A chat with Lovie feels like serenity. Her voice is gentle and composed as she riffs about the music she loves on a cool afternoon in New York. You’re immediately transported to one of her weekly radio shows, Summer School Radio on The Lot Radio, where her passion guides her every music selection. Music is a spiritual experience for her. Whether she plays new age Alternative R&B or golden age Jazz, she contextualizes her favourite music in ways true to her. It could be a listening session or a club night; Lovie’s fingers are on the pulse of modern day music and culture.

One of the most popular DJs around, Lovie has made a big splash in a short time. Having moved to New York from Washington D.C. in 2020, she has made herself known to communities Black and people of colour, helping to elevate voices and music scenes. Through her radio show, her Deep Listening Sessions where music heads can immerse themselves in records, and her Soul Connection parties with fellow DJ and best friend Honey Bun, Lovie binds community activity with amazing experiences connecting mind, body and soul.

Staunchly advocating for Black femme advancement, Lovie is building the blocks enabling these communities to connect, find each other and bond. This hasn’t gone unnoticed and her career so far has brought around the orbit of the likes of Gilles Peterson, Benji B and Ron Trent, all of whom she has played alongside.

We sat down with Lovie to learn about her extraordinary journey, the power of community and what Women’s History Month means to her.

“Once you find that alignment between your authentic self and your music taste, it doesn’t take much thought to do what you love.”

How does your story with DJing begin?

Lovie: I started teaching myself how to DJ in 2016-2017, but at the time I was an actor.  I was going to like a conservatory style art school and anybody who goes to art school knows your time is gone! So, I had discovered DJing, but I really couldn’t put my heart or my mind or my time into it until the pandemic. It was a day in March, within that first month and my birthday was coming up. I knew I’d been sitting on this idea for a radio show for the better part of a year.

With the last paycheck I got from being let go at my job because of the pandemic, I bought a little two channel controller. Up until that point, I’d been teaching myself to DJ literally on my laptop with my keyboards. After buying a controller I made the first mix for what would be Summer School Radio. Everything has just kind of blossomed and grown and evolved from there.

Would you say you were musically inclined from a young age?

Definitely. I was always coming home and sitting down with my little Hello Kitty boombox and listening to the radio. Asking my dad for $3 a week to get some new songs on Apple Music, on iTunes. Until he discovered Limewire, then he was like, “Why would I send you any money anymore for getting music? Just download it.” But [music] was always so intrinsic to me.

When I hit middle school and had access to the internet, it was like the entire world opened up to me. I realized that there was so much more music than what was immediately available to me. It was just like my whole world and ear shifted. So, it went from these MTV marathons to just digging through forums, digging on Tumblr, finding new artists. It was just so much fun for me. 

Was there a particular moment in your life that drew you to DJing?

I had a couple of friends who were playing around with DJing because that’s just what you do at art school. You just try different things, different mediums. I went to one of their sets and for all that love that I had for DJing up until this point, the love that I had for music, I was able to see it in a whole new context. I was like, ‘my God I didn’t realize that I could do this with the music that I love.’ That just set me down the trajectory, my entry point.

Then once the door opened, it was like, now I’ve found NTS, I’m listening to Boiler Room, listening to The Lot Radio, whatever mixes I can find online. Horse Meat Disco’s Boiler Room set, Jayda G’s Boiler Room set. Especially hearing Disco spun like that. Disco was something that my ear was already trending towards. Those sets inspired me to be like, ‘that’s the sound that I’m drawn to, that’s the sound that I want to commit to.’ 

You come across as very spiritual and that very much feeds into your music curation. Whether it’s DJing, radio, playlists or club nights. What’s your thought process like when you’re making musical decisions?

I think once you find that alignment between your authentic self and your taste, it doesn’t take much thought to do it. You can kind of trust yourself. So, a lot of the sounds that I gravitate towards that feel spiritual, they just feel good to me. Then there’s also the knowing that sometimes the ways that things are categorized. If I see something like 1970s Black Spiritual Jazz from the USA, I know that’s probably going to fall right in line with my sound.

I think having a sonic foundation helps too. It’s kind of like a tree and then you have these different genres of music that branch out from the tree. And once you have that tree kind of fully connected with your authentic self and your personal taste, it can branch out and it can sound like Ambient Drum and Bass for example, and it’s still going to feel like you because it’s being filtered through your taste and through your ear. It’s really not much of a thought process for me because I’m hearing something that I like. Thankfully it communicates who I am in my wholeness and in my fullness.

Is 1970s Spiritual Jazz one of your favourite subgenres?

