Today we’d like to introduce you to STONIIISKY.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
First & foremost, thank you for inviting me to share a piece of my story on your platform.
Born & raised in a small town on the southeast side of Florida, my parents saw the music in me at a very young age so they put me through lessons (piano, trumpet, violin). I was also heavily involved in percussion for school band along with being an active singer in choir for some years. During high school, I joined youth group bands by singing & occasional keys/bass guitar playing. Encouraged to do my own live performances I started writing originals, began singing in an indie rock band for a bit then formed a ukulele duo with my homegirl. Senior year comes and one of my older brothers gives me his DJ controller. This ignited a fire in me to learn the art of mixing & production.
I finished high school a semester early, moved to Miami, invested in some music production equipment and got into the club scene. I was blessed with my first production lesson on Ableton by the good homie SonicC ^^RIP brotha^^. Months after, my laptop and all other music gear was stolen with no backups in place. This was a setback in my career but music is my truest passion & calling, my constant in life even through the hard times. I had to continue even if it meant starting over. 2015 was approaching and I finally moved to California. I end up finding a place in San Diego, started working and was able to buy some music gear again (laptop, midi & DJ controller). I get hired at this eclectic new spot and met local rapper B-Turn. He booked me for my first real DJ gig. We did a grip of shows together & from there, I got enough exposure to acquire other gigs.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Challenges I’ve had to face are dealing with “friends” or people who secretly had cruel intentions, being an underrepresented artist, unlearning & learning a lot of things, starting over again, life and the music industry in general but one of the biggest obstacles for me to overcome was my lack of self belief. My journey hasn’t been easy but it’s the way you overcome things that matter.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’ve been growing a lot in my music production. It took me some time to get comfortable with the mixing/mastering process but I’m finally ready to release an official project this summer 2022. You can find me on the 1s & 2s all over San Diego’s local spots along with co-hosting & hosting my own events including Freqs N Beats (a house/hip-hop event series by Chameleon Circle). Aside from music, I’ve always been intrigued with fashion & have a side project sourcing & slangin’ eclectic/vintage thangs under the name Hail Mary Collective.
What were you like growing up?
A musical, theatrical tomboy that loved playing under the sun and exploring new places/things. A sucker for sweets & anything Disney. Always thinking of ways to be creative. I was the type to dance in my nana’s mirror, color outside the lines, use cursive & print in the same sentence, get C+ average in class without studying and come up with different business ideas. I’ve always been different than my peers in many ways. In my younger years, it bothered me when people would point this out but I eventually embraced being unique. Loyal, loving, independent, move with intention but sometimes impatient, sensitive and overly trusting/giving to the wrong people. Not much is different except I now have the wisdom to maneuver smarter and truly protect my energy. I keep my circle tight and if you in it, that means I trust you and believe you’re deserving of my energy.
Life’s a trip, thank you to those holding it down on this ride with me.
Pricing:
-
- DJ Rate/ $50 hrly
- Studio Rate/ $25 – $300 depending on the services
Contact Info:
- Email: stoniiiskydj@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/stoniiisky?r=nametag
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCveF4WapQHrtKPE3mCgqBbA
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/VeEDGZp5Q22ef9Xz6
Image Credits:
Seven aka 7ofclubs, Moses Turner, Frida Medina & Jay.
