Premiere: Weston Allen - 'The Gloves Come Off'

Growing up in the '90s with her mother, house music was a constant in her home. The sounds of Cece Penison and Frankie Knuckles have driven the inspiration of today's icons Peggy Gou, Honey Dijon and HoneyLuv herself. Today, Character has mastered the arts of DJing and producing. She is on a world tour with millions of streams and has earned the titles as one of Billboard's 10 Dance Artists to Watch in 2022 and 'Thr33 6ix 5ive' as BBC's Hottest Record in the World.

Through large festivals and frequent worldwide traveling, Character often finds herself being one of the only Black artists on the lineup. While lack of diversity in the international DJ scene is an unfortunate, yet common occurrence, Character empowers both herself and other Black and DJs of color like her.

From Dec. 13-17, Character will DJ at Holy Ship! Wrecked alongside electronic musicians such as SG Lewis, Uniiqu3, Jai Wolf and more. The Mexico-based festival intertwines the country's tropical climate with the euphoric feeling of electronic music on the beach. 

Are you currently on tour?

It's a wild one...it's different cities every weekend, different countries as well. It's super cool to go to different places because I love traveling. To be able to spread my taste of music into these different places and seeing all these different walks of life of people coming to your show. It's a super fun experience.

When did you begin DJing and producing?

I started DJing in 2018/2019 when I wa in the military. My friends forced me to do it becaise they thought I would be good at it. Once I got out of the military at the end of 2020, I went to school for music production because the military literally paid for it. It wouldn't have been smart to not go. Plus, it helped me create songs a little faster. I'm still learning...I'm always learning. I started producing in the beginning of 2021.

How did you find time to teach yourself how to DJ in the navy?

Every day after work, I wouldjust go in my barracks and play on this little mixer that I bought for myself. I would play on it for hours; until 12 a.m. and I had to be up at like 5 a.m...I didn't care.

Talk about the creative process behind 'Three 6ix 5ive' and your reaction after it became the hottest song in the world.

I'm very hard on myself. Anything I'm working on, I'm like, 'this is not it.' But then I show it to other people so I can get out of my head. They're like, 'okay, this is. bomb.' 'Thr33 6ix 5ive' came about on a Zoom session. Me and this girl Taneisha (who's out in London) were sending each other ideas back and fort. Finally, we got set on a beat, I sent it over to her, took a break, and within 15 to 30 minutes, she came back and had the chorus ready to go. I was like, 'oh, this is hot!' I did not expect it to blow up as it did, but I knew it would be dope.

What have been some of your favorite places to DJ?

New York, San Diego, Detroit, Ibiza.

Where are some places you haven’t yet DJed that you would like to?

Mostly Europe; Italy, Paris, Germany...and I'm going to London next week so I'm scratching that one off.

What makes you different from other DJs and producers?

My work ethic; I feel like I don't wait for anything to come to me. I'm a go-getter, I don't take handouts. If I want something, I'm gonna do it myself...I don't like depending on anyone to do anything for me.

When you tour internationally, do you find yourself being one of the only Black artists on the lineup?

Usually, I'm the only Black female on the lineup. There might be other women, but not of color. There might be men of color, but it's very rare sometimes too.

How does that make you feel?

It definitely shouldn't just be me because there's a lot of fluff that they put on these lineups too, and they can use that room to give more women, or people of color like myself, more opportunities.

What feelings go through your body when you’re DJing and seeing thousands of people dance to your music right in front of you - especially as a Black woman in predominantly white cities and countries?

It's crazy. A lot of that stuff doesn't surprise me because I went to private schools with nothing but white kids and the only Black people were on the basketball team. In a way, I'm kind of used to it. Not to say that it's right...all places should be diverse. But going to Australia, seeing there was no diversity at all, it was so much fun and people were so welcoming. I didn't feel out of place or anything...I felt at home.

Who are some artists you want to work with?

Manda Moor; she's over in Europe. She does Latin house music...Honey Dijon for sure. Seth Troxler from Kalamazoo, MI. He's pretty dope. I'd love to work with Jaden Thompson, Mason Collective. They're all people of color in the dance, but over in Europe.

What goals do you have for yourself and your career?

Being able to be versatile in the music that I make and not box myself in this little box that some peole usually get stuck in. I want to be able to play anywhere in the world.

What can fans expect from you in the near future?

I'm in the process of finding my sound, which is finally coming together. I have a new single coming out on Dec. 9 called 'Sway.' It's with a really dope vocalist from Toronto; Dope Earth Alien. It's very modern, classic house, but deep and groovy at the same. I feel like that's where my style is being taken; more on the classic side, but still making it my own.