We were lucky to catch up with Lenny Emery recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Lenny thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I learned everything by doing. I am not the best at learning via research and reading, I learn by trying, failing, trying again, failing again, and then MAYBE succeeding. I think the best way I could have sped up my learning process is by failing early and failing often. I had to put myself out there many times before anyone actually realized I was there, Persistence is the most important skill set I have found in my art. Usually the only obstacles are your ego, and the idea that failing won’t allow you to continue, which is not true.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

From my website: Lenny Emery has been touring and producing music for the past 15 years. Exposed to music from a young age through his father—who performed alongside legends like Ray Charles, The Mamas & The Papas, Metallica, and more—Lenny’s musical roots run deep.

At just 17, he moved to New York City and quickly found himself DJing in Manhattan’s rising club scene. After interning with the legendary rap group Wu-Tang Clan, Lenny secured a residency at the infamous nightclub The Box, where he regularly opened for or played alongside music icons like John Legend, Rick Ross, 50 Cent, Chris Martin (Coldplay), Imagine Dragons, Q-Tip (A Tribe Called Quest), and A$AP Rocky—all before the age of 22. He was even invited by Run-DMC to join their reunion tour, DJing afterparties for the iconic hip-hop group.

Over the following years, Lenny continued spinning at NYC’s most iconic clubs—LAVO, Marquee, 1OAK, Avenue, Up & Down—sharing stages with dance music giants such as Avicii, Afrojack, Zedd, Tiësto, Alesso, and more. Major brands tapped him to soundtrack high-profile events, including Tiffany & Co., Microsoft, JBL, NBA, Billboard, Rolling Stone Magazine, Dolce & Gabbana, Adidas, Chopard, Corona, and Burton.

EDM superstar DJ Steve Powers brought Lenny on tour, mentoring him through residencies at LIGHT (Vegas), DAYLIGHT (Vegas), LIV (Miami), and HAVEN (NJ). This led to opening sets for acts like Swedish House Mafia, Deadmau5, Kaskade, Krewella, and others.

Lenny also held a one-of-a-kind residency at the New York Stock Exchange, DJing live on the trading floor during IPO launches. His festival appearances include Governors Ball (NYC), SXSW (Texas), Coachella (CA), and WMC (Miami).

At 25, legendary DJ Cassidy took Lenny under his wing, bringing him on tour with Usher for the North American leg of the URX Arena Tour. Not only did he learn the ropes of global performance from Cassidy, but he also opened shows and DJed exclusive afterparties. Their partnership continued for years, including performances at the Kentucky Derby, Cannes Film Festival, and Formula 1 Grand Prix. He even traveled with the Kardashians for high-profile events like Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker’s wedding, Kim Kardashian’s Milan Fashion Week show, and Kris Jenner’s Dolce & Gabbana birthday bash. His political event resume includes galas and fundraisers for Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, and Hillary Clinton.

Lenny also co-founded DOPEROOTS, a globally recognized DJ collective known for its shows, production, and legendary parties. DOPEROOTS collaborated with brands like Adidas, X Games, and Audiomack, hosting performances from Lil Peep, A$AP Ferg, Baauer, Lil Skies, Shoreline Mafia, Wifisfuneral, Cousin Stizz, and more.

He was tapped by A$AP Ferg to DJ and open on the Mad Men tour, joined Key Glock for the Northeast leg of the Yellow Tape tour, and hit the road with TDE’s Reason and Houston staple Stockz for the Off the Porch tour. Most recently, he joined the Live Nation-backed Not Financial Advice tour with Stockz.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I can’t remember what year but in my young 20’s I was struggling the produce music I felt like would be played by other DJs. Winter Music Conference came around and I flew to Miami for a few gigs, with barely any money in my pocket. One night, when I had nothing to do I ended up going out to a popular night club in Miami called Rec Room. When I was there by myself and was just listening to the DJ rock the room, when out of no where he ends up playing a remix I had just made for a popular MAROON 5 record. I went up to the DJ and told him / thanked him for supporting it. He had no idea how much it meant to me to hear my record play out, and made me continue my journey even in tough times.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I just want to make art that leaves a positive effect on people. In a world that’s already tough and hoping my music can make an impact on those that hear it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lennyemerymusic.com
• Instagram: @lennyemery
• Twitter: @lennyemery
• Youtube: https://YouTube.com/lennyemery
• Soundcloud: https://www.soundcloud.com/lennyemery