December 18, 2024 • 34 mins
Join Kate as she chats with Xandra Pohl right after their run. In this episode, Xandra shares her journey of becoming a successful DJ and content creator. She opens up about her early TikTok days, how she started DJing in high school, and her decision to pursue a career in music while attending the University of Miami. Xandra also takes us behind the scenes of her rise to fame and her exciting collaborations with top artists like Steve Aoki. Xandra also she shares what life is like on the road, her favorite DJ moments, and her advice for aspiring female DJs.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Alexandra freaking Pole. We just ran two miles. Oh yeah,
we did. Welcome to Poster r on High. Thank you.
How are you feeling.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
I'm a little tired, but honestly I feel much better.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Like we needed that. I definitely really needed it.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
I was out until you were out way later to me,
but I was out until two am last night, and
I felt like I needed a recovery.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
I was feeling things this morning. When I woke about
one o'clock, I was like, this is bad.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
We were sweating out our problems on our run. So
if you're coming from the Running Interview show, Hi, If
you're not, definitely go watch it because it was very funny.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
But now we're sitting down, we're both in Miami. It's
our basle weekend. Yes it is.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Let's talk about this because you kind of laughed after
I said Alexandra Pole. Talk to me about the name switch, Like,
where did Xandra come from?
Speaker 1 (00:51):
So my full name is Alexandra Pole.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Growing up, obviously Alexandra is a mouthful and my mom
like didn't want to call me alex so she was
like everyone needs to call Alexandra. Like it was a
very clear thing, Like my mom walked into my kindergarten
class and was like, if you call her alex this
is gonna be a problem.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
I feel like that's a thing. No, it's a thing.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
It's a thing because I love the name Alexandra. So
I understand where your mom was coming from. Yea, my
mom was I wanted to be alex I wanted to Alexandra.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
She was like, I need the whole name.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
And it was one of those things when you go
to grade school that is like whoever, what your teacher
calls you is your name, and that's that and that's
what everyone's gonna call you.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
So she made a big deal out of that big splash.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
And then Linda Linda came in high so everyone called
me Alexandra, and then that was just too long, so
then they just called me Apol all throughout grade school.
But I was like low key, like, don't call me that.
And then high school everyone called me ap I was
like sick, advanced placement whatever. It was like my senior
(01:51):
year of high school, I really, honestly I wanted to
come up with a DJ name and I was like
going back and forth about what to call myself, like
looking up the most crazy names like Alexandra and Greek.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
I was like, I just need something in our journey
to Xandra. What were the names that were in motion.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Probably like Cleopatra, Like I don't even know, Like it
was a dark place.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
I really kind of went everywhere.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
And then I was like, what if I just call
myself like my full name Alexandra. And I was like, wait,
literally nobody calls me that because it's too long. And
then I was like, I have this one friend named Xander,
and I was like, what if we just did Xandra?
And then I changed my Instagram user name, which is
when you go to college, whatever your Instagram username is,
that's what everyone calls you. So then it became Xandra.
(02:34):
The amount of times I'm like hi, I'm Xandra and
they're like exotic, where are you from? I'm like, uh, ohio, babes,
it's nothing special.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
But yeah, that was crazy.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
You're obviously popping off. You just made Forbes thirty under thirty. Congratulation,
Thank you so much. Getting Forbes thirty under thirty is
such an accomplishment. So I want us to kind of
back up and hear your full story. Oh, so let's
talk about this. You grew up in Cincinnati.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Yes, what was your life like growing up?
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Painfully Norman like, whoa normal boring yeah Norman Norman. I
like that Yeah, No, just very like the most normal
American life.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
I feel like you could ever have, like amazing.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Family, middle child between two brothers, very athletic family, like
I played soccer my entire life.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
That's what my life revolved around.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
And then I don't know, like people ask about them, like,
there's really nothing like crazy that reaches out to me.
I mean, my parents, I feel like raised me to
be very very confident.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
I feel like you and I have very similar backgrounds
because I was similar, like I have two brothers, very
athletic family, Like my parents push sports and same thing.
They were like, we want to have a confident, happy daughter.
So I can relate to that. The normal upbringing.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
There was really nothing special but like very like teamwork,
family oriented.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
And like, but that is special because not everybody has
that family dynamic, you know. So it's so cool that
you come from such a strong family and you're so
close with your siblings. And I think the fun thing
about you two is like that people don't talk about
enough with you Miami. It's like and we think of
you Miami, we think of like.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Party school, beautiful location.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
But I think the cool thing about you too is
like when you're getting into Miami is no joke, right,
So I'm sure, right? So growing up, were you also
very like studious?
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (04:13):
So I my whole entire life, my parents like, oh,
to put in perspective, my brother took the act for
the first time and he was like a sophomore in
high school and got a thirty six. So I came
around my parents like, oh my god. So like I,
my like standard for my parents was perfection, and so
(04:33):
I feel like that was kind of tough coming after
my brother just because he's just like a very type
A person and I could not be more different than that.
So I feel like that was really tough where I
always had a lot of pressure on me academically, but honestly,
I loved that.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
I can relate to that though, Like I have an
older brother, very smart, and it was the same thing
with me, and I am very like type B.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
But I can operate into Type A world.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
I feel like you can too, you know, so I
could I completely understand that dynamic.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
When you put the P I can figure it out.
But I need to have, like I'm so last minute
with everything. So I feel like that was a very
interesting dynamic, like he didn't drink, he didn't party, didn't
like wasn't that guy? And I came around and my
parents are like, we raised like a maniac, Like what
is wrong with her? Like my parents literally sent me
(05:19):
to therapy because they were like, there's something wrong with
this one, Like that one's perfect, this one's messed up because.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
You had that much energy as a kid, and you
were you were very social.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
I'm sure I was very socialable also in high school,
I feel like whatever my parents said, I would do
the complete opposite. And my mom and I talk about
it now, like my mom and I beefed my brother
like brothers and I beefed. I was in a weird
place during high school, which I feel like made college
such an amazing experience for me because I was really
(05:48):
able to like branch out and I had my rebellious
gears when my parents were there and they really kind
of like knocked me down in the best way possible,
like I needed to be right raindo.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
So in high school, you were partying, Yeah, okay, that's fair.
I mean, like, so was I like that's yeah, super normal.
And then I'm curious, like, I know your older brother
also went to U Miami, right, yes, so is that
kind of what inspired you to want to go to
you Miami.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Well, it was actually so annoying of him because he
was super smart and he was applying to like Dartmouth, Columbia, Harvard,
and obviously, for me, I was like, well, that's just
not gonna happen, you know what I mean? So I
thought that he was going to go and do that,
and I was always looking at you Miami. You Miami too,
Lane and Smu those were my top ones. And then
(06:34):
I just remember he kind of applied to you Miami,
like oh whatever, we'll figure it out. And then it
came to crunch time, decision time, and he randomly pulled
a quick one and was like, I'm going to you Miami,
and I was pissed. I was like, are you kidding me?
Like that was supposed to be my school. And then
he ended up going and like he had an amazing time,
And honestly, it's probably one of the best things that
(06:55):
ever happened to us because it brought.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Us so close close. How what's the age gap?
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Fifteen months seventeen months. Like we're almost like Irish twins.
So that was we had like same friend group and college,
same friend group in high school. Wow, so we really overlapped.
That's why we beefed so hard.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
I get that. Yeah, h, but that's really cool that
you ended up going to school together. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
And just I guess backtracking a second before we get
into college, because I'm so freaking excited to talk to
you about your college years because clearly everybody knows they
were iconic.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
At you Miami, they were crazy.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
But I think the most interesting thing about you too
is like you have always loved music and wanted to
be a DJ, And it's so cool to see this
all coming into fruition. When did you figure out you
wanted to kind of learn how to DJ?
Speaker 2 (07:38):
I always was obsessed with music concerts, Like again, I
was rebellious. So every single weekend I would like literally
flee the state with my ex boyfriend, who was awful.
