Connect with us

MUSIC

Exclusive Interview: DJ T Beauty Delves on Her Creative Tastes, Musical Influences & Her Musical Journey

Published

on

Exclusive Interview: DJ T Beauty Delves on Her Creative Tastes, Musical Influences & Her Musical Journey

When did you first think of becoming a DJ and was it a nonchalant decision?

I thought about being a DJ for many years. I remember first wanting to be a dj when I was introduced to Salt n Peppa in the 90’s. All of my attention was on their DJ Spin(derella). I had NEVER seen a female DJ. Seeing her do it with so much skill, finesse and style really opened my eyes to another world! It honestly took me YEARS and a big push to decide that I was going to actually give it an honest try.

How did you develop a keenness for the Afrobeat genre?

Oh my God. I just love the music! It’s, honestly, what I listen to in my personal time. I can literally throw on one of my Afrobeat mixes and be fine listening to that and nothing else for hours. Its something about the beat. I love rhythmic music. Afrobeats reminds me a lot of the style of music that is played in DC called Go-Go. Its highly percussive and music like that makes people dance and come together. When I play afrobeats, even when it is in Yoruba or Igbo and we don’t even understand the lyrics fully, it doesn’t stop people from dancing. I love anything that brings my people together. I love anything that makes my people dance.

How do you motivate yourself when things are not going your way as your profession requires a lot of effort?

That’s a good question. I, just like many people across the country, especially creatives, deal with bouts depression from time to time, lapses in creativity, and the absence of motivation. Here recently, with the COVID-19 pandemic, I think everyone’s mental strength has been tested. And in times like these, I give myself permission to rest and recoup. I do a lot of self care and mediation to stay grounded and I write. Writing really gives me a space to express myself and how I’m feeling and once I’ve expressed it, I can let it go. I eat a nice meal, light my candles, have a glass of wine and just be god to myself. Then I’ll write out my feelings and burn the page and try to start the next day with a new perspective, a fresh mindset and a game plan.

Who has been the earliest influence who inspired you to take the plunge in the music scene?

Of course, DJ Spinderalla as I said earlier. But I was basically birthed into the music scene. My father (Justin ‘Jrok’ Young) is a professional guitarist that has traveled the world and he’s a pretty big deal at home. I’ve always been surrounded by musicians, artists and creatives. When I connected with Youngman, he saw something in me and invested by purchasing my entire DJ setup! That was the push I needed. I had no choice by to learn how to use it. I did some ‘binge learning’ from DJ Carlo Atentidio via Youtube. I did invested in a few workshops with Beat Refinery. I put in the practice time and told a few friends what I had up my sleeve. My very first client Ashley Williams, is like a sister to me and without ever hearing me spin, she hired me for her private party. She was blown away and has hired me for everything she ever done since. I, actually, did her wedding earlier this year.

Is being a DJ a full-time job, a side hustle, or something you do for fun? (or some combo of the above)

It’s full time fun! I do have a secondary business, Selfie Supreme Photo Booth which I started before I became a DJ. Fortunately, the Photo Booth business has only enhanced my services as a DJ and has become a popular add-on service that I am able to offer my clients.

Exclusive Interview: DJ T Beauty Delves on Her Creative Tastes, Musical Influences & Her Musical Journey

What goals have you accomplished? What goals are you still working towards?

When I first started djaying, my short term goal was to service a wedding. I have scratched that goal off of my list server times. When I landed Beer Fest at Nationals Stadium Park, I felt very accomplished because. Had only been a DJ for one year when we began our working relationship but I have been reigning queen of DC Beerfest for 3 years strong now. The only type of event I haven’t serviced yet that is still a goal for me is a high school prom. I believe I should be able to accomplish that one once COVID-19 over. I also enrolled in school for Audio Production and was able to get my certificate from Full Sail University and expect to graduate with my bachelors in 2022. So my goals now are more so geared toward my career as a producer. I’m ready to make and mix some records.

How has the current music industry helped you grow as one of the best DJs in the afro scene?

