We recently connected with Cristina Melendez and have shared our conversation below.
Cristina, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?
I’m not great with putting written words together about things like this but for me I’ve always had to work ten times harder than your average male DJ, or your typical model DJ you would find on apps like TikTok. From the beginning I learned that the only thing that’s going to get me to where I want and need to be, is my talent. I never had industry connections and I still don’t have this marketable body that agents look for. I’m just a plus size, neurodivergent girl from the east coast who loves club music. That’s why I’m always putting out edits, original music, curated DJ sets, every chance I get. I learned to grow my own fan base the old fashioned way, the best way – by just being me.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I’m a DJ and producer and have been since 2015. I make and play a lot of club music, and more recently I started throwing my own parties in LA called ‘Bad Bitches Only’. It’s a party I started when I noticed that going out in LA and looking/feeling the way I do, it’s easy to feel out of place in a world where everything can be so looks based. ‘BBO’ is an LGBTQIA+, POC, plus size/body positive, and neurodivergent inclusive event.
I created it so that everyone who felt like they didn’t have a party to go to where they feel welcomed, would finally have one and could have fun without being judged, harassed, or looked at funny. A little home for all the underdogs in town I guess. You can find us monthly at Zero Lounge, in Hollywood starting March 22nd!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Probably music theory, dj blends, and honestly just my perseverance/passion have been the most impactful for me. Going to college for music production I learned early the general knowledge of music theory and I always say if you want to be in the music industry there has to be that base knowledge there otherwise you’re just playing tracks blindly to the crowd. You’ll never know when you’re bringing in a song that’s totally out of key until you get a weird crowd reaction and that’s just embarrassing.
My best advice is to really just focus in on your craft and showing people your talent. With social media these days it’s saturated and easy to feel like people don’t care unless you look or act a certain way but if you just keep your head down and focus on bettering your talent people will find you along the way.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
I’d have to say my patience and consistency. Being a female who was late diagnosed with autism and adhd, it’s hard to do both of those things but it’s the kind of thing where the more you practice, the better you get at it. I have really great friends who are here to remind me that everyone’s path doesn’t look the same and I’m going at my own pace.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.goodtroubleofficial.com/epk
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodtroublemusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goodtroublemusicofficial/
- Twitter: https://x.com/GOOODTROUBLE
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@goodtroublemusic
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/goodtroublemusic
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