Adrenaline rushes through her body as she steps into the disc jockey booth. She takes a deep breath, positions her hands on the turntables and starts the flow of music. Staring out at the dancing crowd, she spins the night away.
Drawn to music and the stage at a young age, Kaycie Fellows, 20, fashion and merchandising major, put a halt to her professional singing career, traded in the guitar and piano in exchange for turntables.
“I’ve always been musically inclined, playing the guitar and piano practically all my life,” Fellows said. “But those skills and practices weren’t relevant to my life anymore or the society that I lived in.“I needed to find a way to convert my passion for music in a way that could captivate the friends I hung out with, the people I networked with and my fellow peers I associated with; DJing was that way,” she said.
Known to fans as DJ Lady Vice, she first positioned her hands on the turntables and mixed beats at her birthday party in 2010.
And since that night Fellows has been sought out for her musical acumen, performing at several music festivals, private house parties and many well-known Los Angeles night clubs including Geisha House, KRESS and Club Arena. She credits her success as a DJ to her dedication and determination along with the help of local DJs and friends Bulimiatron, Slimecity and Robb Bass.
Fellows spins all types of music; electronic dance, house, drum and bass as well as radio hits.
“I’m inspired by music that has hidden messages to uncover,” Fellows said.
Along with music, Fellows said fashion has been a really big part of her life. Following in the footsteps of her grandmother, a designer in Paris, she enrolled in the fashion program at EC.
“I remember playing dress-up in my grandmother’s closet,” Fellows said. “I wanted to be just like her but this passion of mine became more realistic when I got older.”
And recently participating in EC’s annual fashion show, “Cosmic Nights,” Fellows’ haute couture designs debuted on the runway and won first place in the evening gown category.
Along with designing runway pieces, Fellows is creating a graphic T-shirt collection to compliment her DJ career.
“Everyone loves to wear T-shirts,” she said. “I want to be able to throw a shirt into the crowd and see my fans wearing my designs.”
Fellows enjoys her continued success as a DJ and loves the way music fits perfectly with fashion. As she aspires to one day have her own empire within the entertainment industry, she said her ultimate goal is to direct her fans’ attention in a positive way that will add benefit to their lives.
“The most important thing is to always be yourself and don’t conform to anyone else,” Fellows said.
