A life in music.

In my 30 plus years as a DJ, singer, producer, and artist, with music a centrifugal force in my life, I've done lots of different kinds of work in the sphere. Being deft, determined, and committed is an important part of longevity in the game, and for me, my journey has been incredibly varied!

I was pondering this morning on some of those things, thought I'd note them down, then thought I'd share them in a blog post. Maybe they'll provide inspiration for some of the things you can do in your own life in music.

The world of music is limitless, and full of possibility (despite what you may have heard!). I'd be lying if I said it was easy, but it's filled with creativity, joy, connection and working with amazing people, which by my own definition, is a huge success. And there's still so much more to come!

As a restless soul with a busy brain, variety and challenge has always been necessary for me, so in many ways music's the perfect place for those who crave change, excitement, and creativity. .

I've never really fit into any one area of it, so I've created (& re-created) an ever-changing ecosystem.

My dad once told me "do the things you love, become good at them, then people will know you for that, and be willing to pay you for that". And although it can take a long time for all those things to happen, the time's gonna pass anyway, so you may as well dig in and enjoy yourself - whether the money comes or not is beside the point.

With those words of wisdom ringing in my ears, here's a list of some of the things I've done in my career. I've not listed the brands or collabs, but among them are world-leaders in their field and a combination of global and local companies and communities.

🎧 International DJ

🎧 Club DJ

🎧 Festival DJ

🎧 Private party / function / event DJ

🎧 Radio DJ, host and presenter

🎧 Live show host

🎧 Venue playlister

🎧 DJ/promoter

🎧 Podcast jingle producer

🎧 Record label owner

🎧 Creating soundtracks for fitness instructors

🎧 Creating soundtracks for games

🎧 Creating soundtracks for fitness concepts

🎧 Meditation voiceovers

🎧 Birthing meditations, music and voiceovers for a global audience

🎧 Podcast presenting and hosting

🎧 Project leader in developing and nurturing young musicians

🎧 DJ course curriculum creator

🎧 Recording and producing radio imaging (jingles and adverts for radio stations)

🎧 Creating soundbeds for live shows

🎧 Working with live musicians (sax, trumpet, digital sax, percussion)

🎧 Creating my own band

🎧 DJ tutor

🎧 Working in record shops

🎧 Producing music, solo & in collaboration

🎧 Remixing

🎧 Singer / songwriter

🎧 Recording audio books & products (my own & other's voices)

🎧 Corporate audio work for conferences

🎧 Voiceover (voice, recording, production) as the "voice of god" at corporate and award ceremonies

🎧 Creation of club and event concepts

All these have come about as a result of saying yes to following my fascination for music and sound:

🎉 Saying yes before I was "ready", but doing it anyway

🎉 Continuing to develop my skills

🎉 Putting in hours of practise

🎉 Nurturing a tenacity in spotting and creating opportunities

🎉 Continuing to work on being better at picking myself up over rejections (of which there have been many!)

🎉 Making the most of my strengths as a DJ, music producer, and voice

While it may not be easy, life in the music world is full of endless possibilities filled with joy.

What might your list look like?

What are your unique strengths and fascinations? Once you've identified them, then you have a very solid starting point for where to begin, and there's no time like the present, so it's time to get stuck in.

Sophie x

(ps: yes, that's me, with my Fisher Price turntable. My love of music is life long 🤣0