Sydney, Australia’s Kitty Glitter has gone from the dance floor to the DJ booth with ease, taking her dazzling talents on stage directly behind the decks, crafting the music for events all over the world. From Sydney Mardi Gras to Fire Island to events for both Lady Gaga and Elton John, Kitty Glitter sets the tone for dance floor using her combination of remixed pop tunes and house music that keeps her dance floors packed from Asia to India. As Kitty Glitter hit the DJ booth in Rehoboth Beach, DE late this summer, I caught up with her to talk about how she got her start in the DJ booth, some of her biggest career highlights, and exactly how she plans on keeping her dance floors glistening in “Glitter”
Michael Cook: Right off the bat Kitty, how did you get into the world of DJ’ing?
Kitty Glitter: I had been doing drag shows in Sydney, Australia for ten years before I decided to start DJ’ing. I had messed around on my cousins turntables in my early teens and I picked up beat-matching instantly. I recall the thrill of mixing two songs together seamlessly, so a passion was certainly ignited back then. It really was an obvious choice to DJ as Kitty Glitter. It’s always been about delicious dance music.
MC: For those that have never heard your sound, how would you describe it?
KG: Delicious Dance Music (laughs) I mostly keep it fun and bouncy with vocals and sexy remixes. I love my pop divas so yes girl there’s a lot of that, but it’s sprinkled with disco, retro, tribal and circuit.
MC: The drag scene down under; tell me about it. How do you think it differs from America?
KG: Aesthetically it’s much the same. You’ve got the comedy queens, showgirls, club kids, drag kings, bio-queens, and the cabaret queens. I think Rupaul’s Drag Race has put the entire world’s drag scene in synch and there’s amazing talent everywhere because of it. The only main difference in Australia is the queens don’t get tipped like they do here in USA.
MC: It’s hard to climb the ladder and become one of the premier DJ’s in the industry today; what do you think the secret is to your success?
KG: Just the desire and passion to share great music and fabulous times with people. Life gets tough for all of us at times, so it’s my duty as a drag queen and DJ to provide an uplifting soundtrack on the dance floor. Also, what has helped me in a big way is releasing podcasts. They are downloaded by people all around the world and without their support, my international tours would not be as successful as they are year after year.
MC: What have been some of your career highlights thus far?
KG: Montreal Pride was wild, it was an outdoor festival party. I played the sunset closing time-slot from 5pm-11pm to 15,000 people; it was magical! The promoters asked me to play on after 11pm because it was still rocking hard “until the cops shut us down”. I got to play an extra hour! The Sydney Mardi Gras Party is always a massive buzz too. I’ve done so many amazing parties it’s overwhelming to think of particular highlights.
MC: Drag and DJ’ing are an interesting combination. How do you merge the two together?
KG: I think the two go hand in hand together. Essentially, music is the key element. The mission is to make people dance and have a great time. I imagine for people seeing a drag queen DJ’ing simply states – this is gonna be fun!
MC: You recently hit Diego’s Bar & Nightclub in Rehoboth Beach, DE which was a smashing success. Was this your first time in the first state in the United States?
KG: It was not, but it was my first visit to Rehoboth Beach. My first gig in the United States was New York City in 2010. It was an event with Tony Moran during Pride. I also did my first gig in Toronto for Pride that weekend and then back to USA to play at the Pavilion on Fire Island. It was an overwhelming and emotional weekend for me. A dream come true moment. I was actually sobbing tears of joy in my hotel room just before going on at Fire Island.
MC: What’s next for Kitty Glitter?
KG: Much more touringI Even after twelve years over being a DJ, each year proves busier then than the last so there’s no sign of slowing down for me just yet. I’m not getting any younger, though so I really want to start producing my own music before I hang my heels up. I’ve been humming melodies and writing lyrics on my phone for years, so I need to stop procrastinating and set up a recording studio so can create some glitter magic!
MC: What would the Kitty Glitter of today tell the Kitty Glitter who was just starting out as a DJ.
KG: You know what you’re doing. Go for gold. Have fun. Try not to let the disappointment of not scoring every gig you want upset you too much. Shine on!
Art Courtesy of Kitty Glitter (Facebook)
Follow Kitty Glitter on Podomatic & on Facebook
https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/djkittyglitter/episodes/2019-07-
https://www.facebook.com/theglitterstorm/
We love kitty Glitter. She is so down to earth, approachable, humble and her music is happy, upbeat and current…Gorgeous girl inside and out 💋❤️❤️