I would be like, oh Mom, I'm sleeping at my
friend's house. No, I'd be in like Louisville, Kentucky, like
at a Walk of Walk, like all that easy.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Sorry.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
My mom was like, oh my god. I would literally
leave my phone in Ohio. I would go to Kentucky like.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
Wow, wait, you were really fucking rebellious. Okay, No, it
was like not good. Yeah, it was not good.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
So I always had this extreme love for music concerts festivals.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
It was good, though, I just have to say, because
it's made you who you are today, you know.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (08:18):
So I no, I needed it. I needed it, Yeah,
I need it. I also needed to push my mom.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
What are you going to do if you have a
daughter that was like you and I I'm so screwed.
I'm so screwed, my mom said.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
My grandma said to my mom that she's like, I
just can't wait till you have a daughter, because she's
going to be time times worse than you.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Your Mom's like, I can't wait for you to get tortured. Zandre,
Oh my god from the Northeast.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
No, yeah, buckle up, I'm not okay. So everybody's like
when you have when I have kids, I'm like, when
I have the mental capacity to deal with myself, that is.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
When I can have good right Okay, yes, but no.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
So I always loved going to music festivals. I went
to like La La plusa multiple years, and then my
junior I went to La La Pluza saw Alice in
Wonderland perform main stage headlining act, and I was like,
that is what I want to do. I came home again.
I was really rebellious during this time, and when I
told my mom, I was like, I want to go
(09:13):
and be a DJ. She was like, thank god, something
that isn't like boys partying, going out anything like that.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
So we went.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
The next day, I went to Guitar Center, bought myself
a controller, looked up on YouTube how to become a DJ,
and then pretty much taught myself from their first show
was my high school homecoming. I love how supportive your
mom was like, that's what I mean, Like, it's just
to have such a supportive family because at that point
in life she could have been like really girl, like
(09:42):
really and she was just so happy for me that
I was like passionate about something because it was one
of those things. I always loved music, but I can
never sang, I can never I know piano not well.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
I don't know how to play the guitar. And I
was like, this is.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Something where I can really dive in. But my creativeness
and my time, yeah, to do something really cool.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
It's just so cool now and like seeing where you're
at and knowing this about you, like it's coming to fruition.
And I know you played at Lallapalooza this past year, right,
so that must have been the wildest full circle moment.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
It was the craziest feeling. I got off the stage
and I cried. And it's so weird because I'm the
least emotional person alive and I got I feel like.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
That's not true. Oh no, I'm very okay. Yeah, you
are so right.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
I am very hard on the outside, but once you
like break down my wall, I'm so mushy I can
tell and emotional, like I care so much about everything.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
I feel like you are like the best friend ever.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
I'm like loyal, so loyal to a fall like somebody
can do me wrong like so many times. And I
will never speak bad about you. I will never tear
you down. I won't say anything. I will just like
be there and exist and just like take the pain.
I don't know, Oh my gosh, emotional, Well, you're a.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Good person, like you don't want to make people feel bad.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
So one of the first things, the first tailgate that
I ever went to, first week of school, I showed
up to a tailgate with my backpack and my laptop
in it, and I was like, I went to the
fry and I was like, I'm gonna plug in a
DJ and they were like yeah, yeah, yeah, like you
know how to DJ? And I literally said, give me
five minutes and if I suck, kick me off. And
they were like, fine, you know what, And then I
(11:21):
DJ those first five minutes, stayed on for two hours,
and then pretty much DJed every pool party tailgate after that.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
That is so freaking cool.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
And then first club at eighteen, I think like a
couple like two months three months after that.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
I feel like Miami was the perfect school for you
to go to because Miami has such a big DJ
culture right in nightlife culture and just like a party
scene that it's like a perfect fit for somebody that
wants to perform for people, right.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
I mean, that's why the reason why I came here. Also,
they have amazing music business program, so I majored in
marketing in their business school, but I also was able
to get a minor music business and they have the
Frost School of Music, which is top five best music
schools in the country. So that was amazing to get
a degree from there and be with some of the
best professors and learn about contracts and the whole backing
(12:13):
of the music world.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
Absolutely, I feel like you're one of those people that
is using your degree to a fucking tea. I know
marketing and music business. What you're marketing yourself and you're
in the music industry. It's just kind of wild. It's crazy.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
It really is crazy how it all ended up because
people don't understand. Like my mom was so supportive of
the whole DJ thing, but my social media career, I
didn't start posting until my senior year, and that was
the same time everyone was applying for jobs. I was
applying for jobs like in the music world, like being
a music agent. I really wanted to do all the
marketing for music festivals. That was like my goal if
(12:47):
the DJing didn't work out. Because my mom was like, girl,
we got to be for real right now, because it's
real life. It's like my mom's like, the second you
get out of school, you will not have a credit card.
You are getting cut off. You are paying for every
on your own, which I really appreciate because it really
forced me to have this like succeed or like don't survive.
Speaker 3 (13:11):
You know, I think it's so good when parents do
that for their kids and like quick side quest but
like my parents did the same thing, and they actually
didn't tell us till our senior year of college, but
they were like, we're going to make you take out
student loans. I think this is a good thing for
parents to do. If anybody's listening, they're like, we're going
to make you pay for your last year of college
because six months post graduating, those loans kick in and
if you're not working, you're going into debt.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
Oh my god.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
It was awesome and it really like encouraged me to
be like, Okay, I have to get a job.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
I'm curious. Did you have internships like junior Like, okay,
what were your internship?
Speaker 2 (13:41):
I was a marketing intern for music festival, Breakaway Music Festival,
So I was doing I did that for like a
whole entire year.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
And then so you've experienced kind of in the corporate world. Yes,
let's go.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
A little bit, yeah, a little bit here and there,
and then it was so weird. The company, Palm Tree Crew,
Palm Tree Management, who signed me to their management agency.
If I wasn't a client. I wanted to work for
the company. So before I really really took off DJing,
I was talking to them in the works of possibly
(14:15):
working for the company and doing marketing for their music festival.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
And I'm a DJ for them. It's crazy, it's crazy. Yeah,
oh my god, let's talk about this.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
So, senior year of high sorry, senior year of college,
you start popping off online. What inspired you to start
posting content on TikTok and on Instagram.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
It honestly was my parents kind of being like I
never really thought it was going to be a job.
I was told by like all the people that were
booking me for DJ and gigs. They were like, you
got paid like one hundred dollars maybe, And I wanted
to do this full time And I was like, what
(14:58):
can I do to possibly do this, like as a
full time job. And they were like, you need to
have more of a following on social media. You need
to be able to market yourself sell tickets. People don't
understand like that is the main thing for DJs. You
will not get both if you do not sell. So
it's all about the brand too, all about the branding,
all about the marketing.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
And so I was like, say less, let's see.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
I'm just gonna start posting about my life, about djaying
funny stuff, and let's see what happens. The first video
I post, I was going to a U Miami pool
party and I post this like stupid video of me
just talking barely even about the pool party, just about
my life, and it blew up. I remember, I'm like
going up and down the water slide, drunk as fuck,
(15:43):
and I check my phone and it's like six thousand
notifications on TikTok, but really the.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
Universe telling you this is your calling, like this is
your thing.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
It was the most insane experience of my life. I
was like, wait what? And then I posted another video
and it popped off, and another video and it popped off,
and I was like, you don't even know what's going
on because it's just numbers on your phone. It's so
hard to translate into real life. And then yeah, I've
been pretty much doing.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
That ever since. You know.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
It's so cool too, is like I've been following you
like since the OG days, like since you kind of
started posting. I was definitely like watching your CONTENTO. I'd
see it on my FO you page. And it's wild
because like to now sit with you now and learn
about the DJ story and obviously over this past year,
I've like seen how much you've grown as a DJ
and now it's your career. But I didn't know about
the DJ stuff until I feel like maybe I don't
(16:33):
know until like a little bit into learning more about you.
So it is so cool now to know all of
that because at the time, like I was following you
for like your beauty tips and like just because I
thought your personality was funny and like you kept it
so real. And I'm curious because talking to the camera
isn't easy, yet you are so naturally good at it.
