I had the distinct pleasure of getting acquainted with Debbie Graham during Miami Music Week in March. In fact, she played at the My House Radio FM showcase party and showed everyone her vast talent. Not only is Debbie a phenomenal DJ; she is also a genuinely kind and interesting person. My House Radio is very fortunate that Debbie was willing to take the time out of her very busy schedule to answer our questions. Thank you, Debbie! 

Q:  To get started, let’s go back to the beginning. Where were you born and what was your childhood like?

A:  I am from the island of Jamaica, and as a child I was always surrounded by music. My father was a dancer, and several other family members were musicians, artists and writers, so I was always around creatives.

Q:  Have you moved around a lot? How did you end up in Atlanta?

A:  I have made a few significant moves in my lifetime. The first was leaving my hometown and moving to Houston, Texas when my family decided to migrate to the US. I completed high school in Houston and needed up moving to the Atlanta area for college. I have moved away for job opportunities twice, however, I ended up coming back to Atlanta as it always felt like home.

Q:  Do you come from a musical family? Were there people around you growing up who you say inspired or influenced you? 

A:  I come from a family of artists, mainly on my Dad’s side. Most were musicians and I have a few cousins that are still performing internationally even though some are in their 70s.

Q:  What kind of music did you listen to growing up? 

A:  Growing up I listened to lots of reggae, RnB, Disco and a little classical at times. It all depended on what my Mom or Dad was listening to at that time.

Q:  How did you get your start in the music industry? 

A:  I have always loved music as long as I can remember. As a child in Jamaica, my parents would take me on field trips to the record stores. One of my mother’s clients also owned the largest distribution company for music coming out of the US and England, and, when I was introduced to him at age 9, I could be found hanging out at the establishment listening to the latest hits.

Q:  When did you first start DJing? When did you first play for a crowd? What was that experience like?

A:  I first started DJing when I was around 14, but my freshman year of college was when I felt comfortable enough to play for a crowd. I was too young to get into clubs, but there was a reggae club in the Atlanta area that took a chance on me playing one weekend as long as there was an adult escorting me. I can truly say that this was my first “HIGH.” The butterflies were jumping, but when I saw people smiling, dancing and coming up to the booth to give me high fives, I knew then that I wanted to pursue this DJ thing.

Q:  How long have you been in the music industry? How did you get into dance music?

A:  I have been in the industry for 43 years and started listening more to dance music in the mid 80s when some friends from New York and Chicago would play their cassettes that were loaded with “Club Music” and “House Music.”

 

 

Q:  What is the first album or piece of music that you bought for yourself?

A:  The first record I ever bought was a 45, Three Ring Circus by Blue Magic. At that time I didn’t really get an allowance so any change I saved from my lunch money went into my savings for music.

Q:  If you had to recommend one album for someone looking to get into dance music, what would it be?

A:  One of my favorite dance/electronic music albums is Kraftwerk- Computer World, so I would recommend this one for sure.

Q:  What have you done in the industry? DJ? Producer? What events are you most proud of?

A:  Besides DJing, I have just started to produce tracks. I am still learning everyday but will continue to focus on the production side of things in the near future.

I have played alongside many heavy hitters in the industry, however, the event I am most proud of is the monthly party I curate in the Atlanta area.

Q:  What stands out as some of the most memorable moments of your musical career?

A:  The most memorable moments for me in this business is being able to play next to some of the biggest names in the industry and for them to not only compliment me on my style, but also they end up calling me back to join them for other events. A great example is when Atlanta legend DJ Kemit asked me to play for Ron Trent and his birthday party one year.

Q:  What skills would you say one needs to be a successful DJ in this industry? 

A:  To be successful, you have to be consistent, spend time really learning the art form, and network.

Q:  Tell me about the Atlanta house scene and your place in it. 

A:  The Atlanta house scene is small in comparison to places like Chicago, however, I am seeing a shift where more people are open to it and it no longer carries the stigma of only being music for the gays. Atlanta is a melting pot with many people moving to the city on a monthly basis. Many of these people are moving from other parts of the country where house music is a staple, so naturally if they are curious enough to venture out to different venues they may experience the house vibe and end up supporting some of these weekly/monthly events.

Q:  What is it like to be a woman in this industry? Do you feel the opportunities are there for women? Do you feel that there is pay disparity between male and female artists? 

A:  Being a woman in this industry still has challenges. Typically if we get invited to play parties we are generally the opening DJ. Sometimes pay disparity exists, and many times people will not support, just because in their minds the females do not play as well. It sometimes feel like females have to go above and beyond to get the recognition they deserve.

Q:  You’ve been in the industry a long time and are capable of playing diverse styles. How do you keep up with music trends? 

A:  I carve out about 5-10 hours a week in my schedule to listen to music. This helps me to get an understanding of what’s hot and what’s not. I also travel to different cities and listen to DJs I know little about just to see how the crowd reacts to their style.

Q:  What is the most rewarding part of being a DJ?

A:  The most rewarding part of Djing is when I see people happy on the dance floor, or if someone says to me, “I was having a bad day and you turned it around with your music.”

Q:  What do you think sets you apart?

A:  I think that people are not able to put me in a box with just sounding one way. I pride myself to being able to play for various types of crowds no matter what city I play in.

Q:  What are the biggest challenges that you have faced in this industry?

A:  One of the biggest challenges I face is not being able to get booked because I may not have a “certain look.” We know sometimes someone may not possess the skills but they may have a look that is desirable and so they get booked.

Q:  What are some of your favorite places to play?

A:  I love to play in Europe and definitely still love to play at home in Atlanta.

Q:  What cities — or countries—have you enjoyed the most?

A: London was absolutely amazing. I felt like I was able to take more risks and the audience was open to it.

Q:  Where would you like to play that you have never played before?

A:  I would love to play in Ibiza

Q:  Who are your musical influences?

A:  As far as musicianship, I adored Prince and in my book he was one of the greatest to do it. 

Q:  Who are some of your favorite DJs? Is there anyone who you have most enjoyed working with? Who would you still like to work with/play with?

A:  Some of my favorite DJs are DJ Kemit, Ron Pullman, Kai Alce’ and DJ Minx. I will have to say I enjoyed working with DJ Minx. She and I did an incredible B2B session at a party here in Atlanta about 7 years ago that had the crowd screaming for more.

Q:  Tell us about your producing? What have you been doing? Do you have anything coming out soon? 

A:  Last year I dropped 11 tracks and 1 EP. I was really surprised at the amount of support I received for those tracks. I am consistently working on tracks, however, I have learned over this last year to take some time out, listen to the feedback provided by others who have been doing this for a while. My plan is to release a track in the next couple of months, but I have not decided on a specific date.

 

 

Q:  Who are some of your favorite producers?

A:  My favorite producers are Ron Trent, Trinidadian Deep and Atjazz.

Q:  Who has been your greatest mentor?

A:  I didn’t formally have a mentor, but I admire Ron Pullman (The Godfather of the Atlanta House Scene), and spent lots of time studying his techniques.

Q:  Who are you currently listening to?

A:  I don’t have one specific artist that I am listening to, but I am a fan of jazz so I have listening to some older Maysa albums whenever I am not digging into the digital dance music crates.

Q:  What’s next for you?

A:  I am working on taking on more all vinyl parties. As a matter of fact I have recently been booked to play a 4 hour vinyl set……lord help my back lol.

Q:  Where do you see yourself in the future?

A:  My hope is to play more international gigs in the near future and to continue working on my productions.

To Debbie Graham: We appreciate your time and your thoughtful answers to our questions. We look forward to your new releases and we hope the rest of your year is great! Thank you!!