To be honest, I believe, at least in my area, which is Washington DC, I was one of the only DJ’s that I know of that was playing afrobeats specifically. Dj’s in DC used to play a lot of hip hop, r&b, of course Go-Go music being that its the sound of the city… and they would play reggae. But I’d like to think I had a big hand in bringing Afrobeats specifically to the DMV. I can remember private events and large festivals where I would always, as I call it, “ sneak in some Afrobeats” and I definitely had to sneak it in the set because it wasn’t requested . But I would throw some of my favorites in there and people would dance and come and ask me what the song was and things like that. And I remember one day when Davido’s “If” had finally made it to my local radio station, I almost cried. I was so happy that my favorite music was now mainstream. And so with that, I think that the increasing popularity of artists like WizKid, David and Burna Boy in the US, it has made it a lot easier for me to play what I love because now everybody else loves it as well. I don’t have to ‘sneak’ it in anymore. I get requests for Afrobeats now and now, people know to call me for those vibes because I know the so genre extensively.

Can we expect any upcoming projects soon? Please shed some light upon it.

I have been trying to get my brother KidCash on a record over the pandemic. He’s a fire rap artist that I’m excited about but he has been so busy defeating these battle rappers lately, I think we are going to be waiting a while on that one. In the meantime, I have been working on a single for an artist named Zoë called “cLass weiRdo” and cooking up some other songs for her long awaited project. Her fans should definitely stay tuned because she is in the zone!

Can we expect any upcoming projects soon? Please shed some light upon it.

Yes. Be sure to connect with me on instagram @DJ_TBeauty.

I want to take the time and space to say “Thank you” to my management Moment Ent Group and Domo ‘Youngman’ Lee for believing in me and being my support. My children, Zoë, Miaya, Daniyah, & DJ, I love you. Thank you for all the motivation and for sharing me with the world. To my parents (Tan Young & Jrok) and siblings (Leah Jones & KidCash), I am officially “the Famous one” now.  To my clients and many supporters, you are the BEST!

Catch Up With DJ T Beauty on:

Exclusive Interview: DJ T Beauty Delves on Her Creative Tastes, Musical Influences & Her Musical Journey Exclusive Interview: DJ T Beauty Delves on Her Creative Tastes, Musical Influences & Her Musical Journey

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

MUSIC

Digital Guts Builds a Restless Genre Bending World From Anonymity, DIY Instinct, and Sonic Experimentation on “Digital Guts”

Published

on

By

Digital Guts Builds a Restless Genre Bending World From Anonymity, DIY Instinct, and Sonic Experimentation on “Digital Guts”

Screenshot

Originally from Michigan and now based in Philadelphia, Digital Guts is an artist who embraces anonymity, keeping attention on the music rather than the person behind it. That sense of mystery fits naturally with a deeply DIY approach. The self-titled 7-track album “Digital Guts” is a fascinating, genre-bending project, connecting an underground electronic and emo aesthetic with experimental, sample-heavy instrumental structures. The result feels committed to sonic exploration, with arrangements that resist cookie-cutter formulas and a production style that shifts deliberately from one track to the next.

Opener “Angels Ball Out” sets the record in motion with a grand introduction. Its beat leans heavily on clever, layered sampling, creating a textured foundation that feels nostalgic while remaining distinctly underground. The rhythm settles into a smooth, loop-centered hip-hop bounce. It functions almost like an overture, especially once the album reaches its final track, “Bye Bye,” which cleverly returns to “Angels Ball Out” through a full-circle structural reverse play. Weightless, ethereal, and triumphant, the opener creates a cinematic entryway into the album’s universe.

The second track, “Goth Girl,” moves directly toward darker alternative subcultures, driven by a shadowy trap bounce and alluring vocals. A deeply calming, hypnotic instrumental backdrop balances the vocal loop, while the rhythm stays slow, deliberate, and swaying. Much of the vocal cadence circles around one lingering question, “What you see in me?” At a faster tempo, that repetition might become tedious. Here, it works beautifully, drawing a comparison to Rihanna’s “Pour It Out,” filtered through a more gothic atmosphere.

What comes through is deep longing, melancholia, and romantic fixation. The restrained beat strengthens the sense of emotional vulnerability and keeps the listener absorbed in the atmospheric space surrounding the voice.