I'm curious, like early on in those days, like was
it hard to be like talking to the camera and
(16:55):
your audience.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Well, I have this like little fun fact that people
don't know about me what And that's when I never
really talk about it because I feel like it was
like such like a weird time in my life.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
Also, I have like the worst memory ever.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
But when I was in grade school, I used to
go out to LA during pilot season.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
I used to act. Oh what yeah, okay, I used
to like.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Act and model, So I took like so many acting
classes and improv and talking to camera, Like improv was
my thing. Like I can like go out and like
make the most bullshit story you've ever heard and like
say it deadband like people are like what is going on?
So I feel like that just really helped me being
really comfortable with myself in front of a camera. And
(17:40):
I feel like also the way that I was raised
being so confident, like whatever I say, I backed it
up one hundred percent, Like there is no fluff, there's
no bullshit, Like it's like what it is is what
it is.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
And I feel like that really helped me being able
to talk to the camera.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
But it's something weird, like lots of people feel extremely uncomfortable,
but sometimes I feel more comfortable in front of a
camera these days than like talking to actual people.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
It's so interesting, it's so weird.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
One of my favorite things now is to like go
on live and just like talk and like like breathe
the comments and like we'll just like chit chat it
up and they're like, girl, like we literally feel like
we're on face.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
Okay. Does it ever freak you out? Though? When people
start recording lives? Oh yeah, they ever got in caught
in a situation where they're like recording your live.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
I mean, like I fully back up everything that I say,
like I'll never really say anything that. I'm like, why
did I say that? Like I've never seen that of you.
I'm just I'm just like.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
No, it's a thing. Yeah, it's a thing. It's a thing. People.
I'm like, how do they even know to start recording?
I like they're a little weird about it. They are
a little weird about it.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
They're like, oh my gosh, we have to get everything.
And I'm like, you could just like I don't know.
I'm an open bugs. I'll pretty much sell you anything.
But the biggest one. Everyone has been like are you single?
And I'm like, guys, i am single, And they have
been like screen recording it, like literally like spliced it
together me like fifty times being like, guys, I am single.
I don't know how else to say.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
It's kind of flattering though, that, like that everybody is
so interested in your love life and.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
It's it's very honestly. I appreciate it. I love the energy,
I love the passion.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Yeah, I love it as I should be.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
I mean, you were part of such an iconic influencer class.
I'm curious, like, what was it like being part of
like such an iconic kind of era of influencing.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
Like it's crazy because when when we were in it,
it is almost impossible, like we had no idea what
was going on. It was just kind of like, oh,
we're here, We're just sharing about our lives and like
we see all these numbers. But like I said, it's
so hard to translate it. I mean, it was a
lot of fun. I wish I had TikTok earlier because
(19:47):
if you guys thought I was crazy my senior year,
you should have seen the freshman.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Year, right, I'm like, there should be a reality show
at this point.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
No it. I really wish I had it because it
was just so fun and so amazing and I'm so
just grateful and I'm able to look back on the
most amazing time of my life and I have a
video diary of it all, and it was so amazing
that I was able to do it with such amazing
people and we really kind of like banded together in
(20:13):
that moment. We were like the get ready with me girls.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
I feel like I love that. It was special. It
was so really cool, it's so so cool.
Speaker 3 (20:20):
Obviously, you Miami College in general like comes with a
lot of challenges because you're so busy with schoolwork, and
then on top of that, you had this entire career.
It was tough, like you had a full time job.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
I was traveling every single day and I was like
talking all my teachers. They're like, where are you? And
I was like, I'm in Dubai.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
Bitch.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
I was like, I'm in Dubai. I can't call them
text like I. It was one of those things where
you really had to juggle everything because I had to
graduate because I needed to get my degree in all
those things, and that was a non negotiable for me.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
I feel like lots of people sometimes.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
You take off on social media about getting my degree
and finishing and finishing well was very important to me
because I had a scholarship all throughout college.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
Yeah you're not gonna go three years. Yeah I'm not
gonna like bomb my GPA.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
But I was very smart where I took all my
hard classes early, and so my last semester of college,
I was taking four classes and I'm pretty sure it
was like art photo.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
I don't even remember. You're like interpretive dance.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
No, No, really interpretive interpretive dance.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
How did you know that? I actually didn't know that.
I mean it was interpretive dance.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
I just kind of assumed it. And then there's like
the weird language classes that you can take to.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
No, they were literally like move how you feel right now?
Speaker 3 (21:40):
And I'd be like That'd be like I'm feeling hungover
and fucking tired this.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
And they're like why and I was like I'm tired
and they're like, good job, Xandra.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
I was like, thank you.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
If you could like tell something to your college self
now looking back, like what would you say to senior
year of college Xandra.
Speaker 1 (21:59):
Girl living.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
Like you also break up with your boyfriend? That like,
hey sucks before all. But I look back on every
single decision I've ever made, I'm like one percent stand
behind it, and I'm so glad that everything happened the
way that it happened, because everything happens for a reason,
and what's meant to be will be the fact, you know,
(22:21):
going through all this and having my whole life beyond
social media, there's always the high highs and there are
the low lows, and I feel like it's really important
to share all of that, and I feel like it's
really been this crazy rollercoaster, especially the past year, especially
where I've been through a lot, and I don't know,
I'm really grateful that I went through those lows because
(22:42):
if you don't feel the lows, you can't feel the highs.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
It's so true, dude.
Speaker 3 (22:45):
Social media highs and lowser is so real, so crazy, scary,
really scary.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Crazy because it's you know, we put our lives out
there so millions of people can watch it, and so
you're opening up yourself to millions of opinions and that's amazing.
But you really got to stay true to yourself and
just be confident because it can.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
Really get you absolutely.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
And what was it like going from just being a
normal student on campus to all of a sudden having
millions of followers. I'm sure everybody on campus, at least
all the girls and guys your age like knew who
you were, right, Yeah, what was that experience like with
your peers?
Speaker 2 (23:21):
I feel like I am so grateful that I it'd
such an amazing support system there, and it was one
of those things where you're a senior, you know every
single person at school, so that dynamic did not change
at all around Like the school scene, literally nothing change,
and the teachers didn't know what was going on, so
it was very normal. And that's why I'm so glad
(23:43):
that I was a senior when all this went out,
because I had the most normal college experience ever because
it was like the last half, so everyone that knew
me already knew me.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
You would get like a.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
Couple of people on campus, or like the freshman or something,
but everyone is so nice and supportive, so supportive, and
all they want to do is just say hi and
support you, and they love you, and I love them
so right, it's all love.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
You've been ever since graduating popping off new song with
Steve freaking Aokies you just opened for Tiesto two nights
ago in DC.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
I mean, your life might must feel like a movie
right now. It's crazy. It's crazy.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
Let's talk about DJ life because I feel like some people,
like people don't realize that you guys are traveling so much.
You're literally jet setting around the world. Yes, what is
the schedule?
Speaker 2 (24:37):
Like?
Speaker 1 (24:37):
What has your life been like? Like? How are you
adjusting to it? My life outside DJing is non existent?
Like this is it? Actually?
Speaker 2 (24:45):
No, it's literally, it's literally it. I've had too. I
just finished literally two nights ago. I just finished up
my second sold out tour, which is basically crazy, Like
every single show was basically sold out, which is nuts.
And it was such an amazing experience. I mean, you're
on the road every single day. So grateful that at
(25:05):
all times I have two people traveling with me.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
That's great.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
It is such a fun lifestyle because you're getting to
meet so many people. You're in a new city every night.
But it's a lot mentally, just being on a plane
every day.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
I feel like you are such like a mentally tough person, Like,
how do you stay so mentally tough with that? Because
it is hard being out of your routine And.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
Yeah, there's no routine, right, there's a chaos scene. Yeah,
it's pure chaos. I mean most of the times I'm
finishing up at three am. I get home by like
three point thirty. Most of the time I'm taking like
a seven am flight out to the next show. Some shows,
we have four shows in a row, different cities across
the country.
Speaker 1 (25:45):
Yeah, it's a lot. So do you feel like you're
are you home a lot or not? Really? No, I'm
never home never home.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
I mean I just got back to Miami like four
days ago for the first time in like three and
a half weeks.
