Meet Si’mone DJ Monie Lewis | Brand Manager & DJ

We had the good fortune of connecting with Si’mone DJ Monie Lewis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Si’mone DJ Monie, what do you attribute your success to?
The most important factor behind my success and/or the success of my brand is simple… BRANDING!!!

Branding is everything!!

As the founder of Si’mone Hughes International, a brand management and design firm, I have had the pleasure of working with small to large Corporations as well as numerous celebrities and personal brands. The base of what I teach my clients is the importance of branding and how you should use your brand to separate yourself from the competition. It’s no wonder that when I decided to start DJing and crafting my DJ brand, ‘DJ Monie “The Risqué DJ”‘. I leaned on everything that I preach to my clients.

I noticed that there were a lot of female DJs in the industry and I needed to figure out a way that I could stand out. Really pouring everything that I knew about branding into my own personal brand has definitely propelled my DJ career and I’m on a personal mission to share my knowledge with other female DJs through my female DJ coalition, Melanated DeeJays.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
DJ Monie “The Risqué DJ” brand is all about body positivity, women empowerment, and celebrating life. When I first got into DJing, the OnlyFans craze was in full effect. I thought I could join in on the money train, and draw some attention to my brand. I quickly realized that there were a bunch of people that wanted to support me, but they didn’t want to be associated with the OnlyFans platform.

Since I had already taken a leap of faith and put my brand out there, I couldn’t retract it now… I had to think quickly and decided to build my own website where I can not only own my own content, but I could also monetize without having to share the profits with the hosting platform. All of which was trial and error.

I think what sets me apart from other female DJs is the fact that I have a well crafted brand with supporting assets, which is important when you are trying to land big paying gigs. I created a character for myself, which gives me more flexibility with my pricing structure. But most of all, my willingness to help other young aspiring female DJs.

What I am most proud of and excited about is the platform that I created, Melanated DeeJays, which is a melanated female DJ coalition. This will be a place that novice and veteran DJs alike can come share, learn and monetize their brands and/or content, and show the world that melanated women CAN work together!!

I am a self-taught, pandemic era DJ. I spent hours on YouTube and talking to DJ friends to try to figure out what I was doing. It took me days to get the software to work and to even get sound. But I just kept going, and I’m glad that I did!!

I had a DJ friend that was trying to help me by challenging me to play music that was outside of my comfort zone. At the time, I felt like she was trying to show me that I wasn’t as good as I thought I was… I literally sat on my patio and cried! Later I realized, she was just trying to help me. Sometimes getting outside of your comfort zone is exactly what you need to push you further. I am so very grateful for her and I think I’m a much better DJ because of it.

If I would want the world to know anything about my story, it’s find something that makes you happy and go for it! Put the work in to be the best that you can be at it. When things seem difficult, keep pushing through. And when in doubt, ask YouTube!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am always down for a good Sunday brunch in the city!! Atlanta has some of the most amazing food. Some of my favorite spots around the city are Tribeca, Atlantis, Canoe and Two Urban Licks. If we were looking for just a nice hot spot, I would recommend Whiskey Mistress, Republic, Red Martini or Tiki Tango. Not sure if you’ve ever spent the night at the Aquarium, but that’s a definite must-do!!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my mother, Linda Hughes. She worked so hard as a single mother, taking care of not only myself and my older brother, but my grandmother as well, all while running a successful business. She was the first example in my life that a strong, driven woman can achieve anything that she sets her mind to. It is because of her, lessons, support and unwavering love that still pushes me to keep going. Thank you mom, I love you!!

Website: www.djmonie.com

Instagram: instagram.com/thedjmonie

Twitter: twitter.com/thedjmonie

Facebook: fb.me/thedjmonie

Youtube: DJ Monie The Risque DJ

Image Credits
Antoinne Duane Jones, Mike Dixon, Kief and Kale