To start, Arjun Lee ‘27, a junior at GA, has a unique talent and interest in DJing. He has performed for several GA and out-of-school events, from BSA parties to the semi-formal dance in the fall.
Before Lee started DJing, he already had an initial interest in music. But what really inspired him to become a DJ was a family friend that taught him the basics of DJing, as well as the history of music throughout the decades.
“When I was getting into [DJing]about five to six years ago, my dad’s friend was a DJ and I took lessons from him. I didn’t just start off by immediately getting into the fundamentals of DJing, but I actually started with learning about the 50s, 60s, and all the way up to the 2000s,” Lee said. “So I already had an interest in music and hip hop, but getting lessons from him really inspired me to begin DJing.”
When Lee’s DJing career began, he had to get acclimated to different environments and get the feeling of performing in front of big crowds. He began by going with his dad to smaller environments to develop the understanding of the DJ fundamentals and getting the feel of performing in front of a crowd.
“I was definitely very bad at recognizing what a crowd likes and the fundamentals of DJing,” Lee said. “But about a year in, me and my dad hunted out to go to retirement homes to perform and do small events to get myself acclimated to the environment.”
But todaynow, Arjun has gained a lot of experience over the years and is now performing for huge in-school and out-of-school events. He’s adjusted to the environment and picked up the crowd’s vibe to whether they like his music or not.
“I’m definitely older and more mature, especially with my music. So now I’m doing events like semi at GA, Junior proms at Upper Darby, and after wedding events,” Lee said. “Throughout my time DJing, I think I’ve just grown to understand what a crowd likes and doesn’t like.”
Leading up to these events, a lot of planning has to be done by Lee in order for them to be successful. He has to understand the environment of where the event takes place, the type of people who are there, and create a list of songs all people would like to hear.
“When I do get an event, I usually ask for the demographic such as age and race because that’s really important when picking out music,” Lee said. “And when I do get that information, I make a list of all the songs that I think the people would enjoy, and I also create a list that everybody would enjoy in general.”
Despite the excitement that comes with being a DJ, it also comes with a lot of pressure and anxiety because Arjun has to make sure people truly enjoy the music that he plays. If the crowd does not enjoy the music, it could drastically change the entire experience of the event.
“There’s always some type of anxiety as a DJ when it comes to if people are liking your music. I was very nervous because last year at semi, everybody hated the DJ,” Lee said. “I was nervous about whether people were going to enjoy my performance or dislike it. That was a huge obstacle to overcome as a DJ and I did so by trusting my instincts.”
Lee’s DJ journey has been a significant part of his life and has truly shaped who he is. Starting out, barely knowing the basics, to performing at huge live events, shows his commitment to his hobby and his passion for music. Lee has played a significant role in the GA community and continues to do so by organizing the GA Pop Assembly later this year.