Speaker 3 (25:56):
And are you gonna be able to slow down kind
of going into the holidays? Thank God, yes, because it
is wild how much you guys do.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
Yeah, it's and I mean, speaking for myself, it's a lot.
But I mean, like there's people like Steve Aoki, Dip Blow,
John Summitt, Don Dalla, They're all doing it. They're all
doing it, and they're doing it more than me, and
I see them. I feel like it's kind of this
unspoken thing where we're all kind of like how you feeling, Like,
(26:24):
how how you doing?
Speaker 1 (26:25):
How are you feeling out there?
Speaker 2 (26:27):
And it's it's just very interesting because it's amazing and
I'm grateful for every single thing, but it's I have
to wake up every single morning and tell myself that,
like everything will be okay. Like I have to sleep
absolutely when you really, I I'm so I never used
to nap. I'm a certified naper. Now I've thirty many
thirty sleep. I am like, I am shutting these eyes
(26:48):
to text. I know it's super super important. I'm curious,
how did the Steve Aoki collaboration come to be. My
management team is really close with his management team, but
I I low key. I met Steve like two years
ago and we met out. I went to one of
his shows and he was like so nice and I
was like I'm a DJ and he was like so amazing.
We should connect and then our management teams are really close,
(27:11):
and then we were kind of like, let's do a song. Well,
it was more like me, like Steve, can we do
a song? And it took a while and then we
met up in the studio and then we started working
and we were like going through We're like, what type
of vibe do we want to do?
Speaker 1 (27:27):
What song?
Speaker 2 (27:28):
Who else do we want to have on the song?
Who's the vocalist we want to have? And we we
really brainstormed work together and then we ended up with
I'm going out so iconic.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
And I feel like DJs are known for having some
super wild set gig experiences, right, Like there's so many
different venues that you guys perform at, so many like
niche kind of venues and shows. So I'm curious, like,
what is your wildest DJ gig experience?
Speaker 2 (27:54):
Ooh, like wild, like crazy crowd or just wild, like weird,
maybe weird one of my favorite ones. And I feel
like I love just like hometown shows and something about
Ohio hit so differently.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
There's this bar in at.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
Miami, Ohio, like Miami University, and it's called Brick Street
and I've performed there twice and it is the most
packed out. There's only like one bar there, and so
it's so packed out and they don't announce that I'm
going on until thirty minutes that I'm going on. They
literally cut the music, show my face on the screen
and then they're like, Xandra will be on in thirty minutes,
(28:31):
and it's an uproar. It's the craziest thing. And that's
probably one of my favorite hometown shows. But I feel
like the craziest show overall was definitely my Lalla Bluesa
show the Tito stage.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
It was I mean, that must have been surreal.
Speaker 2 (28:45):
Yeah, I mean, I've never had a crowd be like
that before.
Speaker 3 (28:49):
How do you guys get all of these like iconic videos.
Do you have like a videographer that's always with you
guys when you're Yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
So actually I have my amazing best friend Mia, so
she's always doing iPhone content for me and then there's
always a photographer.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
Also shout out to Mia. She's the coolest person lives.
She's so cool.
Speaker 3 (29:06):
Okay, So for context really quickly, since we're in Miami, Farbassel.
There was a Celsius event that we were at yesterday
and I met Mia and I was like, who is this?
Like nice fucking girl, She's so nice? Nicis Yeah, she
is what a good friend? Like, Yeah, I've never had.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
Someone in my life that's so supportive and don't for
the right we're married, like we're the point, Like literally
she has her own apartment. I have my own apartment
and we like sleep in the same bed every night.
Like I am attached to this girl at the hip,
but I've never had someone so supportive and just a
ride or die for me and is there with me
(29:43):
through it all.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
And I don't think I'd.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
Be where I am without her, And I don't think
I'd be able to do any of this without her.
People like don't understand. I'm like, when you have a
best friend that is like that, there's I'm like who
needs men? Like I have her and like that's all
we need.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
She's literally an angel, Like I was so excited to
meet her yesterday because I looked at you guys, and
I was like, oh.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
My gosh, she was running around yesterday and she was like,
you know, I'm a wag, so yeah, also a little angel.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
Yeah an angel, such an angel. Shout out Mia. Let's
talk about this. Because of the DJs that we've mentioned.
We've mentioned a lot of guys, I feel like there
aren't a lot of female DJs, and I think it's
so cool. You're like paving the way for female DJs
in a lot of ways. I'm curious, like, what is
your advice for other girls out there that might want
to get into DJing.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
The one thing that I will say is that you
will constantly be like, people will constantly discredit you, and
it's just gonna happen, and that's fine. I was even
you you want to know something? Literally walking up to
I was open up for yesterday two days ago, and
I was trying to get on stage. They play my
(30:54):
intro and I run up on stage and I come
from my green room and I was trying to get
on stage and I was bodied by security. I was like,
I'm the DJ. They were like, no, you're not. I
was like I'm guys. I was like, my song is playing,
like I have to go.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
What did you do?
Speaker 2 (31:10):
Team literally how to like body the security guard and
was like she needs to go, like this is the DJ.
Speaker 3 (31:15):
Yeah, And they were like you're like not right now.
I'm My energy's right here, Please don't knock you down.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
I was like, people are literally like my intro is
going on. I was like, I gotta get there.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
So that's just something like people are gonna take one
look at you and be like no, and that's fine
and it's gonna happen. But you just have to persevere
because it makes it ten times cooler when you're able
to go out there. And I feel like people constantly
just like see girls especially, i'd say more in the
commercial space. I'm a very like commercial female DJ, which
(31:48):
there really aren't that many. There's a lot of like
the sickest liked, blondish Sarah Landry, like the coolest hard
techno DJ out there right now. But I feel like
in the commercial world it's very different, and honestly, I
kind of love all the haters that come out for
me because it makes me work ten times harder.
Speaker 3 (32:06):
Absolutely, it's such a grind you're doing so much. What
is your pre show ritual? Like, do you have anything
that helps you kind of like get your energy up?
Speaker 2 (32:13):
Oh, Celsius sam always always, I always on my rider.
I have nineteen forty two Celsius pineapple juice and they
have to make a meme of me.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
That's like, Celsius is so real. You know, I know you.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
Need I need a Celsius well because most of the
time I'm going on at like one am.
Speaker 1 (32:32):
I know, it's crazy, It's nuts. Jeezus.
Speaker 3 (32:36):
All right, well, Elexandra, you're doing so much. We didn't
even get into sports illustrated. Ricky, that's also wild, Like
it's crazy, You're really popping off.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
I'm so freaking excited for you.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
I gotta say, like, what it's coming up that you're
excited about that you want to mention.
Speaker 1 (32:50):
I don't even know. There's so much.
Speaker 2 (32:52):
I mean, we're coming out with merch ooh soon, well
kind of merch like sweatshirts and stuff. Yeah, sweatsuits, hat love,
pretty girls, playhouse music love. That is the branding period. No, literally,
I'm I'm so excited for it. It's something I've been
teasing for a long time. We have so much music
coming out. I'm taking a step back from touring a
little bit right now. I'm just gonna focus on myself,
(33:16):
focus on music. I'm really tired, so I'm really excited
to like reground myself.
Speaker 3 (33:22):
She's like, I'm really tired, but John Summitt is playing
Senate live and I will be there and.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
I will be going and supporting friends. Yeah, I say,
I'm like slowing down, and I'm probably not gonna be
slowing down, and I'm probably gonna have a gagillian shows.
But no, I'm really excited to just put out more
music and really keep making my name and this world
and really paving the way for more female DJs and
having more people come out of the woodworks because it's
(33:47):
really it's a place where more females need to be.
Speaker 3 (33:51):
I agree, you're amazing. I'm so inspired by you, just
watching you everything.
Speaker 1 (33:56):
Thank you. Let's go. I'm like, get me up, get
me run in, we gotta go. All right, that's a wrap, guys,
Thank you so much. Everybody.
Speaker 3 (34:03):
Make sure you're following Xandra across socials and Xandra supporters.
