We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tyler Varnell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tyler below.

Alright, Tyler thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

The journey to becoming one of the most sought-after Saxophone-DJ’s in Southern California has been a wild one! After college, I worked in the startup space then commercial real estate and felt overworked and underappreciated. So I left the corporate world and decided to become a professional saxophonist! I had no idea what I was doing.

I started performing on saxophone with a few bands in bars and clubs, then performed for my first few weddings and was totally hooked. There was something so magical about weddings. All of your favorite people celebrating and partying and having a great time on the most special day of your life.

So I got hooked on creating amazing experiences for people on their big day, and thankfully, demand has grown significantly to where 8 years later I’m performing for celebrities, being published in magazines, and creating epic Saxophone-DJ experiences that I’m really proud of.

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?

To give you an overview, I perform as one of the most sought-after Saxophone-DJ’s in Southern California, as seen in People Magazine, Brides Magazine, The Knot Magazine, and Sports Illustrated. Specializing in luxury and celebrity events, my recent performances include Disneyland, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Mercedes Benz, Pelican Hill Resort, Ritz Carlton Laguna Beach, Four Seasons Beverly Hills, and internationally at luxury resorts throughout Mexico.

Most people hire me for an epic Saxophone-DJ experience. From the DJ Booth, I mix top 40, EDM, hip hop, tropical house, and virtually every genre, while constantly jumping out on the dancefloor, engaging with the crowd wirelessly on Saxophone, and getting everyone amped.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

It definitely took me time to find my lane and I pivoted several times. At first, I was just offering Saxophone. Then I added piano performances, and people really liked that I could alternate between Saxophone and Piano and offer value throughout the full-day – ceremony, cocktail hour, reception, and of course surprise saxophone appearances out on the dancefloor. Then, I started DJing and Emceeing and that’s when things really came alive. I built out a production team and now we provide all sound equipment, event lighting, and dance lighting all in one experience.

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

From the outside, this year has been marked by an incredible amount of what I would call ‘external’ success. I was published in the The Knot magazine as one of 2024’s most notable emerging wedding pros in the US. I was voted the #1 DJ in Orange County by California Wedding Day Magazine. I had four destination weddings this year in Seattle, Phoenix, and two in Mexico. And two celebrity weddings I performed for this year were featured in People Magazine.

It would appear that there is an abundance of success. But to me, true success is internal, not external. True success is fulfilling the same core mission I’ve had since the very beginning: to love and serve others by creating unforgettable experiences through music. This is my heart and my guiding light.

Constantly chasing being the most recognized or most expensive or most luxury performer can lead to burn out, constant comparison to others, and emotional exhaustion. One thing that helps me is to constantly shift my focus away from that and instead focus on loving and serving people by creating amazing, unforgettable experiences for them. With that as my end goal, it helps me enjoy the process and feel like I’m hitting my goal, instead of only being satisfied when I “reach the top” – especially when it feels like the “top” keeps moving.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tylervarnell.com
• Instagram: @tylervarnell

Image Credits

Chard Photo, Cheers Babe Photo, Jenna Greenawalt Photography, Kate Noelle Photography, The Big Affair Photography, Katrina Jayne Photography