highlights|| SYDNEY BLU | ARDALAN | MAHER DANIEL | TOM HADES

by Mandy J Daniels

With great content from formidable talent, I thought it'd be valuable to take a look back at quotes and ideas that stood out. The intention for the series is to connect with fascinating, creative artists and thought-leaders who have carved out an authentic path in a field they're passionate about, and to reflect their experience, vision and thoughts to you. Here's a glance at four compelling interviews with links to the full version. 
There's power in sharing our stories - they call us to our truth, stir us to action and remind us of our common humanity. These conversations abound with insight, and have personally been a source of inspiration to continue along my own trail, often offering practical and prescient wisdom on how to live a life with focus, open possibility and truth. 
The following offers a glimpse at Sydney Blu's take on success, Ardalan on self-belief and Maher Daniel's and Tom Hades' advice for up and coming DJs and producers. Enjoy!

||SYDNEY BLU when asked what success means to her... 

Success is looking back on everything and having people come up to me and remind me that I’ve done something right. Like I said, sometimes I don’t stop and realize it. Sometimes you’re just like, what’s next, what’s next? And you don’t go wait, I did all this. So I guess having people remind me, maybe? I don’t know why it takes somebody else to remind me but.. 

||ARDALAN on self-belief...

Did you always believe in yourself?

At the beginning I never really did. But I had this fire and ambition inside of me and I really wanted to get a release on Dirtybird and then it just happened. I think when you want something so bad, you can get it. The positive energy that you bring with it, it just happens. If you imagine yourself where you want to be, it can eventually work out for you. I was super happy making music and I would dream of a day where I could express my music to everyone besides myself in my bed room. I guess I did believe in myself, I just didn't know I did.

||MAHER DANIEL on advice to up and coming DJs and producers, and creating success overall in the industry...

Be humble and respectful of your surroundings and the people around you. This life can get into peoples heads really, really quickly and egos start to come out of nowhere. What they seem to forget is that you’re exactly the same as everyone else - you started on that dance floor, you’re just in a different place in this industry now. But the key thing is the people on the dance floor are the ones who got you there - by supporting you, buying your music and buying tickets to your shows. So.. leave the attitude at home do what you do with a smile on your face and respect everyone the same way you’d like to be respected. This is a blessing! So be happy you’re not behind a desk from 9-5.

||TOM HADES on advice he'd give to up and coming DJs or producers..

Find your own way. Find your own sound, find your own way and don’t follow too much hype, or what charts say, or whatever. Just do what you think is best. I have a really cool thing that I saw sometime ago, and it’s a nice sentence about this: In the beginning they will always laugh at whatever you do, but then they will start to copy. Actually, this is it. Just do your thing because everybody is always negative about new things because it’s possible competition for them, you know?

Many thanks to these artists for sharing their thoughts through the interviews! 

Leave a comment

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published

Back to INTERVIEW SERIES WITH MJD