Get ready to hit the dance floor because Barbara, aka DJ Barbs, is in the house, celebrating her new release “Ride the Wave”!! This Bay Area DJ and musician is all about bringing the party to life with her infectious energy, incredible song selection and big smile. With residencies at Black Flamingo and W Hotels, as well as performances at Burning Man and other major events, Barbara knows how to get the crowd moving. Her music is unexpected, fun, and always upbeat, making you feel like you're at a funky disco house party somewhere unknown. Check out our interview with her below.

Ok first of all, congrats on your new release, “Ride the Wave” it is a perfect Summer song! I saw on Instagram that you let your friends pick which single to release and they chose “Ride the Wave”. Is that really true?! 

Thank you!! Isn’t it just a dreamy? HAHA I did. I have the best group of girlfriends in San Francisco, CA. We’re known as the Saucy ladies for our love of sauces. When we go out the table is covered in ketchup, truffle aioli, sriracha, etc. We joke about being sauce sommeliers LOL. So my friends have been with me on this “ride” always coming to my DJ shows, encouraging me to put myself out there and release my music and being amazing hype women. At the past few shows in SF I could see them and hear them singing along to Ride the Wave and knew it was special for them.

One friend even texted to say she wanted me to perform it at her wedding. So I knew I wanted to follow up my first single Ghosted which came out in March with another original song in May and I gave the girls a few options. I think it's really fun to give your friends and fans the choice of what they want to hear next. I think I’ll do the same for my next single that will come out in July. Why not invite folks to join in on the release plan?

You’ve said “Ride the Wave” is a standout on your upcoming album because it’s the only song that’s about love where the others are about heartbreak or being ghosted. What inspired you to depart from that theme and do you think we’ll see more of these love songs in future releases?

Oh my goodness, it makes me think of Taylor Swift and how all my ex lovers and boyfriends are in the other songs LOL. I think the album in general is pretty positive, playful and upbeat even taking on themes of heartache and loss but this one I knew was going to be about love. I could feel it going in that direction from the chords my co-producer started jamming on the piano. They were so beautiful and made me feel so soothed, so happy and really grounded.

Just like being in love, a healthy partnership. And I went from past experiences of how I felt when first meeting and dating my now husband and how amazing he made (and makes me feel). I always write from lived experiences, good or bad because I write from my heart. There are a few more songs on this album that are about love but loving and trusting yourself! The longest relationship we will each ever have is with ourselves so we need to be kind and good to ourselves. There will definitely be more gooey love songs in my future :) 

I’ve heard the song was inspired by your husband and that whirlwind romance. Can you tell me a little about that?

Yes! It is Colin’s song haha. Really ridiculous how we got together like from a movie. And kinda shows just how worn down I was from getting my heart repeatedly shattered from dating unavailable guys in NY. I don’t get it. Like what are men in NY waiting for to settle down? They clearly passed on a a gem HAHAH anyways. I was in San Francisco and my good girlfriend told me I should download Bumble and go on some dates to get out of my rut. I was really opposed to it because I didn’t want to make the first move but I got over it. She helped me set up my profile and Colin was one of the first people that I matched with. He had really kind eyes, a nice smile and seemed like a good person. His question was what kind of dog should I get which I loved as a huge dog lover and dog mom so I responded to the Shetland sheepdog (sheltie) for my little boy, Max.

I got Max after so much heartbreak in NY and he became my best companion. We got to chatting on the app and soon texting and it was just easy chatting with him. He set up a really sweet date for us to go to this fun vinyl listening bar because he knew I was a DJ and lover of music. And then I’m the jerk and cancel on him the morning of, so bad. He didn’t even know that I didn’t live in SF (even though we matched there) until he listened to a radio show I was guest DJing and I was talking about NY LOLOL. I have no idea why he continued talking to me and gave me a chance but anyways something said to still keep in touch with him when I went back to NY. A few months passed, I’m home after Burning Man and I text him late on a Fri night (after a few drinks of liquid courage at this spot called Donna) and he’s really pushing for this first date but I tell him “I live in NY, you’d have to fly me out to SF.” and so he does.

Picks me up from the airport in SF, I have no idea what I’m doing but just following my gut, and immediately I can tell that he’s really nice and put a ton of effort into our first date (weekend) together. He’s thoughtful, attentive, handsome (a little more salt and pepper than I thought but I found him so cute). We have so much to talk about, we’re laughing and definitely feel the chemistry. So I’m supposed to fly home that Sun and beg the Delta ticket counter to help me change my flight because I’ve met someone lol and then they do!!! Tbh I don’t know if I would be writing this if I left when I was supposed to because it wasn’t until later that day when we both talked about being together. I just felt this little calling to see where it would go.

