Mellie Rose, Makeup Artist turned full-time DJ is shaking up the industry in a major way. Mellie opens up to MITL MAG's own Richard Leakes about her biggest inspiration behind her switch to become a DJ, an interesting hobby that no one would have guessed, how she prepares for a gig and much more.

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I enjoy photography. Little known fact. What’s your hobby?

In my spare time, I enjoy soap carving. LOL, yeah you heard me correctly. It's really calming. Which is the exact type of contrast that I need after DJing all night. I actually got into it when I stumbled onto this Youtuber's channel. I was like..."that looks so relaxing. I'm going to try it." I did and I have never looked back.

If I booked you for a gig to play tomorrow night, how would you approach preparing for that gig? What material would you choose? How would you build a set?

First, I always make sure I get a clear understanding of what the venue is expecting. I need to play the style of music they want. That's my job. Pack and double check my gear, make sure my setup and music is ready, and allot enough time to arrive early. When it comes to building my set, I use the acronym F.A.U.C.E.P.T. which stand for - Filter my music library, Add cool surprises to my mix, Understand my DJing environment, Create cue points, hot cues and loops, Experiment with sound, Practice, and Take the audience for a ride.

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“I always make sure I get a clear understanding of what the venue is expecting. I need to play the style of music they want. That's my job. ”

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Who is your biggest inspiration? / Who do you have a lot of respect for?

Peggy Gou. She is a crazy good DJ. I mean she was part of the inspiration for me leaving makeup and becoming a full time DJ. She made it look so cool and fashionable. She plays more than one hundred live gigs in a year. I'm trying to get on that level.

What is something that bugs you about the DJ scene?

This one time I was an an event and this DJ ( I won't mention his name) was extremely drunk or high off something, he was dancing harder than the audience. He ended up knocking over his entire table along with all of his equipment and then he passed out. It was completely unprofessional and scary. I mean as DJ's we're paid to take the audience on a journey and you can't do that if you're too drunk or high to perform your job.

What is your opinion regarding the difference between old school DJing where everything was restricted to vinyl and modern DJing where most tracks are never put on any physical medium before or after release?

Vinyl vs digital. There are good arguments for both sides. For me personally, I feel like you get extra features and abilities with digital that you just can't get with vinyl.

(Follow up) Do you think this has hurt exclusivity of having a certain sound; hurt a DJ's ability to have a"unique" style? Is having your own separate style from all other DJs even important in modern DJing?

No, I don't think that it hurt's a DJ's ability to have a unique style at all. Individuality and uniqueness is important and I believe with digital DJing it affords new opportunities to experiment with your sound. This creates new styles and even new genres.

What is one track that got popular that you can't stand?

I'm on TikTok a lot so there is always a new trending song every other month. The one song that got popular that I can't stand is the "Food Song". I can't even pronounce the name because the title is in Russian but yeah, I never liked the song. It just sounds like mumbling.

If there’s an individual and or venue out there that has all of the resources to hire any DJ, why should they hire you? What sets you apart from your competition?

I know how to party. I love music and I love sharing the best music. They will never be disappointed with that. They would also be supporting a small, local business when they hired me. Lastly, I'm professional and the ultimate master of ceremonies. I also have liability insurance to cover my own equipment.