Meet Adam Wright | DJ, Producer, & Content Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Adam Wright and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Adam, what is the most important factor behind your success?
In the current age of social media and oversaturation, I think it’s so incredibly important to have a niche. Everyone and their mother are coming to apps like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to make a name for themselves. It’s great in terms of accessibility, but it makes it 100x harder to be unique when thousands to millions of people are doing the same thing as you. I’m one of the thousands of DJs who are posting their mixes and sets online, and I was able to cut through the noise and make a name for myself because I found a niche in mashups – specifically mashups that cater to the LGBTQ+ community. It allowed me to thrive because, as someone who is a part of the LGBTQ+ community, I know what music I love and what music my peers would love. I found that making content directed to a specific demographic is way more powerful than trying to cater to everyone. Something I’ve always believed in: If you’re marketing yourself to everyone, you’re marketing yourself to no one.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I didn’t realize it at the time, but I started preparing for my career when I was 14. I had a little YouTube channel called ‘SuperScreamRock’ (later becoming ‘Adamusic’) where I would post mashups of the top pop songs at the moment. They were quite low quality and had lots of room for improvement, but they would eventually catapult me into the career I have today. Throughout high school, I kept working on mashups and improving them – learning more about music production along the way. At 16, I hit 100,000 subscribers on YouTube and shortly after booked my first professional job with Capitol Records. Working with them was great validation that I could potentially continue this as a profession because I hadn’t made any money prior due to copyright. I continued to explore music production and songwriting during my time in high school.

As I approached graduation (and deciding my future), I chose to dive into music and sound head-first. I began running the soundboard at my school and local community theatre, started picking more client-based jobs music jobs, interned at a local recording studio, and put a portfolio together to apply for music programs across the country. After months of interviews, essays, and college visits, I decided to move to Los Angeles and attend the Los Angeles College of Music, which was a HUGE step for me. Not only did I receive an in-depth education in music production and recording, but I was also exposed to the music industry first-hand and was able to begin developing connections and meeting other people in my field.

As I continued my studies in LA, I continued the grind on social media. I was blessed to have started accumulating a following on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram posting my music and mashup content. While it wasn’t the most lucrative social media path to take, it allowed me to get my name out there – which at the time was everything. Attending a music school had many benefits; one of them being that I was able to take an ‘Introduction to DJ’ class. I’m not exaggerating when I say I think that class changed the trajectory of my life; it was the missing piece in my puzzle. I could use these mashups and remixes that I’d been making for the past eight years and put them in my DJ sets, making my work profitable. I continued to practice DJing and making connections throughout the rest of my schooling, and by graduation day in March 2023, I had a gig at The Roxy in Hollywood.

My life after graduation has changed a lot; I’ve now begun gigging and playing at queer bars and clubs across the country, and I’m so grateful for it. There’s a stigma surrounding “TikTok DJs”, and I had to prove that I was worthy of playing in lineups of incredible DJs with 10-20 years of experience. I had to remind myself that, while I may only have two years of personal DJ experience, I have another eight years of experience making mixes, crafting transitions, and training my ear. Every mistake or mishap along the way has made me better and has prepared me for the future of my DJ career. The past decade I’ve put into this niche craft of mashups has now landed me a residency in West Hollywood, numerous collaborations with labels and artists, and a spot on the lineup for upcoming Pride events. I’ve been able to cement a place for myself in the LGBTQ+ nightlife scene, and for that, I’m so thankful.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Los Angeles is so big and broad that I still feel like I’ve only explored 5% of it. However, if I was hosting a friend, I’d start the day with a walk to get Alfred Coffee or explore a new cafe or coffee shop I’ve never been to. We could make a stop at The Grove to visit the many shops or visit the market on Melrose to support some smaller businesses. I love a hike and a trip to the beach, so we could explore the trails above Hollywood or Altadena and then take a drive along the PCH to visit some beautiful spots in Malibu. My friends and I love to stop at Whole Foods there to get some snacks and then watch the sunset on a nice day.

Nightlife is a big part of my life, especially with being in the entertainment industry, so I have many options for our evening endeavors. If we’re looking for a fancy dinner, I’d take them to Rao’s Hollywood or Laurel Hardware. Just need food before hitting the bars? I’ll take them to get Los Tacos or grab Pizza on the Santa Monica strip. There’s quite a large selection of bars and clubs to choose from in West Hollywood, but I think a great starting point always is Barney’s Beanery. From there, we would make our way to the WeHo strip and visit bars like Stache, Fiesta Cantina, and Hi Tops. If we’re really feeling crazy, we could end the night by going to Heart Weho or The Abbey.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I feel like I’m where I am today because of my Dad. He was the first person to introduce me to music, showing me how to put together loops in GarageBand to create songs. Because of him, I was releasing my own “albums” at the age of 8 (ironically titled ‘Adamusic’). I’m so thankful to the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre for giving me a voice and a stage to create art as I grew up. Performing was such a joy, and it gave me confidence in myself that I still appreciate to this day. Sam Johnson was the first person to ever trust me behind a soundboard, and I’ll always be grateful for him. I was literally still in middle school, and somehow he believed in me enough to let me take charge of the sound system – even for packed houses of 700+ people.

I’m thankful to my parents for believing in the validity of my craft since Day 1. I would miss out on football games and high school parties to sit on my computer and make mashups of Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, and they never once tried to steer me away from my passion. They even believed in me enough to help me move across the country to Los Angeles to study and pursue a music career – which I’ll never take for granted. My sisters, Amanda and Nicole, show me how to be a good person. I am constantly inspired by their activism and values, and they teach me in ways they may not even realize. Finally, I’m so beyond thankful to the people I have here with me in LA. My friends and my boyfriend Devin support me through thick and thin, and it always means the world to see them in the crowd when I’m playing at a venue. Devin is my biggest cheerleader, and he’s always willing to drop everything to be there for me. I don’t know how I’d make it here without them.

Website: https://adamusicofficial.com/

Instagram: adamusic_

Twitter: @dadamusic_

Youtube: https://youtu.be/emByIqmQJFc?si=jrVE19UCkOupEl7u

Image Credits
Finlay Mathias (of Roseflower Records), Devin Hicks, threeforty, The Lounge Booth