Interview: DJ Cassandra Innovates and Inspires Through Lively DJ Sets

Afterglow sat down with Texas’ DJ Cassandra after her vibrant Sips & Sounds set to discuss her influences, creative process, and future plans to advocate for music and women’s rights.

Written by Valeria Mota

Photo courtesy of Keelyn Costello

DJ Cassandra’s experience as a musician, composer, speaker, and mentor has reached listeners across the country. Her ambitions are expanding after being the first woman to win Best DJ at the Austin Music Awards this year. After a memorable performance at Sips & Sounds, Afterglow sat down with the Texas DJ to discuss her current mindset toward her growing career.

Afterglow: First of all, congratulations on being the first female recipient to win Best DJ at the Austin Music Awards! How did your first performance after the win feel?

DJ Cassandra: So empowering — and on International Women's Day. It’s so amazing that this is just the first step [in] opening more doors for other women. Other women see it, and they feel inspired … So many people I met after my set were like, “I want to be a DJ,” and I was like, “You can do it!” It was beautiful, and it was cool. This is community.

You grew up flying back and forth between London and Austin. How do you make sure your sound stays Texan while trying out new stuff on stage?

I think [it’s about] including a lot of Austin musicians and Texas singers, playing some Texas artists, and adding a little flair. It’s also in the outfits we wear and how we express ourselves, like the hat [I wore] is just an extension of us … Adding a little bit of flair and twang — boots, scooting, dancing, the sun, the smile, the joy — that’s Texas.

Where did the idea of playing live music in your set come from, and how has it evolved? Do you plan on bringing more people to collaborate with in the future?

For sure. I studied composition at UT … I did jazz, piano, and I have all these friends I’ve wanted to collaborate with in some way. One day I just was like, “Hey, you wanna hop on a show with me?” [Now it’s] like, boom, [they’re] going to [be part of] most of my bigger sets. I’ll do solo DJ sets, but now it’s [expanded].

That leads me to my next question. You studied composition and you’re a classically trained pianist. How do you incorporate that into your DJ sets? Does that experience influence any genres you want to experiment with?

Oh yeah, I am making a record right now [that] includes a lot of really beautiful sounds,textures, and timbres, and the feeling of what live music does versus digital. We love a good beat and everything, we wanna dance. That’s in our nature and our heart. But, having [real music], that’s what I’m trying to include more of. That’s my background. That’s what I want to do, and that’s how I’m testing it out with these dance sets to then incorporate it more into my own music moving forward.

The DJ Cassandra brand isn’t just about DJing — you’re also a mentor, a public speaker, and you work with Grammy U. You also offer consulting services, and you’re speaking at SXSW. How has it felt expanding your brand, and where do you think it is going to take you? Is there anything else you want to try out?

Basically advocacy. I really do believe that as musicians, we have platforms. We have fans, we have followers, [and] we have people who look up to us. I have people [that] I look up to, and I’m inspired by, and we have ways where we can make change and advocate. I want to advocate for funding for music education, music advocacy, [and] women’s rights. I really think that that’s the power of music — to bring people together to love, to care, to collaborate and be a community. To make change and inspire [people] to do the things that you want to do in life too, you know? It’s cool.

It is cool! This is more of a fun question, but how do you go about curating a good playlist or setlist?

It starts with what I want to hear [and] what [I’m] inspired by. Then, it goes into what my friends listen to, what family listens to … what resonated [at] a smaller gig or a private party, wedding or a kid’s birthday party, anything. I see what’s working, and then I go from that to the next thing, which is like deep diving into different things or genres. This festival has a lot of pop music this year, so I was like, “Okay, I want to stick to more pop,” and what fits well with my horn players and musicians … [the musicians] improvise on a lot of stuff and I was like, “Oh my God, y’all are insane!” They’re so good.

Photo by Natalie Anspach

You’re about to speak at SXSW as a mentor — how do you feel about that? Additionally, how are you taking your advocacy into a more mentorship route?

Younger artists, or anybody in whatever field they’re [in], [need to] know that wherever you are in your career, you have a voice. You can start now. I think that not only [knowing]  that, but [it’s important to be] doing a lot of things where you become a well-rounded and professional human as you continue your career, and all of that. 

You’ve played a lot of venues, events, and weddings. How is a festival set different?

It’s not [that different]! It’s similar crowds, all ages … all kinds of people. I feel like it’s like, everybody, you know? I [could have] a five-year-old in the crowd, [or] somebody who’s a lot older. That’s what weddings, private and corporate events are. You never know who’s going to be in the audience, and you’re just playing to make people happy, dance and love … but now, they’re here for you instead of [being] here because they have to go to a wedding. So, it’s a little more nerve-wracking. I’m more nervous [about] that than a private gig.

You killed it though! Is there anything else you’d like Afterglow readers to know?

I’d say … if people are doing anything, going after a goal in life, just keep going. And you’re going to fail, and you should fail, ‘cause that’s how you get better — to fail and fail again. Be kind to everybody, ‘cause you never know who they’re going to be later in your life. A lot of these people are from different parts of my life, that’s how I get booked for some things like this. They knew me from one other part of my life, so just be kind and understand that it’s okay to fail. You have to. 

You can follow DJ Cassandra on Instagram and her profile on Spotify.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.