Third track “Broken” marks a huge sonic pivot. The smooth sampling falls away as the production dives headfirst into aggressive electronic hip-hop, powered by high-energy UK drum and bass patterns. The rhythm is high-octane, frenetic, and relentless. Its chaotic cadence recalls early The Prodigy and the aggressive electronic-punk style associated with Wargasm UK.

The mood is erratic, anxious, and explosive. “Broken” captures the sensation of mental fracturing or inner chaos, pushing the album’s energy suddenly into overdrive.

Another standout from the album is “cryonme,” easily its most experimental and polarizing track. The production is intensely maximalist, with so many elements moving at once that the beat can feel intentionally at odds with the underlying tone. Its eccentric layering carries a distinct art-pop Gorillaz influence, while hyper-pulsating electronic details become one of the track’s defining characteristics.

The rhythm is disjointed and constantly shifting. “cryonme” is among the album’s more lyric-driven moments, asking the listener to follow the vocal cadence through a maze of competing instrumental sounds. The mood is melodramatic, eccentric, and overwhelming. It resembles emotional overload poured into a blender, producing a surreal and slightly chaotic listening experience.

“Dreams” is a synthetic masterpiece, hauntingly beautiful throughout and capable of leaving a desirable aftertaste long after its final notes fade.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the story of Digital Guts’ “Digital Guts,” streaming now on popular digital platforms.

Connect with Digital Guts

Instagram
Spotify
YouTube

Continue Reading

MUSIC

Gospel Artist Harmoni Allen Confronts Mental Health Stigma With Vulnerability Faith and Soul on Her Powerful Single “Schitzo”

Published

on

By

Gospel Artist Harmoni Allen Confronts Mental Health Stigma With Vulnerability Faith and Soul on Her Powerful Single “Schitzo”

Right now, gospel artist Harmoni Allen’s work reflects the transformative power of faith, with vulnerability, triumph, encouragement, and Christ-centered hope running through her music. Her warm vocals, expressive delivery, and deeply personal storytelling give that message a human center. Drawing from lived experience and testimony, she turns questions of faith, healing, freedom, resilience, and hope into songs that feel intimate without losing their uplifting spirit.

Harmoni Allen’s “Schitzo” is a sincere, soul-stirring track built around a deeply personal subject. Short for schizophrenia, the song opens an intimate conversation about mental well-being, judgment, fear, vulnerability, and the struggle to feel free in a world that can be quick to define people from the outside. Harmoni does not keep the subject at a safe distance. She brings the listener directly into the experience, shaping the song as a confession that feels immediate and exposed.

The accompanying music video establishes that vulnerability from its opening moments. Harmoni sits alone on her front porch, drinking water, visibly troubled and seemingly asking herself whether she is truly okay. Nearby, two women watch her from a distance. Their expressions communicate the judgment and assumptions that sit at the center of the song. Without speaking, they capture a painful reality: people can decide who someone is before taking the time to understand what that person may be going through.

Looking for answers, Harmoni calls a friend and heads to a hospital. The song then unfolds inside a psychiatrist’s office, where she is asked, “So, Miss Allen, what brings you to my office today?” Her answer becomes the emotional core of “Schitzo.” The music takes over, developing into a slow-burning, soulfully rich R&B confession carried by Harmoni’s heavenly, deeply vulnerable vocals.

Verse by verse, Harmoni reveals the strain of living under the gaze of people who may fear, misunderstand, or judge what they cannot see. She sings about people being scared of her, watching from afar, the medicines she takes, and the exhausting burden of being viewed through a label instead of recognized as a human being. Inside that pressure, however, comes a moment of release. She looks into the mirror, sits on the bed, takes a breath, and arrives at the realization that she is free.

That realization does not magically change the world around her. People still look at her the same way. Their assumptions remain. This is where “Schitzo” broadens into something many listeners can recognize, the understanding that other people’s perceptions do not get to define your identity, your worth, or your destiny.

