Adam on Remixing Britney, Queer Joy, and the Power of Pop
Hi Adam!! We are so thrilled to have you at Pop Palace! How are you at this
moment?
I’m doing well! Travel has slowed down a bit since Pride, so it’s been nice to have more time to work on new projects.
What is one of your earliest memories in music?
I was always attribute my exposure to music to my family. Between my
parents playing 80s music around the house to my sisters being involved
in musical theatre, I don’t fully remember a time where it wasn’t part of
my life. My dad showed me GarageBand when I was 7, and that was the
first time I experimented playing with loops and creating songs. Later on,
I also got involved in choir, band, community theatre, and eventually,
making mashups.
Okay, I am absolutely obsessed with your remix of Britney Spears’ “Stronger” for the 25th anniversary edition of Oops!... I Did It Again. How did you get involved with that project, and what did it mean to you personally to put your spin on such an iconic track?
I appreciate it! I was approached by Sony Music in September of last
year. I’ve been posting mashups of Britney’s music for the past decade,
and Britney’s team found them and pitched me for the anniversary album.
I was given the choice of which song I could remix from the album, and
my immediate answer was “Stronger”. It’s always been my favorite song
from “Oops!... I Did It Again”, and the dynamics of the song felt right up
my alley. I don’t think I’ll ever truly process how incredible of an
opportunity it was. I have the vinyl of the 25th Anniversary Edition on my
wall, and every once in a while, I look at it and pinch myself. Britney has
done so much for pop music, and I’ll forever be grateful to have my name
on such a legendary album.
This remix gives me so music nostalgia! What is one queer cultural moment that makes you feel nostalgic?
It may be the cliche choice, but “Born This Way” always brings me a
nostalgic joy. I don’t think I even fully understood the impact of the song
when I was a kid, but it truly brought a lot of conversations around queer
and trans rights to the mainstream. Every time I play the song during my
DJ sets, it just brings me back to my pre-teen self, who was completely
unaware of his queer journey to come.
You’ve spoken about being part of the LGBTQ+ community — how does your identity and lived experience influence the sound, energy, or storytelling in your music?
I’ve definitely found a love for drama. Maybe it’s from being a closeted
kid growing up in theatre, but I was always intrigued by dramatics in
music. The explosive highs to the soothing lows, I’m drawn to the journey
that music can take you on. I just get this adrenaline rush when I hear
music transition between feelings, emotions, and energies. I now
approach music with the mindset of “what story can I tell?”, because I
want listeners to experience the kind of musical trip.
You made your WorldPride debut this year in DC, which is incredible! What was that experience like for you? Did it feel different or more powerful knowing you were performing for such a proud and celebratory queer audience?
Calling the experience surreal would be an understatement. To go from
making mashups in my childhood bedroom, to being on the biggest Pride
stage in the world, it was an experience like no other. Pride is always my
favorite time to DJ because everyone present wants to celebrate and lift
up one another. Looking out into a crowd of 30,000 people and feeling an
overwhelming sense of queer joy was the biggest gift. I didn’t have to
worry about catering to a straight audience, and I could just play good,
gay pop music.
Your sets and mashups always feel like a celebration. When you’re creating or performing, what does joy mean to you as an artist, and how do you bring that joy to the crowd?
I don’t think you can fully experience joy if there’s any sense of
judgement around you. I always try to curate a space that feels
accepting, loving, and full of life. It took me a second to get comfortable
in my skin and allow myself to ‘queen out’ because I had grown up and
been in spaces where I had to conform. When those walls get knocked
down, you can fully embrace the joy and love that life has to bring. I hope
to always bring that feeling of joy to my listeners, whether that’s in their
headphones or in a festival crowd.
Finally, here at Pop Palace, we all have our own little 'Royal Court' of artists who inspire us and keep us going. So, if you could build your own musical palace, who would be sitting on your throne, and who would be in your royal court of all-time favorite artists?
For me, I’d have to choose the pop girls that I grew up with, since my
music taste would not exist without them. Legendary acts like Madonna,
Britney Spears, and Beyonce are all up there. The women that ruled my
iPod in my teenage/young adult years were Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa,
Rihanna, and Katy Perry. I also have some newer favs, such as Charli
XCX, Raye, Rina Sawayama, and Chappell Roan. My queen though, who
will forever be on the throne, is miss Ariana Grande.
