Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayla Spell
Hi Kayla, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Ever since a youngin walking the streets of nyc, I’ve always felt a love and passion for Art and music! As a teen, I entered the rave scene and fell in love. From that moment on my best friend (at the time) Sam & I decided to create Physchopomp. A femme led group of producers/djs. We made a promise to ourselves that by the time we turned 27 our career will be starting! Every day we would come together and find a way to produce on any apps we could being that we were two struggling teens just trying to get by we couldn’t afford all the software needed to do the real thing! After sometime I had to abruptly moved from New York to Miami. This move was hard on me because I had to leave behind, not only my family and my friends, but also my lifestyle and everything that I’ve grown to love in the music scene. For the first few years in Miami, it was rough. I didn’t know anyone or any safe spaces for me to be apart of. But then the universe blessed me by coming across the Witches of Miami eventbrite page looking for something fun to do but that wasn’t typical Miami partying…as soon as I stepped foot into the venue I knew my life was going to change. FINALLY I found my people!! From the fun themes, the photobooths ran by Vanessa Coy & the AMAZING dj Bozito playing while the crowd goes wild…I just knew. From that moment forward, I continue to go to every single Witches Event I could! Eventually, I would literally go just to watch Bozito and learn what she’s doing. She inspired me so much by just being who she is and creating such safe Spaces for femmes, queers, black & brown communities to release and be free. As time went on I became closer with Bozito as she saw I really wanted to do this dj thing for real! I started practicing On my old DJ controller every day and posting online trying to manifest the day, I can get booked by them! Dec 2022 Bozito who is now my mentor gave me that chance! I had my very first gig And when I tell you, there was no turning back from there! From this moment on this is what I wanna do for the rest of my life. In the beginning, it was strictly Witches of Miami booking me when they could but as time went on more people started to notice me. I started getting booked for different local queer events! I felt like I had finally found some thing I was good at that I enjoy and could make money from! But it wasn’t always rainbows and butterflies I eventually lost my job, which caused me to solely depend on any DJ gigs I would get. And being that I had just started, I wasn’t getting many bookings. Life was very difficult and still is sometimes. There were moments where I couldn’t attend events because I just couldn’t afford them or getting there. There were days where I couldn’t afford to eat or have my basic needs met like paying my phone bill, getting clothes/feminine products or pay for my software membership to DJ at all. But as I grew in my craft , I grew in the scene as well. I went from one gig every 2/3 months to now 4/5 gigs a month! I get to surround myself with people that have such passion for music and creating safe spaces. I get to learn from other dj friends and most importantly I get to live out my dreams as a Queer Black Latina DJ. (which there’s not many of us with platforms) and share my love to the masses through music.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not at all I definitely had to pay my dues! As I said before I’d attend every witches of Miami event after the first one, trying to meet new people network and get myself involved. I wanted to support my community before asking my community for help or guidance! So that’s exactly what I did in anyway I could! Aside from that being a dj can be difficult to survive off of if you’re not a top dog main stream artist or holding down another job. A lot of us struggle just as bad as everyone else even though the lifestyle tends to look more “fun” “lavish” and “luxurious” that’s not always the case. Gigs can be spread apart to where it’s not steady income or sometimes pay isn’t always on time or simply just not enough. It can be extremely exhausting living in survival while also maintaining a up paced positive fun attitude. But we do it !
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a chaos dj , meaning I like to play chaotically with multiple genres that typical don’t match but seamlessly can be put together. I curate a vibe that can fill a room and leave you still feeling exhilarated after going home! I am most definitely known for my chaotic feel but also for adding known songs into mixes so everyone can sing along and be apart of the vibe I’m trying to create. (aka edits queen) One of the things in my career I’m most proud of is getting to open for one of my idols (dj & masisi curator) Pressure Point. That was a really big deal for me because they are such a big/important staple in Miami for black & brown queer people not to mention two month before I went to a festival just to see them perform! Now I get to say I got to open for one Miamis LEGENDS.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
To be honest I am not a reader…I spend most of my time listening. Whether that’s to music, YouTube videos, tiktoks or to my peers. My biggest resource career wise would def have to be my mentor Bozito. Not only did she give me my first opportunity but she takes the time to teach me anything she has knowledge on, she helps me navigate the business side of djing, and ultimately she’s just a great friend who encourages me , loves me, and supports my dreams to the fullest.
Also finding my best friend Myles at the witchesofmiami events. They have been the ultimate support in my life with DJing and just regular day to day things. Without them, I would not be able to carry-on as the Spell that everybody knows and loves. Honorable mention of my two other besties Victoria & Dulcee who always show up when I need them the most but also are some of my biggest supporters out here! I don’t have many recourses to begin with but I know friends family & my supporters are a BIG one.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soundsbyspell?igsh=MXFxYXNteTY1NTJyNQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Other: https://linktr.ee/soundsbyspell?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAab5sIcf9xKGhgELTC5baOW1fcHXe_Ix7F3FmsmodO9EU_zfiUorXnaCBI4_aem_-47CmQTd0yT8uurhH5Zo2A
Image Credits
Victoria Harvey , Vanessa Coy , Reinaldo Ramirez
