Today we’d like to introduce you to Lexi Runion
Hi Lexi, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
With the post-COVID boom of music festivals and the rapidly rising popularity of the electronic dance music scene, I began to notice the lack of female DJs in local nightlife (at Mizzou, my alma mater, and St. Louis, my hometown). This observation and my desire to learn a new skill the summer before my senior year of college led me to purchase a beginner DJ board. From the moment my board arrived, I was infatuated with the art of blending music. All hours of the day (except for when I was at my serving job). I was in my bedroom teaching myself the decks.
A month later, the GM from Start Bar STL reached out to me for an audition after seeing clips of me DJing at home on Instagram. He was looking for a female DJ to play at the venue’s Ladies Night, hosted every week on Thursday. I didn’t feel ready to perform at all, as most DJs practice in their bedrooms for years before ever doing a gig; however, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up, and I knew I needed to push myself outside of my comfort zone.
After the audition went smoothly, I was playing at Start Bar weekly. The sink-or-swim nature of live performance pushed my skill development forward at a swift pace. By the end of the summer, other venues began to notice my upward trajectory and were reaching out for bookings. A little over a year later, I have now played at venues and events all over the St. Louis area and become a prominent name in the local industry. My passion for music and performance grows every day, and I am continuously pushing myself to branch out to new venues and new musical genres.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not at all, for a few reasons.
Juggling academics and a career in nightlife is not easy. Over the past year, I managed to obtain my biochemistry degree at Mizzou while driving to St. Louis every weekend to DJ. It was hectic, but easy in a way because I got to pursue all of my passions at once. I have also developed personally in ways I never thought possible–the previously reserved student who was afraid to speak up in class has completely come out of her shell.
Outside of the struggle of a hectic schedule, I have felt like I’ve had to prove myself more as a female DJ (in contrast to my male counterparts). To this day, I deal with onlookers assuming my success can be attributed to me being a woman or the way I look. So, I really try to give it my all at every gig and continuously push the envelope by incorporating genres you wouldn’t normally hear in a club mix, such as baile funk or jersey club, into my sets.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am primarily an open-format DJ (meaning I play a mix of genres) for nightlife venues, although I occasionally do private events.
I like to think of my job as curating the perfect night out for the crowd. There is a lot of negative talk about the DJ profession, and a lot of people may think my job is easy, but the art of music curation requires lots of experience to master (and I am still learning with every gig). Outside of the basic skill set required to mix music, there are so many other factors a DJ must keep in mind while moving through a gig and selecting tracks. For example:
– What does the crowd need (not just want) to hear?
– Am I smoothly transitioning between energy levels without jumping around too much?
– What direction is my set headed in?
– Am I balancing the needs of the venue and the crowd while staying true to my identity as an artist?
I would say I’m known for playing a little something for everybody in the room, as well as incorporating lots of throwbacks into my set. I love to mix the old and the new. I think my fresh take on the standard club mix (i.e. mixing in afro beats, jersey club, baile funk, UK garage) sets me apart from others. I’m not just dropping club bangers all night, but trying to expose the crowd to different types of music in a way that meshes with what they expect to hear at a bar or club.
I am most proud of myself for my successes as a female DJ in a male-dominated industry. And not just of the successes themselves, but of the fact they were well-deserved. I feel I have really proved myself as an artist over the past year and can confidently say I am good at what I do.
What’s next?
Although I am planning on going back to school within the next few years to obtain my masters in anesthesia, there is a lot I am looking forward to doing with music before then. I am working on learning how to produce music, as I want to be a well-rounded artist and create, not just curate. I also want to elevate my marketing and give more to those who are fans of my work by recording/filming mixes and creating playlists. Additionally, I am trying to do more performances within the EDM scene and look forward to playing my first few EDM shows at Mississippi Underground in October.
Overall, I hope to continue growing my knowledge of and passion for music, as well as branching out from St. Louis and performing in other cities.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djlexirose?igsh=MWxiazRyenFlbzYyYQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/eSAFaUyLsB7RpCEr5
- Other: Business Email: djlexirose@gmail.com