Speaker 1 (34:08):
Drop us some love in the comments. Yes, come out,
come on, guys. Bye bye,
Alexandra freaking Pole. We just ran two miles. Oh yeah,
we did. Welcome to Poster r on High. Thank you.
How are you feeling.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
I'm a little tired, but honestly I feel much better.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Like we needed that. I definitely really needed it.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
I was out until you were out way later to me,
but I was out until two am last night, and
I felt like I needed a recovery.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
I was feeling things this morning. When I woke about
one o'clock, I was like, this is bad.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
We were sweating out our problems on our run. So
if you're coming from the Running Interview show, Hi, If
you're not, definitely go watch it because it was very funny.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
But now we're sitting down, we're both in Miami. It's
our basle weekend. Yes it is.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Let's talk about this because you kind of laughed after
I said Alexandra Pole. Talk to me about the name switch, Like,
where did Xandra come from?
Speaker 1 (00:51):
So my full name is Alexandra Pole.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Growing up, obviously Alexandra is a mouthful and my mom
like didn't want to call me alex so she was
like everyone needs to call Alexandra. Like it was a
very clear thing, Like my mom walked into my kindergarten
class and was like, if you call her alex this
is gonna be a problem.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
I feel like that's a thing. No, it's a thing.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
It's a thing because I love the name Alexandra. So
I understand where your mom was coming from. Yea, my
mom was I wanted to be alex I wanted to Alexandra.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
She was like, I need the whole name.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
And it was one of those things when you go
to grade school that is like whoever, what your teacher
calls you is your name, and that's that and that's
what everyone's gonna call you.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
So she made a big deal out of that big splash.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
And then Linda Linda came in high so everyone called
me Alexandra, and then that was just too long, so
then they just called me Apol all throughout grade school.
But I was like low key, like, don't call me that.
And then high school everyone called me ap I was
like sick, advanced placement whatever. It was like my senior
(01:51):
year of high school, I really, honestly I wanted to
come up with a DJ name and I was like
going back and forth about what to call myself, like
looking up the most crazy names like Alexandra and Greek.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
I was like, I just need something in our journey
to Xandra. What were the names that were in motion.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Probably like Cleopatra, Like I don't even know, Like it
was a dark place.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
I really kind of went everywhere.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
And then I was like, what if I just call
myself like my full name Alexandra. And I was like, wait,
literally nobody calls me that because it's too long. And
then I was like, I have this one friend named Xander,
and I was like, what if we just did Xandra?
And then I changed my Instagram user name, which is
when you go to college, whatever your Instagram username is,
that's what everyone calls you. So then it became Xandra.
(02:34):
The amount of times I'm like hi, I'm Xandra and
they're like exotic, where are you from? I'm like, uh, ohio, babes,
it's nothing special.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
But yeah, that was crazy.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
You're obviously popping off. You just made Forbes thirty under thirty. Congratulation,
Thank you so much. Getting Forbes thirty under thirty is
such an accomplishment. So I want us to kind of
back up and hear your full story. Oh, so let's
talk about this. You grew up in Cincinnati.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
Yes, what was your life like growing up?
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Painfully Norman like, whoa normal boring yeah Norman Norman. I
like that Yeah, No, just very like the most normal
American life.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
I feel like you could ever have, like amazing.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Family, middle child between two brothers, very athletic family, like
I played soccer my entire life.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
That's what my life revolved around.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
And then I don't know, like people ask about them, like,
there's really nothing like crazy that reaches out to me.
I mean, my parents, I feel like raised me to
be very very confident.
Speaker 3 (03:32):
I feel like you and I have very similar backgrounds
because I was similar, like I have two brothers, very
athletic family, Like my parents push sports and same thing.
They were like, we want to have a confident, happy daughter.
So I can relate to that. The normal upbringing.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
There was really nothing special but like very like teamwork,
family oriented.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
And like, but that is special because not everybody has
that family dynamic, you know. So it's so cool that
you come from such a strong family and you're so
close with your siblings. And I think the fun thing
about you two is like that people don't talk about
enough with you Miami. It's like and we think of
you Miami, we think of like.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Party school, beautiful location.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
But I think the cool thing about you too is
like when you're getting into Miami is no joke, right,
So I'm sure, right? So growing up, were you also
very like studious?
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (04:13):
So I my whole entire life, my parents like, oh,
to put in perspective, my brother took the act for
the first time and he was like a sophomore in
high school and got a thirty six. So I came
around my parents like, oh my god. So like I,
my like standard for my parents was perfection, and so
(04:33):
I feel like that was kind of tough coming after
my brother just because he's just like a very type
A person and I could not be more different than that.
So I feel like that was really tough where I
always had a lot of pressure on me academically, but honestly,
I loved that.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
I can relate to that though, Like I have an
older brother, very smart, and it was the same thing
with me, and I am very like type B.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
But I can operate into Type A world.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
I feel like you can too, you know, so I
could I completely understand that dynamic.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
When you put the P I can figure it out.
But I need to have, like I'm so last minute
with everything. So I feel like that was a very
interesting dynamic, like he didn't drink, he didn't party, didn't
like wasn't that guy? And I came around and my
parents are like, we raised like a maniac, Like what
is wrong with her? Like my parents literally sent me
(05:19):
to therapy because they were like, there's something wrong with
this one, Like that one's perfect, this one's messed up because.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
You had that much energy as a kid, and you
were you were very social.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
I'm sure I was very socialable also in high school,
I feel like whatever my parents said, I would do
the complete opposite. And my mom and I talk about
it now, like my mom and I beefed my brother
like brothers and I beefed. I was in a weird
place during high school, which I feel like made college
such an amazing experience for me because I was really
(05:48):
able to like branch out and I had my rebellious
gears when my parents were there and they really kind
of like knocked me down in the best way possible,
like I needed to be right raindo.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
So in high school, you were partying, Yeah, okay, that's fair.
I mean, like, so was I like that's yeah, super normal.
And then I'm curious, like, I know your older brother
also went to U Miami, right, yes, so is that
kind of what inspired you to want to go to
you Miami.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Well, it was actually so annoying of him because he
was super smart and he was applying to like Dartmouth, Columbia, Harvard,
and obviously, for me, I was like, well, that's just
not gonna happen, you know what I mean? So I
thought that he was going to go and do that,
and I was always looking at you Miami. You Miami too,
Lane and Smu those were my top ones. And then
(06:34):
I just remember he kind of applied to you Miami,
like oh whatever, we'll figure it out. And then it
came to crunch time, decision time, and he randomly pulled
a quick one and was like, I'm going to you Miami,
and I was pissed. I was like, are you kidding me?
Like that was supposed to be my school. And then
he ended up going and like he had an amazing time,
And honestly, it's probably one of the best things that
(06:55):
ever happened to us because it brought.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Us so close close. How what's the age gap?
Speaker 2 (07:00):
Fifteen months seventeen months. Like we're almost like Irish twins.
So that was we had like same friend group and college,
same friend group in high school. Wow, so we really overlapped.
That's why we beefed so hard.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
I get that. Yeah, h, but that's really cool that
you ended up going to school together. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
And just I guess backtracking a second before we get
into college, because I'm so freaking excited to talk to
you about your college years because clearly everybody knows they
were iconic.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
At you Miami, they were crazy.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
But I think the most interesting thing about you too
is like you have always loved music and wanted to
be a DJ, And it's so cool to see this
all coming into fruition. When did you figure out you
wanted to kind of learn how to DJ?
Speaker 2 (07:38):
I always was obsessed with music concerts, Like again, I
was rebellious. So every single weekend I would like literally
flee the state with my ex boyfriend, who was awful.
I would be like, oh Mom, I'm sleeping at my
friend's house. No, I'd be in like Louisville, Kentucky, like
at a Walk of Walk, like all that easy.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Sorry.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
My mom was like, oh my god. I would literally
leave my phone in Ohio. I would go to Kentucky like.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
Wow, wait, you were really fucking rebellious. Okay, No, it
was like not good. Yeah, it was not good.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
So I always had this extreme love for music concerts festivals.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
It was good, though, I just have to say, because
it's made you who you are today, you know.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (08:18):
So I no, I needed it. I needed it, Yeah,
I need it. I also needed to push my mom.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
What are you going to do if you have a
daughter that was like you and I I'm so screwed.
