Selected By Bassment - EP. 4: ANDYHEARTTHROB
A trailblazer in the Aotearoa DJ community, Andyheartthrob brings together an eclectic sound to a wide range of audiences that has her sets filled with cross genre fire, expect house, dance, electronic, disco, soul and more.
She’s played at NZ’s biggest gigs and festivals (you’ll catch her playing at R&A and Splore 2022), and she’s also the founder of Dynasty - collective and creative platform for women of colour.
We’d love to know a little bit about your journey from when you started with DJing!
I was influenced by my mothers taste in music from a young age and it's unconsciously grown since then. When I came back from living overseas, I decided to pursue it here in Auckland and have been enjoying it ever since. It's translated in my mahi and my relationships within our community quite naturally and I understand how special that is. A beautiful medium.
You’re also the founder of Dynasty Collective which is incredible! Can you tell us about what Dynasty Collective is and what inspired you to form it?
Dynasty is a collective and creative platform for women of colour. It was inspired by my own lived experience as a mixed brown girl in AK. I realised when I got back from overseas that there wasn’t an easy way for me with DJing or with other creative work I wanted to do. So it came out of necessity for me/us, I was cool with doing the work to create the space I needed and for the community. We are active by way of events, radio, content and collabs, and will be facilitating some new big things over the next 12 months. The work reveals itself to me more and more as I move forward, so I have a very grateful open mind when it comes to Dynasty.
Who are your biggest inspirations and influences in music?
I have a lot of inspirations in music. I think for me, I really get inspired being around people who are truly expressing themselves and encouraging others to open up in the same way. So in saying that, I gotta shout out to all my DJs Anonymous crew, they really inspire me to expand my music knowledge and make me feel safe to express myself which is the key to pursuing it in a way that is true to me. Yeah, they inspire me a lot. Any person that embodies their truth inspires me.
We know you’ve played at some insane gigs, parties and festivals! What have been some of your highlights and most memorable moments in your career so far?
This year has been special playing support for DJ Boring and Skin on Skin was cool. I think a highlight for me was when Emmanuel (Skin on Skin) came through to our studio and we went B2B on a set, a lot of fun was had haha.
Who are some of your favourite NZ artists & DJs right now?
There are a lot of cool DJs, producers and artists from Aotearoa that I admire for many different reasons. I’d love to connect with all of them through my mahi, no one in particular.
What do you love most about living in New Zealand? Do you have any favourite places to travel to or local spots to visit?
Oh I absolutely love it here! I love the fresh air and the beautiful native trees and birds and it's just the best place in the world to be I think. My family has a beautiful piece of whenua up north in Ahipara, that is one of my favourite places to go in NZ and reminds me that I am tangata whenua, I’m grounded here. That’s my favourite thing.
What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learnt as a DJ, and what advice do you have for other DJs and producers in NZ?
I realise that there is no “right” or “wrong” way to do your thing (DJing, mahi, creative projects etc). It can be very easy to listen to people older than you or who you look up to, but you must remember that they have their way, and you have yours - they will always be different. So when people tell me ‘no’ when it comes to my mahi or place their doubts on my dreams and ideas, I always remember that they are perceiving it from their lived experience and not mine. So my advice is to go with your own feelings and instincts with anything you do and when taking advice and lessons from others, take what serves you and your vision, leave what doesn't.
Love that! Lastly, if you could say one thing to every person in the world, what would it be?
I would tell the whole world to find your birth time and look into your natal chart so you can use the gifts you have while you're here haha might as well right xoxo
Thanks so much Andyheartthrob! Make sure you keep up with her on Instagram or SoundCloud.
