The decks hum to life, a thumping bass resonates as DEA takes control.
The crowd, a sea of anticipation, surges forward as her hands dance across the controls. The music explodes—hard-hitting, fluid, effortless. It's a stark contrast to just two years ago, when she sat, uncertain, in a DJ class, struggling to find the right button. Now, she's sharing stages with industry titans.
DEA is all about mixing tracks and her life. For nearly a decade, she poured herself into the corporate grind, and continues to do so to this day - but back-to-back DJ sets on the weekend offset back-to-back meetings during the week. “In January 2023, after a 10.5-hour Saturday meeting and finishing an 80-hour work week, I set out to find some balance,” DEA said. Burnout had settled into her bones. She craved something that would spark creativity in her day job again. DJing felt like the perfect escape.
The Fast-Track to DEA’s Meteoric Rise
Since her first gig in April 2023, her passion has propelled her through a whirlwind of club sets, festival slots, and supporting renowned acts like Loud Luxury and MADDS, even an impromptu back-to-back with DLMT. But the road from bedroom to stage wasn’t always smooth - her early gigs were trial and error.
“A few months in and less-than-stellar gigs later, I realized - turns out you’re not an expert DJ after a six-week class,” DEA admits. That realization pushed her back into the classroom, enrolling in The DJ School Dallas’ intermediate 102 course, taught by Titan and Souljah, to sharpen her skills. “Two years later, I’m still learning new things daily!”
It wasn’t just about the technical precision; it was about feeling the crowd, reading the energy in the room, and dropping the bass at the right time. Learning through experience mattered, but structure training made a world of difference. “I love that The DJ School made us play in public at a club for our graduation,” she recalls. “It’s a great way to get your foot in the door with local talent agencies and promoters.” That real-world experience gave her confidence and placed her directly in front of the right people, proving she could hold her own behind the decks. And now, she’s on a trajectory that shows no signs of slowing down.
Using Music As A Lifeline
Growing up as an introvert, DEA found sanctuary in music. Frequent moves turned her into a perpetual “new kid,” a cycle that made classrooms feel like battlefields and lunchrooms a maze of unfamiliar faces. But music? That remained a constant. “Growing up, I moved around a lot, and as an extreme introvert, being the new kid was tough! Oftentimes, I turned to music to feel some sense of consistency and familiarity.”
That connection ran more profound than just pressing play on a stereo. Music was in her blood. “My Father shreds on the electric guitar, and he first taught me how to read music around the same time I was learning to read words.” Before she could fully grasp the weight of a book, she could already decode the language of notes and rhythm.
Her early influences painted a picture as eclectic as her upbringing - RuPaul, Green Day, Madonna, and eventually EDM. “My earliest memories include singing my favorite songs, ‘Cheerio Girl' (i.e., ‘Material Girl’ by Madonna) and ‘Supermodel (You Better Work)’ by RuPaul at the top of my lungs. I credit my diverse, ‘genre-dimensional’ music taste to the extraordinary environments and people I’ve encountered throughout my upbringing.”
That genre-fluidity would later become a defining trait in her DJ career.
DEA Does Breakaway
Playing Breakaway Dallas is a milestone for DEA. The festival, packed with heavyweight international artists, marks her first major festival slot. But something else matters more beyond the thrill of seeing her name on the same lineup as industry giants. “It feels surreal to be part of my first festival alongside big-name, internationally recognized artists, but I feel even more honored to experience it with a kickass group of humble and deserving local talent!” The Dallas DJ community thrives on collaboration, and she’s stepping onto that stage for every local artist grinding their way up.
That’s why she’s pushing hard to get as many people through those festival gates as possible. Her code, DEADOESBREAKAWAY, offers 10% off your ticket purchase. She may even land a spot on the main stage! But beyond her numbers, her goal remains simple. “My number one goal for Breakaway Dallas is to give at least one person the opportunity to forget about life’s obligations for even just a few minutes and be present in the music, similar to what music does for me.” Whether it’s a bass drop that sends shivers down someone’s spine or a melody that sparks an old memory, she wants her set to be a moment of escape.
DEA’s journey didn’t unfold according to some master plan - it exploded into existence, one unexpected step at a time. “I fully expected to take the six-week 101 beginner class to learn the basics and have something fun to do in my spare time, but I had no idea I was about to embark on a transformational adventure that would take me to unimaginable places and fundamentally change my life for the better.”
What started as a casual curiosity turned into something much bigger - a career, passion, and a calling that has pushed her past every limit she thought she had. Now, she stands behind the decks, the pulse of the music surging through her fingertips as the crowd moves in sync with every drop, build, and perfectly timed energy shift. Their cheers, the sea of raised hands, and the bass rippling through the air reflects what’s inside her. Full of possibility and living hard.
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