I'm so screwed, my mom said.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
My grandma said to my mom that she's like, I
just can't wait till you have a daughter, because she's
going to be time times worse than you.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Your Mom's like, I can't wait for you to get tortured. Zandre,
Oh my god from the Northeast.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
No, yeah, buckle up, I'm not okay. So everybody's like
when you have when I have kids, I'm like, when
I have the mental capacity to deal with myself, that is.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
When I can have good right Okay, yes, but no.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
So I always loved going to music festivals. I went
to like La La plusa multiple years, and then my
junior I went to La La Pluza saw Alice in
Wonderland perform main stage headlining act, and I was like,
that is what I want to do. I came home again.
I was really rebellious during this time, and when I
told my mom, I was like, I want to go
(09:13):
and be a DJ. She was like, thank god, something
that isn't like boys partying, going out anything like that.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
So we went.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
The next day, I went to Guitar Center, bought myself
a controller, looked up on YouTube how to become a DJ,
and then pretty much taught myself from their first show
was my high school homecoming. I love how supportive your
mom was like, that's what I mean, Like, it's just
to have such a supportive family because at that point
in life she could have been like really girl, like
(09:42):
really and she was just so happy for me that
I was like passionate about something because it was one
of those things. I always loved music, but I can
never sang, I can never I know piano not well.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
I don't know how to play the guitar. And I
was like, this is.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Something where I can really dive in. But my creativeness
and my time, yeah, to do something really cool.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
It's just so cool now and like seeing where you're
at and knowing this about you, like it's coming to fruition.
And I know you played at Lallapalooza this past year, right,
so that must have been the wildest full circle moment.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
It was the craziest feeling. I got off the stage
and I cried. And it's so weird because I'm the
least emotional person alive and I got I feel like.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
That's not true. Oh no, I'm very okay. Yeah, you
are so right.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
I am very hard on the outside, but once you
like break down my wall, I'm so mushy I can
tell and emotional, like I care so much about everything.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
I feel like you are like the best friend ever.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
I'm like loyal, so loyal to a fall like somebody
can do me wrong like so many times. And I
will never speak bad about you. I will never tear
you down. I won't say anything. I will just like
be there and exist and just like take the pain.
I don't know, Oh my gosh, emotional, Well, you're a.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Good person, like you don't want to make people feel bad.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
So one of the first things, the first tailgate that
I ever went to, first week of school, I showed
up to a tailgate with my backpack and my laptop
in it, and I was like, I went to the
fry and I was like, I'm gonna plug in a
DJ and they were like yeah, yeah, yeah, like you
know how to DJ? And I literally said, give me
five minutes and if I suck, kick me off. And
they were like, fine, you know what, And then I
(11:21):
DJ those first five minutes, stayed on for two hours,
and then pretty much DJed every pool party tailgate after that.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
That is so freaking cool.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
And then first club at eighteen, I think like a
couple like two months three months after that.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
I feel like Miami was the perfect school for you
to go to because Miami has such a big DJ
culture right in nightlife culture and just like a party
scene that it's like a perfect fit for somebody that
wants to perform for people, right.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
I mean, that's why the reason why I came here. Also,
they have amazing music business program, so I majored in
marketing in their business school, but I also was able
to get a minor music business and they have the
Frost School of Music, which is top five best music
schools in the country. So that was amazing to get
a degree from there and be with some of the
best professors and learn about contracts and the whole backing
(12:13):
of the music world.
Speaker 3 (12:14):
Absolutely, I feel like you're one of those people that
is using your degree to a fucking tea. I know
marketing and music business. What you're marketing yourself and you're
in the music industry. It's just kind of wild. It's crazy.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
It really is crazy how it all ended up because
people don't understand. Like my mom was so supportive of
the whole DJ thing, but my social media career, I
didn't start posting until my senior year, and that was
the same time everyone was applying for jobs. I was
applying for jobs like in the music world, like being
a music agent. I really wanted to do all the
marketing for music festivals. That was like my goal if
(12:47):
the DJing didn't work out. Because my mom was like, girl,
we got to be for real right now, because it's
real life. It's like my mom's like, the second you
get out of school, you will not have a credit card.
You are getting cut off. You are paying for every
on your own, which I really appreciate because it really
forced me to have this like succeed or like don't survive.
Speaker 3 (13:11):
You know, I think it's so good when parents do
that for their kids and like quick side quest but
like my parents did the same thing, and they actually
didn't tell us till our senior year of college, but
they were like, we're going to make you take out
student loans. I think this is a good thing for
parents to do. If anybody's listening, they're like, we're going
to make you pay for your last year of college
because six months post graduating, those loans kick in and
if you're not working, you're going into debt.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
Oh my god.
Speaker 3 (13:34):
It was awesome and it really like encouraged me to
be like, Okay, I have to get a job.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
I'm curious. Did you have internships like junior Like, okay,
what were your internship?
Speaker 2 (13:41):
I was a marketing intern for music festival, Breakaway Music Festival,
So I was doing I did that for like a
whole entire year.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
And then so you've experienced kind of in the corporate world. Yes,
let's go.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
A little bit, yeah, a little bit here and there,
and then it was so weird. The company, Palm Tree Crew,
Palm Tree Management, who signed me to their management agency.
If I wasn't a client. I wanted to work for
the company. So before I really really took off DJing,
I was talking to them in the works of possibly
(14:15):
working for the company and doing marketing for their music festival.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
And I'm a DJ for them. It's crazy, it's crazy. Yeah,
oh my god, let's talk about this.
Speaker 3 (14:29):
So, senior year of high sorry, senior year of college,
you start popping off online. What inspired you to start
posting content on TikTok and on Instagram.
Speaker 2 (14:37):
It honestly was my parents kind of being like I
never really thought it was going to be a job.
I was told by like all the people that were
booking me for DJ and gigs. They were like, you
got paid like one hundred dollars maybe, And I wanted
to do this full time And I was like, what
(14:58):
can I do to possibly do this, like as a
full time job. And they were like, you need to
have more of a following on social media. You need
to be able to market yourself sell tickets. People don't
understand like that is the main thing for DJs. You
will not get both if you do not sell. So
it's all about the brand too, all about the branding,
all about the marketing.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
And so I was like, say less, let's see.
Speaker 2 (15:20):
I'm just gonna start posting about my life, about djaying
funny stuff, and let's see what happens. The first video
I post, I was going to a U Miami pool
party and I post this like stupid video of me
just talking barely even about the pool party, just about
my life, and it blew up. I remember, I'm like
going up and down the water slide, drunk as fuck,
(15:43):
and I check my phone and it's like six thousand
notifications on TikTok, but really the.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
Universe telling you this is your calling, like this is
your thing.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
It was the most insane experience of my life. I
was like, wait what? And then I posted another video
and it popped off, and another video and it popped off,
and I was like, you don't even know what's going
on because it's just numbers on your phone. It's so
hard to translate into real life. And then yeah, I've
been pretty much doing.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
That ever since. You know.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
It's so cool too, is like I've been following you
like since the OG days, like since you kind of
started posting. I was definitely like watching your CONTENTO. I'd
see it on my FO you page. And it's wild
because like to now sit with you now and learn
about the DJ story and obviously over this past year,
I've like seen how much you've grown as a DJ
and now it's your career. But I didn't know about
the DJ stuff until I feel like maybe I don't
(16:33):
know until like a little bit into learning more about you.
So it is so cool now to know all of
that because at the time, like I was following you
for like your beauty tips and like just because I
thought your personality was funny and like you kept it
so real. And I'm curious because talking to the camera
isn't easy, yet you are so naturally good at it.
