Meet Jayda Abello | Vinyl DJ & Visual Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jayda Abello and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jayda, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Well, I had been bartending for over a decade and I was pretty burnt out on the late nights, toxic work environments, and just the lifestyle in general. When I was sitting on my unemployed butt in 2020, I knew that I was ready to get out of the service industry once the bars opened back up, but I wanted to stay in nightlife. I did some freelance brand ambassador/promo model work in the beverage industry over the years and I really liked the freedom of it, but I never seemed to be able to move up, no matter how much or how hard I worked. Over the past 10 years or so, I had always kept DJing in my back pocket as an additional income stream, so I just decided to pour more of myself into it and see if I could actually make some real money from it. I realized that I felt a lot better when I worked for myself as a DJ than I did when I clocked in at a bar or when I was wearing a logo-ed t shirt representing a brand I didn’t even care about or believe in. To be honest, I just hate working for other people. I value my time and I have my own ideas of what a work day should look and feel like. The way I want to spend my days and live my life subverts the typical American workweek and is a non negotiable to me. An eight hour work day and a 5 day work week is antiquated, in my opinion, and is simply not in alignment with my personal philosophy of freedom, unapologetic self preservation, and an emphasis on prioritized rest.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a DJ! What sets me apart from others is not only my music selection, but also my chosen format, vinyl. I’ve been collecting records since I was a young teen and it’s been a passion of mine ever since. Over the years, my collection has grown from a little shoebox of punk 45’s to a perpetually expanding history of music spanning countless genres and decades. A typical set by me will go anywhere and everywhere; I like to blend all kinds of music and try to tell a little sonic story over the course of 3 or 4 hours. We’re gonna bop around all over the place—I might take you to Kingston in the 60’s then go to Manchester in the 80’s or Atlanta in the 90’s; on paper it may sound chaotic, but it all makes sense somehow when it’s blasting out of the speakers. I love to pair classic songs that are already written on people’s hearts and pair them with something they’ve never heard before. My hope is that people leave my set with a new favorite song they otherwise might not have heard.

DJing with records is where it all started back in the 1960’s and you don’t see people playing records like you used to. There’s plenty of good reasons for that—records and turntables are HEAVY, can be expensive, are easily damaged, and some records can be very hard to find or even totally unobtainable! It’s no wonder most DJs nowadays are using digital DJ controllers, which eliminate many of the challenges of analog technology. While some might find the old way to be antiquated and clunky, I have really found a connection with it and I’m proud to carry on a decades old tradition into 2023 and beyond. I take a lot of pride in the records I play, because I feel a true ownership of them. They’re tactile and warm, they literally take up space in my home, they contribute to the overall aesthetic of my life; I have yet to feel that way about an .mp3 or .wav file.

I am a one woman show—I network, I promote myself, I do all of my own admin tasks, I create all of my own graphics, I design and update my own website, I manage my social media, etc etc etc, and that’s not even taking into account the actual DJing. There’s record shopping, practicing, curation and research for clients, load in and load out, equipment troubleshooting, all that stuff. Being your own boss is not for everyone. You really have to maintain this strong self disciplined workflow so you can actually get things done. For me, there is no clocking in or out because I am my brand and every decision I make has the potential to grow or shrink my business. You’ve got to be able to hold yourself accountable and create structure to work within. When you’re the sole employee of a business, small tasks can pile up and become overwhelming, so assigning time to specific items on my to-do list is crucial. While being the director, cast, costumer, and cleanup crew has it’s challenges, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I believe my success has come from my ability to do it all on my own. Authenticity is important to me and I consider myself to be very in touch with what I want and how I want to be represented, so I actually really enjoy having control over every aspect of my business. I have big goals and one day, I would love to have someone I really vibe with and trust to delegate some of the behind the scenes work to, but for now I’m happy to be a DIY operation that’s still in it’s infancy.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Breakfast at Ria’s Bluebird (biscuits and gravy with soysage or the bionic bowl) Kennesaw Mountain, Arabia Mountain, and Stone Mountain to get some nature in
La Fonda (artichoke dip!), Eats (jerk chicken!), El Myr (bbq tofu burrito!), or Righteous Room (veggie nachos!) for lunch
Argosy in EAV for pizza and familiar faces
Walk the Beltline for some fresh air, good people watching, and check out who’s playing music at the AV Radio shipping container by the Old Fourth Ward Skatepark
Record shopping at Elsewhere Records, Ella Guru, Wuxtry, Fantasyland, Criminal Records, and Wax & Facts
Dancing into the late night at MJQ, an Atlanta nightlife staple
Post club drunk food at Woody’s Cheesesteaks
Coffee from Aurora in L5P
Smoothies from Ardens Garden
Hangover recovery fuel via the world’s best bagel from Emerald City Bagels
Sweat out the toxins at Jeju Sauna in Duluth
Fancy dinner and cocktails at rock and roller owned Kimball House in Downtown Decatur

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?
Shoutout to the community of amazing creative women in the music industry of the past, present, and future with whom I am so proud to be peers. I feel so blessed to be in touch with inspirational figures like DJ Ree De La Vega (who I have been friends with since I was a teen,) Tara Davies (DJ and host of The Record Store Society podcast,) Mary Blount (lead singer & guitar player of The Babyshakes,) Jen D’Eugenio (Founder of Women In Vinyl,) and too many more to name. These women are doing what they love and making their marks on the world and it inspires me to do my own thing every day. I feel supported just knowing that people like them exist.

Website: Www.jayda-abello.com

Instagram: Americansquirm

Image Credits
Mia Evedith, Michael Bostinto