Trend Tracker® Talks Music Success With DJ Tracy Young
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – In today's Women To Watch, Trend Tracker® Tara Gilani tracked down DJ Tracy Young at a Winter Music Conference party at E11even Nightclub in Miami.
Tracy was doing what she does best. Playing music that got everyone on their feet. There are a lot of top male DJ's in the world but very few women have reached the level Tracy Young has. She's one of the few female superstars in the highly competitive and male dominated music industry and she is obsessed with her passion.
Her work ethic and equal doses of humility and self-confidence has served her well.
Tracy has been remixing iconic hits by iconic female artists like Cher, Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Shakira and many other female artists but it was Madonna, "The Queen," who helped put Tracy on the map.
Watch Trend Tracker® Tara Gilani's One On One With DJ Tracy Young
Tracy Young started in the late 80's in her native Washington, DC. In the mid 90's, Ingrid Casares flew her in and out of Miami to DJ special events at her uber hot South Beach night clubs. It was Ingrid who introduced Tracy to Madonna, or so the urban myth goes. Tracy had already moved full time to South Florida for a producer job in '98. She lost that gig due to a merger. Soon after, she found herself making a living as a full-time DJ.
"A famous woman picked me up and scooped me under her wing. I DJ' d a New Year's Eve party for Madonna and that was really the catapult that allowed me to do this full-time," recalled Tracy.
One thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history.
Tracy was the DJ at Madonna's wedding to Guy Ritchie. Her discretion continues to this day because she didn't talk about it then and she won't talk about it now.
She would only say, "Most important was the fact that she trusted me with such a special day."
Tracy doesn't believe her success has anything to do with luck.
"The DJ biz is not easy. A million egos, a million gigs a year so it's not easy,' she said. "Preparation is the key. Timing and luck happen anonymously but if you are prepared, you will succeed, that's how I feel."
Tracy's one main objective is pure and simple.
"I want everybody on that dance floor to have a good time," she said. "That's my ultimate goal. If they're happy and they're having fun then I'm happy."
Tracy Young succeeds in an industry where women are still in the minority. Young has a lot to say about that.
"The fact that I met people like Madonna and I DJ'd Britney's 21st birthday, and Beyoncé gives me remixes, all these things, I certainly feel the women in this industry have helped me along more than the men ." She continued, "I do feel that women should stick more together. I also think that men let women go only as far up as they want. But they can't stop me because I'm here to stay, obviously."
Tracy and Tara also enjoyed a fill-in-the blank parlor game.
When asked by Tara, "I am ____." She replied, "I am grateful."
"I want ____." She replied, "I want a relationship."
"I won't ____." Her answer, "I won't lie."
Finally, "I will ____." Her reply, "I WILL win a Grammy."
For more on Tracy Young, log on to her website: www.TracyYoung.com and follow her on twitter: @DJTracyYoung.
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