I'm curious, like early on in those days, like was
it hard to be like talking to the camera and
(16:55):
your audience.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Well, I have this like little fun fact that people
don't know about me what And that's when I never
really talk about it because I feel like it was
like such like a weird time in my life.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
Also, I have like the worst memory ever.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
But when I was in grade school, I used to
go out to LA during pilot season.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
I used to act. Oh what yeah, okay, I used
to like.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Act and model, So I took like so many acting
classes and improv and talking to camera, Like improv was
my thing. Like I can like go out and like
make the most bullshit story you've ever heard and like
say it deadband like people are like what is going on?
So I feel like that just really helped me being
really comfortable with myself in front of a camera. And
(17:40):
I feel like also the way that I was raised
being so confident, like whatever I say, I backed it
up one hundred percent, Like there is no fluff, there's
no bullshit, Like it's like what it is is what
it is.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
And I feel like that really helped me being able
to talk to the camera.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
But it's something weird, like lots of people feel extremely uncomfortable,
but sometimes I feel more comfortable in front of a
camera these days than like talking to actual people.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
It's so interesting, it's so weird.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
One of my favorite things now is to like go
on live and just like talk and like like breathe
the comments and like we'll just like chit chat it
up and they're like, girl, like we literally feel like
we're on face.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
Okay. Does it ever freak you out? Though? When people
start recording lives? Oh yeah, they ever got in caught
in a situation where they're like recording your live.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
I mean, like I fully back up everything that I say,
like I'll never really say anything that. I'm like, why
did I say that? Like I've never seen that of you.
I'm just I'm just like.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
No, it's a thing. Yeah, it's a thing. It's a thing. People.
I'm like, how do they even know to start recording?
I like they're a little weird about it. They are
a little weird about it.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
They're like, oh my gosh, we have to get everything.
And I'm like, you could just like I don't know.
I'm an open bugs. I'll pretty much sell you anything.
But the biggest one. Everyone has been like are you single?
And I'm like, guys, i am single, And they have
been like screen recording it, like literally like spliced it
together me like fifty times being like, guys, I am single.
I don't know how else to say.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
It's kind of flattering though, that, like that everybody is
so interested in your love life and.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
It's it's very honestly. I appreciate it. I love the energy,
I love the passion.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Yeah, I love it as I should be.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
I mean, you were part of such an iconic influencer class.
I'm curious, like, what was it like being part of
like such an iconic kind of era of influencing.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
Like it's crazy because when when we were in it,
it is almost impossible, like we had no idea what
was going on. It was just kind of like, oh,
we're here, We're just sharing about our lives and like
we see all these numbers. But like I said, it's
so hard to translate it. I mean, it was a
lot of fun. I wish I had TikTok earlier because
(19:47):
if you guys thought I was crazy my senior year,
you should have seen the freshman.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Year, right, I'm like, there should be a reality show
at this point.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
No it. I really wish I had it because it
was just so fun and so amazing and I'm so
just grateful and I'm able to look back on the
most amazing time of my life and I have a
video diary of it all, and it was so amazing
that I was able to do it with such amazing
people and we really kind of like banded together in
(20:13):
that moment. We were like the get ready with me girls.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
I feel like I love that. It was special. It
was so really cool, it's so so cool.
Speaker 3 (20:20):
Obviously, you Miami College in general like comes with a
lot of challenges because you're so busy with schoolwork, and
then on top of that, you had this entire career.
It was tough, like you had a full time job.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
I was traveling every single day and I was like
talking all my teachers. They're like, where are you? And
I was like, I'm in Dubai.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
Bitch.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
I was like, I'm in Dubai. I can't call them
text like I. It was one of those things where
you really had to juggle everything because I had to
graduate because I needed to get my degree in all
those things, and that was a non negotiable for me.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
I feel like lots of people sometimes.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
You take off on social media about getting my degree
and finishing and finishing well was very important to me
because I had a scholarship all throughout college.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
Yeah you're not gonna go three years. Yeah I'm not
gonna like bomb my GPA.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
But I was very smart where I took all my
hard classes early, and so my last semester of college,
I was taking four classes and I'm pretty sure it
was like art photo.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
I don't even remember. You're like interpretive dance.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
No, No, really interpretive interpretive dance.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
How did you know that? I actually didn't know that.
I mean it was interpretive dance.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
I just kind of assumed it. And then there's like
the weird language classes that you can take to.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
No, they were literally like move how you feel right now?
Speaker 3 (21:40):
And I'd be like That'd be like I'm feeling hungover
and fucking tired this.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
And they're like why and I was like I'm tired
and they're like, good job, Xandra.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
I was like, thank you.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
If you could like tell something to your college self
now looking back, like what would you say to senior
year of college Xandra.
Speaker 1 (21:59):
Girl living.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
Like you also break up with your boyfriend? That like,
hey sucks before all. But I look back on every
single decision I've ever made, I'm like one percent stand
behind it, and I'm so glad that everything happened the
way that it happened, because everything happens for a reason,
and what's meant to be will be the fact, you know,
(22:21):
going through all this and having my whole life beyond
social media, there's always the high highs and there are
the low lows, and I feel like it's really important
to share all of that, and I feel like it's
really been this crazy rollercoaster, especially the past year, especially
where I've been through a lot, and I don't know,
I'm really grateful that I went through those lows because
(22:42):
if you don't feel the lows, you can't feel the highs.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
It's so true, dude.
Speaker 3 (22:45):
Social media highs and lowser is so real, so crazy, scary,
really scary.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Crazy because it's you know, we put our lives out
there so millions of people can watch it, and so
you're opening up yourself to millions of opinions and that's amazing.
But you really got to stay true to yourself and
just be confident because it can.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
Really get you absolutely.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
And what was it like going from just being a
normal student on campus to all of a sudden having
millions of followers. I'm sure everybody on campus, at least
all the girls and guys your age like knew who
you were, right, Yeah, what was that experience like with
your peers?
Speaker 2 (23:21):
I feel like I am so grateful that I it'd
such an amazing support system there, and it was one
of those things where you're a senior, you know every
single person at school, so that dynamic did not change
at all around Like the school scene, literally nothing change,
and the teachers didn't know what was going on, so
it was very normal. And that's why I'm so glad
(23:43):
that I was a senior when all this went out,
because I had the most normal college experience ever because
it was like the last half, so everyone that knew
me already knew me.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
You would get like a.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
Couple of people on campus, or like the freshman or something,
but everyone is so nice and supportive, so supportive, and
all they want to do is just say hi and
support you, and they love you, and I love them
so right, it's all love.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
You've been ever since graduating popping off new song with
Steve freaking Aokies you just opened for Tiesto two nights
ago in DC.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
I mean, your life might must feel like a movie
right now. It's crazy. It's crazy.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
Let's talk about DJ life because I feel like some people,
like people don't realize that you guys are traveling so much.
You're literally jet setting around the world. Yes, what is
the schedule?
Speaker 2 (24:37):
Like?
Speaker 1 (24:37):
What has your life been like? Like? How are you
adjusting to it? My life outside DJing is non existent?
Like this is it? Actually?
Speaker 2 (24:45):
No, it's literally, it's literally it. I've had too. I
just finished literally two nights ago. I just finished up
my second sold out tour, which is basically crazy, Like
every single show was basically sold out, which is nuts.
And it was such an amazing experience. I mean, you're
on the road every single day. So grateful that at
(25:05):
all times I have two people traveling with me.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
That's great.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
It is such a fun lifestyle because you're getting to
meet so many people. You're in a new city every night.
But it's a lot mentally, just being on a plane
every day.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
I feel like you are such like a mentally tough person, Like,
how do you stay so mentally tough with that? Because
it is hard being out of your routine And.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
Yeah, there's no routine, right, there's a chaos scene. Yeah,
it's pure chaos. I mean most of the times I'm
finishing up at three am. I get home by like
three point thirty. Most of the time I'm taking like
a seven am flight out to the next show. Some shows,
we have four shows in a row, different cities across
the country.
Speaker 1 (25:45):
Yeah, it's a lot. So do you feel like you're
are you home a lot or not? Really? No, I'm
never home never home.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
I mean I just got back to Miami like four
days ago for the first time in like three and
a half weeks.
Speaker 3 (25:56):
And are you gonna be able to slow down kind
of going into the holidays? Thank God, yes, because it
is wild how much you guys do.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
Yeah, it's and I mean, speaking for myself, it's a lot.
