From Pop-Punk Princess to EDM Dancing Queen
Music has always been something that spoke to me in a way that I couldn’t quite explain to people. From a very young age, my infatuation was something that can be measured throughout my entire life through concert tickets, posters, and old tour tee shirts. Originally a pop punk and alternative music lover, I was attending shows nearly bi-weekly from the time I was 16. At age 24, the entire world stopped and my life as a music lover changed as I knew it. I became the EDM Dancing Queen!
The sudden halt while polarizing, opened me up to rekindle relationships with old friends. Through these reconnections, I sat on Insomniac Zoom “festivals” with a friend from high school and her college mates. Admittedly, I didn’t quite “get it”, and felt a little odd joining this group of people who didn’t know me at all. Yet, I stayed because I knew I was missing something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
By 2021, I felt flutters that soon enough we would be back to enjoying live music and that’s when I made a promise to myself. It didn’t matter who or what it was, I would attend the first show I saw announced. That show came to me on a hot Chicago summer night in June in the form of a Tiesto afterparty in the warehouse-esque venue, Radius. As the bass vibrated through my chest, I became so overwhelmed with happiness that I burst into tears. That’s when it all clicked. I knew that I was about to be deeper than I could have ever imagined.
Since then, I have attended 10+ festivals and over 100 electronic shows because I just can’t get enough. I finally met those people that I sat on virtual festivals with and I was welcomed with open arms to a community of kind, compassionate, and fiercely authentic people. My love grew beyond the bounds I thought existed as I got to share experiences with people from all over the country and the world. So much love, that when I decided to uproot my life and relocate to Australia, I brought a bit of the American rave culture with me.
As I navigate a new rave and festival scene Down Under, I’m excited to explore the similarities and differences in the communities and cultures. With one show under my belt and more on the docket, I know I’m in for a treat when it comes to Aussie raving and its rich history. My time in the festival circuit is just getting started and I’m thrilled to share an international aspect and bring some new traditions home as I do.