We recently connected with Taylor Lively and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Taylor with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
My father, I’ve always looked up to him as he was always working to keep food on the table, a roof over our heads and a comfortable place to sleep at night. He never stopped working to make my family’s life more than comfortable while still being there for us for every sports game, doctors appointment etc. He made the effort to not only work to be a financial provider but one that was there for every significant moment in my life. His work ethic was something I always aspired to have, and gradually over time I found how to have work ethic while still making time for myself and the people I love around me.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My name is Taylor Lively, I’m an electronic music DJ based in Greensboro, NC and now Founder and CEO of a company called Groove Lab.
I started djing back in 2021, during the COVID 19 pandemic. It was something I had always wanted to learn, but was the first time in my life that I wasn’t too busy to learn something entirely new. I had many friends that were Dj’s at the time. I went ahead and bought a beginner Dj board and one of my close friends came over and taught me the basics to djing. He told me, “if you want to become a great DJ, you have to practice every day for an hour.” So, with all the time that I had working from home during the pandemic, I took his advice a little further and started to DJ anywhere from 3-5 hours a day. I’d stream myself djing on TikTok and I would get thousands of viewers on my streams. Eventually I started to play at shows once the world opened back up, and the more I played the more I was being booked. I started in Greensboro, then I started to play in Charlotte and now I’ve played in several different states, cities all over NC, and this year I’m playing in 3 major music festivals alongside some of the biggest artists in the scene.
Not only do I love playing but I also love seeing other djs play. My husband and I were traveling hours almost every weekend to see shows in Charlotte, Raleigh, Asheville etc. I also know dozens of people in the Triad that were doing the exact same thing. Knowing the massive community that exists in the Triad, I knew something needed to be done to bring this community to our door step. We all needed an alternative to traveling hours away, spending tons of money for hotels just to see a good show. In November I started a project called Groove Lab. I found a club in Winston-Salem called ALV Nightclub that was open to the idea of me bringing an EDM night to their club. Since then, Groove Lab has had 5 successful shows and has blossomed into an amazing community. We have had anywhere from 200-300 people at each of our shows and the community continues to grow. Groove Lab has brought in djs (like myself) and show goers from all over NC to come play and listen to a variety of different sub genres of electronic dance music. It feels great to be able to provide people in the Triad with the opportunity to see great shows right in their backyard. Right now, Groove Lab has monthly shows at ALV Nightclub and is soon expanding to another venue in Winston-Salem. There is plenty of exciting things planned for this project and I can’t wait for it to grow even more than it already has.
Groove Lab is collaborating with Breakaway Music Festival for an Official Pre-Party April 19 at ALV nightclub – tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
Music is one of the most important things in my life and the fact that I was put on this earth to share my love for music with others is so special in every single way. I couldn’t ask for a more meaningful purpose in life.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I think knowing how to network and how to create meaningful partnerships and relationships is a huge factor in my journey. I have a lot of amazing people around me that have helped me from the very beginning and see and understand my vision. It’s always great when starting something new to have people that want to support you and your brand. Not only has it helped to grow Groove Lab behind the scenes, but also help grow the community because of the relationships I have made since beginning to Dj. Shoutout to my husband, Justin Lively, who has been my biggest supporter since day 1, as well as my friend Jeremy Kopecky who has been a huge help in bringing Groove Lab to life.
I also feel like being able to express your vision to others and show them the value in your ideas is a great quality to have, if it weren’t for my communication skills and my ability to explain the value I had would bring, I wouldn’t have had this opportunity to start Groove Lab.
There are so many more qualities that I have and skills that I have gained over time that have led to this point, but really the best advice I have for anyone is just be true to yourself. Do what you’re really passionate about and don’t let anything get in your way. Don’t think about the “what ifs,” just move with purpose and do what makes you truly happy and everything else will follow.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I’m always looking for people to collaborate with. The electronic dance music scene is based solely on collaboration and the inner workings of a strong and supportive community. If you are a DJ, influencer, or creative of any kind and want to be involved, please email [email protected] – we would love to have a way to incorporate you into this lovely community!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/groovelabnc?igsh=YTc4NXRqOW03MDFo&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- SoundCloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/UYjB19b1osWobYj58
Image Credits
JKE Official and Dvsl Shots