No one made me feel that seen, secure and happy. Then we did long distance for like 9 months before I moved to SF. He’d surprise me on weekends, send me flowers randomly and really went the extra mile. He asked me to marry him in Oct 2020, we got married at a beautiful ceremony in Miami in 2021 (where I DJed) and now we’re enjoying life together in SF with our little mini Aussie named Berkeley. I’m glad I took a giant leap of faith and that he wasn’t a catfish. 

Like I said, “Ride the Wave” is such a perfect summer love track. What are some other summer love favorite songs, movies, shows, or books fans should check out?

Oooooh love this! I actually have a whole playlist called Melt mood that puts me in a gooey happy place in my mind and soul that I should share on Spotify.

My favorites from that playlist would be:

Crush by Sebastian Paul (immediately loved it when I heard it on Emily in Paris), Forever by Octavia, Incredible by Future, Make you Happy by Diplo & WhoMadeBaby, Mine by Baynk, the best part by gardentate, Bien, aname, Hold You by Angrybaby (another increase SF based electronic artists who I’ll be DJing with on 5/13 at White Rabbit in SF), Whatever you Want by Johnny Yukon, Who Do You Love by Mickey Valen, Lyre, Girl by KC Lights, U by Michael Brun, Golden by Harry Styles,No Words by Erik Hassle, Body Speak by Leo Islo, Favorite song by pizzagirl, Touch by Big Wild, Us by Kaskade, Fade Into You by Mazzy Star, So Good by Mauve, To my love by Bomba Estereo Tainy Remix, Chateau by Angus & Julia Stone, Ceilings by Lizzy McAlpine, Love on the Ground by Cannons, Where you Are by John Summit, Magic by Polo & Pan, I only have eyes for you by the Flamingos, Wonderful World by Sam Cooke, Adore You by Harry Styles, It’s a love thing by the Whispers, Music Sounds better with You by Stardust, Sure thing by Miguel, I say a little prayer by Dionne Warwick, Emotions by Mariah Carey, That’s Amore by Dean Martin, Got to be Real by Cheryl Lynn, It only takes a minute by Tavares, Kiss Me by Sixpence non the richer, L’amour toujours by Gigi D’Agostino

In your experience what makes an UNFORGETTABLE live show?

Oooh yesss! Now we’re talking. I’ve been to many and it makes the not great ones also really standout. I would say elements of surprise, tension, release. Where the artist takes folks on a journey and you have no idea what to expect. Some of the most incredible live shows I’ve seen recently were FKJ, Chloe Caillet, LP Giobbi, Cristina (new fav Milan based DJ), Damian Lazarus / Maceo Plex / Seth Troxler B2B at Get Lost Miami, Big Wild at Red Rocks, the Blaze live in NY, Nicolas Jaar many years ago in NY, Despacio in NY, LCD Soundsystem, Satori, Jungle, Rufus du Sol and Sofi Tukker.

Then I think of the Keinemusik set at Burning Man last summer where they dropped Ode Ireti Nitefreak Remix as the sun was coming up and we had been dancing all night (started with John Summit and Carl Cox at Opulent Temple which was equally amazing) and it was the most perfect track for the moment. I almost cried it was so beautiful. So I think it's a mix of taking folks on a journey and music just effortlessly flowing so you can maintain the vibe and energy.

What’s the best show you’ve been to?

Way too hard of a question. Dang haha. Best show of 2023 so far has been FKJ at the Regency Ballroom. I was blown away from him picking up like every instrument, being able to play it and the groove and visuals were unreal. Big Wild would be 2nd. His vocal range is insane and he can even whistle. Plus he had an all female band with him at the Greek in Berkeley which was really awesome to see! We need to see more women on stage.

You've lived in quite a few cities, first Boston then NYC and San Francisco. Do you think the change of scenery inspires your music and your career? 

ABSOLUTELY!!!! I spent a lot of time in Berlin, Amsterdam and Italy as well. Lived in Florence during college and I travel a ton for work (Miami, France, London, Estonia, Norway, LA, Texas) so I love to dive into the top 50 of a specific country where I’m visiting or turn on the radio or shazam wherever I am and get a feeling of the vibe. I have yet to visit Asia and I have Tel Aviv, Egypt, Turkey and Beirut high on my list.

