DJ Soul Sister Right On Interview Part One

I had a chance to ask One Right On Sister Some Questions.... None other than Famed New Orleans Soul DJ.......DJ SOUL SISTER

A little Background
DJ Soul Sister has been on the scene since 94 sharing positive soul vibrations with New Orleans and the world with all the classic old school funk, groove, disco, and soul you can handle. In addition to creating Right On Party Situations to make us all dance, she is the host of Soul Power on WWOZ 90.7FM in New Orleans (Sat.8-10pm CST). Besides the Parties and the Radio, you probably have been blessed to see her rocking the crowds at Essence, Voodoo, Jazz Fest, and probably anything else you can imagine. This is one DJ I can honestly say always provides a positive vibe type of environment.

The Interview

How did you get the name DJ Soul Sister?

I gave myself the name “Soul Sister” when I started my Soul Power show on WWOZ about 14 years ago. I thought Me-li-ssa just sounded awkward on the air, and I was a bit shy about using my real name. It comes from my show’s theme song “Bold Soul Sister” by Ike & Tina Turner (1970), which I first heard on WWOZ through show host Nita Ketner. I put the “DJ” behind it when I started doing lots more live performances, especially at Tipitina’s which was in late 2003.

How did you get started in DJing and any advice for folks wanting to break in this area?

The answer for this question is way too long and has too many different parts that anyone would be patient enough to sit through! I’ve always considered myself more of a crate digger and record collector, party promoter, and “DJ artist” than a standard for-hire type dj. I don’t take requests and I don’t play anything that I don’t like, cause I don’t buy anything I don’t like. I play only vinyl. I do my thing cause it’s fun and because I want to do things a little differently. I guess my advice for anyone wanting to break into any area is to only do what you love, cause when you do what you love it’s never work. Maintain positive relationships because you can’t do it all by yourself. I would not be doing anything if it weren’t for people who have supported me through all the years. Be true to yourself. I’ve loved the music I play and collecting records since I was a young kid. I saw Spinderella (Salt-N-Pepa’s dj) on an episode of Yo! MTV Raps when I was in 8th grade and I wanted to be her. It’s harder as a woman to break into a scene that is dominated by men. I had no mentors or teachers. I had to teach myself. But if it’s something you love, then you will do it by any means necessary. I never cared that men gave me wild looks when I went to buy DJ gear or do my crate digging. That’s some real advice too for anyone wanting to do anything. Do you, be good to people, and keep going despite what anyone else says. As we’ve seen through the example from President Obama and so many before him, anything and everything is possible if you believe in yourself. My last piece of advice is to take yourself seriously if you want other people to take you seriously. Work harder than anyone else. But, then again, it brings me back to my first point. If you do what you love, it’s never work.


Why So much love for the soul?

My goal is to always spread positive soulful vibrations through the music that has given me joy for so many years. I use my sets to honor the musicians, singers and artists who have come before us and have shared their gifts for the world to enjoy. And I only play the sounds that move me, so anything you hear in one of my sets or at one of my party promotions is guaranteed, as the song goes, to be real.

When I use “Soul” in Soul Sister, the “soul” refers to the vibe, the warmth, the joy and the energy of the music I am playing or of the event that I am throwing. Anyone who has seen me knows that I am not really a soul dj, per se. I play soulful sounds – that can be anything from funky jazz to Afrobeat to soulful true school hip hop. I’m more on the funk side, the underground disco side. I spin vinyl in the “disco style,” but my turntables have to be set up in the “hip hop style.” My style is part funk, part soul, part disco, part hip hop, part punk rock and all on the one for fun.