But I mean, like there's people like Steve Aoki, Dip Blow,
John Summitt, Don Dalla, They're all doing it. They're all
doing it, and they're doing it more than me, and
I see them. I feel like it's kind of this
unspoken thing where we're all kind of like how you feeling, Like,
(26:24):
how how you doing?
Speaker 1 (26:25):
How are you feeling out there?
Speaker 2 (26:27):
And it's it's just very interesting because it's amazing and
I'm grateful for every single thing, but it's I have
to wake up every single morning and tell myself that,
like everything will be okay. Like I have to sleep
absolutely when you really, I I'm so I never used
to nap. I'm a certified naper. Now I've thirty many
thirty sleep. I am like, I am shutting these eyes
(26:48):
to text. I know it's super super important. I'm curious,
how did the Steve Aoki collaboration come to be. My
management team is really close with his management team, but
I I low key. I met Steve like two years
ago and we met out. I went to one of
his shows and he was like so nice and I
was like I'm a DJ and he was like so amazing.
We should connect and then our management teams are really close,
(27:11):
and then we were kind of like, let's do a song. Well,
it was more like me, like Steve, can we do
a song? And it took a while and then we
met up in the studio and then we started working
and we were like going through We're like, what type
of vibe do we want to do?
Speaker 1 (27:27):
What song?
Speaker 2 (27:28):
Who else do we want to have on the song?
Who's the vocalist we want to have? And we we
really brainstormed work together and then we ended up with
I'm going out so iconic.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
And I feel like DJs are known for having some
super wild set gig experiences, right, Like there's so many
different venues that you guys perform at, so many like
niche kind of venues and shows. So I'm curious, like,
what is your wildest DJ gig experience?
Speaker 2 (27:54):
Ooh, like wild, like crazy crowd or just wild, like weird,
maybe weird one of my favorite ones. And I feel
like I love just like hometown shows and something about
Ohio hit so differently.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
There's this bar in at.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
Miami, Ohio, like Miami University, and it's called Brick Street
and I've performed there twice and it is the most
packed out. There's only like one bar there, and so
it's so packed out and they don't announce that I'm
going on until thirty minutes that I'm going on. They
literally cut the music, show my face on the screen
and then they're like, Xandra will be on in thirty minutes,
(28:31):
and it's an uproar. It's the craziest thing. And that's
probably one of my favorite hometown shows. But I feel
like the craziest show overall was definitely my Lalla Bluesa
show the Tito stage.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
It was I mean, that must have been surreal.
Speaker 2 (28:45):
Yeah, I mean, I've never had a crowd be like
that before.
Speaker 3 (28:49):
How do you guys get all of these like iconic videos.
Do you have like a videographer that's always with you
guys when you're Yeah.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
So actually I have my amazing best friend Mia, so
she's always doing iPhone content for me and then there's
always a photographer.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
Also shout out to Mia. She's the coolest person lives.
She's so cool.
Speaker 3 (29:06):
Okay, So for context really quickly, since we're in Miami, Farbassel.
There was a Celsius event that we were at yesterday
and I met Mia and I was like, who is this?
Like nice fucking girl, She's so nice? Nicis Yeah, she
is what a good friend? Like, Yeah, I've never had.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
Someone in my life that's so supportive and don't for
the right we're married, like we're the point, Like literally
she has her own apartment. I have my own apartment
and we like sleep in the same bed every night.
Like I am attached to this girl at the hip,
but I've never had someone so supportive and just a
ride or die for me and is there with me
(29:43):
through it all.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
And I don't think I'd.
Speaker 2 (29:45):
Be where I am without her, And I don't think
I'd be able to do any of this without her.
People like don't understand. I'm like, when you have a
best friend that is like that, there's I'm like who
needs men? Like I have her and like that's all
we need.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
She's literally an angel, Like I was so excited to
meet her yesterday because I looked at you guys, and
I was like, oh.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
My gosh, she was running around yesterday and she was like,
you know, I'm a wag, so yeah, also a little angel.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
Yeah an angel, such an angel. Shout out Mia. Let's
talk about this. Because of the DJs that we've mentioned.
We've mentioned a lot of guys, I feel like there
aren't a lot of female DJs, and I think it's
so cool. You're like paving the way for female DJs
in a lot of ways. I'm curious, like, what is
your advice for other girls out there that might want
to get into DJing.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
The one thing that I will say is that you
will constantly be like, people will constantly discredit you, and
it's just gonna happen, and that's fine. I was even
you you want to know something? Literally walking up to
I was open up for yesterday two days ago, and
I was trying to get on stage. They play my
(30:54):
intro and I run up on stage and I come
from my green room and I was trying to get
on stage and I was bodied by security. I was like,
I'm the DJ. They were like, no, you're not. I
was like I'm guys. I was like, my song is playing,
like I have to go.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
What did you do?
Speaker 2 (31:10):
Team literally how to like body the security guard and
was like she needs to go, like this is the DJ.
Speaker 3 (31:15):
Yeah, And they were like you're like not right now.
I'm My energy's right here, Please don't knock you down.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
I was like, people are literally like my intro is
going on. I was like, I gotta get there.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
So that's just something like people are gonna take one
look at you and be like no, and that's fine
and it's gonna happen. But you just have to persevere
because it makes it ten times cooler when you're able
to go out there. And I feel like people constantly
just like see girls especially, i'd say more in the
commercial space. I'm a very like commercial female DJ, which
(31:48):
there really aren't that many. There's a lot of like
the sickest liked, blondish Sarah Landry, like the coolest hard
techno DJ out there right now. But I feel like
in the commercial world it's very different, and honestly, I
kind of love all the haters that come out for
me because it makes me work ten times harder.
Speaker 3 (32:06):
Absolutely, it's such a grind you're doing so much. What
is your pre show ritual? Like, do you have anything
that helps you kind of like get your energy up?
Speaker 2 (32:13):
Oh, Celsius sam always always, I always on my rider.
I have nineteen forty two Celsius pineapple juice and they
have to make a meme of me.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
That's like, Celsius is so real. You know, I know you.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
Need I need a Celsius well because most of the
time I'm going on at like one am.
Speaker 1 (32:32):
I know, it's crazy, It's nuts. Jeezus.
Speaker 3 (32:36):
All right, well, Elexandra, you're doing so much. We didn't
even get into sports illustrated. Ricky, that's also wild, Like
it's crazy, You're really popping off.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
I'm so freaking excited for you.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
I gotta say, like, what it's coming up that you're
excited about that you want to mention.
Speaker 1 (32:50):
I don't even know. There's so much.
Speaker 2 (32:52):
I mean, we're coming out with merch ooh soon, well
kind of merch like sweatshirts and stuff. Yeah, sweatsuits, hat love,
pretty girls, playhouse music love. That is the branding period. No, literally,
I'm I'm so excited for it. It's something I've been
teasing for a long time. We have so much music
coming out. I'm taking a step back from touring a
little bit right now. I'm just gonna focus on myself,
(33:16):
focus on music. I'm really tired, so I'm really excited
to like reground myself.
Speaker 3 (33:22):
She's like, I'm really tired, but John Summitt is playing
Senate live and I will be there and.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
I will be going and supporting friends. Yeah, I say,
I'm like slowing down, and I'm probably not gonna be
slowing down, and I'm probably gonna have a gagillian shows.
But no, I'm really excited to just put out more
music and really keep making my name and this world
and really paving the way for more female DJs and
having more people come out of the woodworks because it's
(33:47):
really it's a place where more females need to be.
Speaker 3 (33:51):
I agree, you're amazing. I'm so inspired by you, just
watching you everything.
Speaker 1 (33:56):
Thank you. Let's go. I'm like, get me up, get
me run in, we gotta go. All right, that's a wrap, guys,
Thank you so much. Everybody.
Speaker 3 (34:03):
Make sure you're following Xandra across socials and Xandra supporters.
Speaker 1 (34:08):
Drop us some love in the comments. Yes, come out,
come on, guys. Bye bye,
Host
Kate Mackz
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