There aren’t a lot of females in electronic dance music, so when one starts producing tracks like “Bliss” and “This Is Hollywood”, people take notice. Also, she is involved with Toolroom Records, a label that is pumping out some incredible talent including Benny Benassi, Coldplay, David Guetta, Dirty South, EDX, Fedde le Grand and many more. This rising star has been on the road promoting her single “This Is Hollywood” and has been featured on several radio shows and is getting the attention she deserves. She produces some impressive beats and is a riot to see live. While she was on her way to the Valley, I reached out to her for an interview to help promote the show. She was eager to talk about her new track, her tour, and what’s next for this talent. It is my pleasure to introduce you to Gina Star.
Your work is pretty popular. David Guetta featured your track “This Is Hollywood” on his radio show. Tiësto recently played your remix of “Beautiful World” on his Club Life Radio show. Do they tell you they are featuring your work, or do you find out after the fact?
I usually find out after the fact, or my manager lets me know. (I think he set up Google Alerts.) (Laughs.) I was excited last week because a fan sent me a message telling me that my new track “Action” was on Nicky Romero’s podcast, and then I was shopping on Beatport yesterday and realized Moguai had included it in his chart!
Your next gig is at Axis/Radius here in Scottsdale, Arizona. Have you ever played in the Valley before? Got anything special planned for tonight’s set?
I have never been to Scottsdale before. I take that back. I’ve driven through, but that doesn’t really count. I’m definitely looking forward to the gig because I’ve never met Sidney Samson before, and I’ve got some new productions to road test.
Do you prefer Gina Star, or DJ Gina Star?
Um… I guess just Gina Star.
They are a pretty successful operation. They work with guys like Coldplay, David Guetta, Benny Benassi, EDX, and many more. Tell me about your relationship with Toolroom Records.
Everyone at Toolroom has been so supportive and crucial in getting my career off the ground. I had the pleasure of mixing a few Toolroom compilations and releasing a couple records with the label, not to mention spinning at Toolroom Knights gigs all over the world.
There aren’t a lot of females in the electronic dance music scene. Do you find this helps or hurts your success as a DJ? Do you think we will see, over the coming years, more females making a name in EDM?
I think any DJ’s success is based on the music they produce and the entertainment they provide. I know that some guys are a bit resistant to female DJs, but I think that’s because many girls in the past have been overtly sexual in order to get gigs, and that’s pretty annoying – I hope we will see more girls in the industry taking music production seriously.
You are all over Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Do you manage all of those accounts? Do you have a favorite social network?
I really like Instagram and Twitter. I think Facebook is a bit clogged with spam but its still a great way to connect with people. I do the posting myself, but I do get help with the promotion ideas from my media team.
Do you have any big plans for New Year’s Eve?
I’m going to be doing a little tour in Asia around then, and there will be lots of details coming soon.
What’s next for Gina Star?
A new track called “Bananular” is coming out this Monday and there’s a great video to go with it. Then in December, there’s a fun vocal track coming out called “You Don’t Love Me”.
Thank you for doing this on such short notice. I appreciate it. Can’t wait to see your set tonight. In all of the interviews I do, I always give the artist the last word. Go.
I hope everyone has a great holiday season, and we should all try to be thankful for what we have and give back when we can!
