worked for a distinguished production company that was discriminatory towards me because my ex is the supervisor and they still owe me my tip money. I was in a long term relationship with someone who shared the same dream of mine but lacked the discipline and drive to progress physically, emotionally and financially so I reached my breaking point and couldn’t continue to expect things to change any longer. I became romantically involved with someone in the local electronic scene who lied to me about having a significant other and has continued to groom/ manipulate other young woman. In other words, always question why an older man is still single, have contracts set in place and learn nonverbal communication because it makes up 70 – 93% of communication so you don’t get played.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djkamigo_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djkamigo
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/djkamigo
- Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/4DWHnrzku9fGeZASA
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3rMwaD7qAugZrxGWJTGRPG?si=clqIDKxjRFqqrgXAcigPMg
Image Credits
canics_photographer – Diana Ramirez
chozend- Joey Nguyen