Also absolutely love Mexico. Mexico City and Oaxaca were incredible to visit so vibrant and alive. Maybe add Brazil as well to my list to visit because it would be a dream to play at Carnaval!! Let’s throw in Argentina and Guatemala as well (I have a few really close friends from college that I need to visit).

How do you prepare for a show?

I would say I’ve got a good creative/prep process that is the same for each show. My typical process is first thinking about the environment and vibe to start curating the set. Is it a day party? Are we outdoors? Is this a late night basement vibe? What city am I in? And I then either start building a playlist on Spotify and drop tracks in or make the playlist in Rekordbox (DJ software that I use to load music onto usbs to be able to play on equipment like Pioneer CDJs).

I’ll add songs to the playlist based on what comes to mind and ideas for what could mix well together i.e. start building the journey. I have 10000s of tracks in my Rekordbox library and download i.e. purchase like 20-50 tracks per week so there’s a lot to go through.

Then I’ll sometimes drop those tracks in the playlist into Mixed in Key which is really helpful to plan out the set because it has an energy score for each song and the camelot wheel (music theory/harmonic mixing guide). Then I export the playlist onto my usbs with 100s of songs for my gig so if I want to go in a different direction or the energy feels different I can be flexible. And I love the adrenaline of mixing live and sometimes not knowing where I’ll go next. It’s incredibly freeing and liberating.

Now I also will do vocal warmups before a show since I’ve been singing live and they sound really wacky but definitely work. One of my favorites is like gentle oohs or mmmnhms making a bubble with my lips, rolling forward as I hit the high notes or even doing vocal warmups while squatting or in the goddess pose to engage my core and hit the lows and highs without straining my neck.

It all comes from the core which is why I do a ton of yoga, pilates, and barre plus long walks and eating healthy to keep my body in shape to perform. Its def a good cardio workout LOL

What has been the biggest highlight of your career so far?

Wow, very good question. I’m really torn between 2. Last summer at Burning Man I was scheduled to play our camp party on Thurs night and I felt really crappy. Like exhausted, super low energy and I wanted to sleep. But the show must go on, so I put on my costume, had some water and started to pep myself up to spin. I was really dreading it and didn’t know how I was going to act like I was loving it for the crowd.

But sure enough I start spinning and the music and folks who came to dance started to pick me up and bringing me energy. It was quiet at the start but then like midway I realize our dancefloor is packed! I have friends there, folks of all ages and all different camps, not just our peeps. Folks are smiling, having a great time and it really brought me so much joy.

It turned my whole night around and I was happy with the crowd. I felt like we were really connecting and it felt so good. People even gave me hugs when I finished and congratulated me on a great set.

The 2nd would be singing live for my friends, family and total strangers during my W SF residency that started this past Feb. I was SO nervous to sing live and DJ and tested out my equipment so many times before show day. I even flew my mom out for her to be there because she’s always supported me with my music and it felt so special to perform for everyone I love and even make new fans. I felt like I blacked out during my DJ set. I was on such a high and so in flow from the energy around me. 

I mean and I also made an album which I forget LOL and I always wanted to but never knew if I could or how I would and I did it. That’s pretty rad. It’s been a big year and we’re only halfway in. Wow.

If you could tour with anyone, past or present, who would they be and why?

OOOOH Elton John, Madonna, Prince, LCD Soundsystem, Sofi Tukker, Channel Tres, SG Lewis, Daft Punk, Rolling Stones, Arctic Monkeys, Killers, Radiohead, Tame Impala, Big Wild, No Doubt, Cannons, Jungle, Flume, The Chemical Brothers, Kaytranada, James Blake, Charlie XCX, Caroline Polacheck, Baynk, Dolly Parton, Britney come back tour, ABBA, Gorillaz, Nicolas Jaar, Harry Styles, Diplo, Cher, BeeGees.

I would love to go on the road with artists who I would want to hang out with, get to know personally, make music together, pick out costumes together, vibe on visuals etc and folks who have been huge artistic influences on me and my life. I love these artists because they don’t play by the rules, they’ve all taken huge risks and formed a new sound. I love that. I love the rebels, the crazy folks, the odd ones trying to accomplish something nuts or try something that has never been done before. That’s where I feel at home. 

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Thank you so much for helping me share my story and promoting my music! So excited to read the final piece! Love, Barbs

For fans of: Billie Eilish, Halsey

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