Harmoni’s faith gives that idea its foundation. Beneath the emotional turbulence is a steady conviction that God has the last say. People may judge from afar, attach labels, and make assumptions based on appearance, yet those opinions do not determine the course of someone’s life. For Harmoni, faith creates a space where judgment begins to lose its hold and freedom becomes possible.

Musically, “Schitzo” carries the same emotional weight as its subject. The production settles into a slow-burning R&B groove that gives Harmoni’s voice room to breathe, ache, and communicate. Her soulful delivery has a nostalgic warmth, while smooth layers of vocal harmony wrap around the lead with an almost heavenly glow. The arrangement remains restrained, keeping the storytelling in clear focus instead of crowding it with unnecessary drama. Harmoni shifts naturally between fragility and quiet strength, making the performance feel close enough to resemble a private conversation across the room.

“Schitzo” ultimately centers on being seen, being misunderstood, finding your breath again, and recognizing that freedom can survive other people’s judgment.

When the final note fades, Harmoni Allen leaves behind the message that has guided the song from the beginning: people may have their opinions, but God has the final say!

Connect with Harmoni

Facebook
Instagram
TikTok

Continue Reading

MUSIC

Serag Baddar Revisits a Teenage Guitar Idea With Intimacy and Patience on the Atmospheric Post Rock Track “Limerence”

Published

on

By

Serag Baddar Revisits a Teenage Guitar Idea With Intimacy and Patience on the Atmospheric Post Rock Track “Limerence”

Based in Malta, composer Serag Baddar turns a long-held guitar idea into something intimate and absorbing on “Limerence.” The post-rock track grew from a riff he wrote 15 years ago, with one section carrying a subtle nod to Buckethead’s “Padmasana,” whose rhythm guitar left a clear impression on Baddar.

Crisp, mellow, and atmospheric, “Limerence” moves through clean guitar layers and an ethereal sense of space. Silken vocals shimmer underneath, adding a restrained melancholy that suggests heartbreak without overwhelming the arrangement.

Baddar’s background in heavy metal remains important to the song, even as he strips away high-gain distortion and conventional vocal delivery. In their place, structure and melody do most of the emotional work. At the center is a clean, melodic guitar riff designed to flow ergonomically across the fretboard, giving the performance a natural physical ease.

The quieter acoustic and clean passages of progressive metal are an obvious reference point. Opeth and Tool, two bands that have shaped Baddar’s style, can be heard in the track’s sense of structure and restraint. Its spacious ambient textures also draw from the accessible melodic soundscapes associated with instrumental artists such as Buckethead. “Padmasana” is especially relevant, with its rhythm guitar inspiring a small section of “Limerence.”

The pacing is deliberate and unhurried, in keeping with post-rock’s slow-burn character. Its rhythmic framework stays steady, patient, and evocative, giving the central guitar melody room to breathe. Notes are allowed to ring out and decay naturally rather than being crowded by unnecessary movement.

Much of the song’s appeal comes from that simplicity. The arrangement avoids excessive time-signature gymnastics and settles into a smooth, approachable cadence that strengthens its hypnotic quality. That choice suits the meaning behind “Limerence,” the intense and involuntary psychological state of romantic obsession and infatuation that Baddar seeks to capture emotionally.

Because the released track is a “demo” mix, it retains a raw, unpolished authenticity. That texture fits Baddar’s philosophy of “writing for dopamine,” prioritizing emotional resonance and the organic “magic” of a creative spark over pristine, heavily compressed commercial engineering.

The result is intimate and thoughtful. It feels reflective and deeply personal, like a bedroom guitarist finally translating a 15-year-old teenage memory into a cohesive, immersive piece of music. The closing stretch brings the song’s crisp, clean, haunting guitar riff into sharper focus, giving the track a fitting climax and reminding us how much of its emotional weight rests on that original idea.

Baddar waited until he felt his technical ability and musical vision had matured enough to do the riff justice before recording and releasing it. He approaches music as a philosophical hobby, creating for the pleasure of the craft rather than under commercial pressure.

Taken as a whole, “Limerence” is an accomplished, carefully felt performance worth spending time with. It is streaming now.

Follow Serag Baddar: Instagram

Continue Reading

Trending