It’s an era of music that just aligns so well to my values. I think if I had six months off of DJing and I did not have to find new music and I didn’t have to curate, I would probably fall into a Spiritual Jazz, Ambient rabbit hole for at least three out of the six months! It’s what makes me feel the most calm.

Summer School Radio has taken a life of its own in your time at The Lot. How has it been building that world?

It’s been amazing and my foundation. For all the things that I’ve learned in my trajectory as a DJ.  I’ve been able to bring it back to my radio show and I feel myself growing alongside the show and that the show is growing as well into the weekly radio show format, into live deep listening sessions and into a community of people as well. Some people only know me through Summer School Radio because it’s accessible. Because they can listen to it all around the world. I’m really grateful for that.

With a focus on uplifting Black and POC voices, how do you engage with communities in the scenes you’re in? Do you work with artists and other DJs?

My work as a DJ has often been described as being very community oriented. With a lot of the projects that I’ve started, whether it be Summer School Radio or Soul Connection, I’ve started with asking, what is the void? What does my community need? Can I fill it? Am I the person to fill that void? If it’s a place for me to step up, something that I feel called to do, then I do it. I put my heart and intentions into it. If it’s not something for me to do and there’s someone that I’m in a community with who would be best served to do it, then I try and figure out how I can use the space I’ve created to amplify and to support them.

Sometimes that looks like having non-DJs on my radio show. If it means amplifying a local Black-owned historical community center, then I want to do that. If it looks like speaking with a journalist who’s documenting contemporary Rap and Hip-Hop, then I’ll do that as well. Sometimes it looks like teaching people how to DJ. I’d very willingly offer my friends CDJ lessons if they have a desire to start playing. I try to find that space for myself, for everyone, for my community. From nightlife spaces and dance floors to radio, there is a space for everyone.

Tell us about Soul Connection and how that came about?

Soul Connection is the party I throw here in New York with Honey Bun. We met in 2021 and we described that time as being sort of like a boot camp. She was teaching me how to use CDJs. We were sending each other YouTube documentaries back and forth. In all of the learning and all of our excitement about Dance music, about NYC nightlife history, we just saw the gaps in representation for Black women and we wanted to create a space for us. We didn’t want to stake a claim that we knew House music, that we knew electronic music. But rather that we were learning about it and learning about it together. And that we wanted to share what we were learning with other Black women and women of color in New York in an immersive way. 

That’s how the party started. We threw our first one in July of 2021, and it’s really grown since then. It’s grown in the amount of people that we can have through the door and the talent that we’re able to book. As much as we love to book local up and coming talent in New York, it’s also amazing to have an artist like Ash Lauryn or Alex Rita come through and play. We just want to spread the message of Black women in dance music worldwide and we’ve had a lot of amazing opportunities to do that.

You’ve been recognised by some big names including Benji B and Gilles Peterson who’ve put on the bill of their parties, and Ron Trent who you’ve played alongside. How do you take in those co-signs?

It’s very affirming to play alongside these artists. Not just from a talent and skill or growth standpoint. But also from a musical standpoint that I get to sit alongside such an incredible generation of artists. I’m grateful to the promoters and to the bookers who have seen my talent and my work. Who have seen it in me when I have not always been able to kind of see for myself. But have ushered me in the door and have made sure that I know that I have a space here. 

I’ve definitely had my moments where I’ve been like, ‘I don’t know where my sound is going to fit in, I don’t know what I’m going to do.’ But I definitely have so many people from the start who were incredibly affirming and told me that my time was not only coming, but that it was inevitable, that all I have to do is stay committed to exactly who it is that I am. I’m so glad that I did. It makes those moments that much sweeter.

What have been the most satisfying parts of building the communities you’re a part of?

I think when people tell me what it is that my sets offer them or how it is that they walk away feeling. People always tell me that they feel grounded, that they feel very calm, that they feel this renewed sense of peace. They’ve had an internal bath or something after they come from my set. The idea that I could make people feel that way is incredibly affirming.

I really see what I’m doing as a service. Having a role to fill in this scene and with my curation. I love music, I love dancing, I love nightlife, I love nightlife history. But I also understand that channeling that love through something that does something for others, whether it’s a sense of peace, calm, joy or some kind of release, is kind of my responsibility. So maybe it lends itself to me finding those moments the most affirming. Not necessarily like the praise, but the kind of confirmation that they’re leaving with something to take with them into their everyday life long after my set is done.

How do you discover new music?

I do everything. If there’s something that I don’t do and I learn about it, I do that, too! If I’m at the grocery store and I hear something, I’m going to Shazam it. I have no shame. If an artist that I’m following is promoting their new album on social media, I’m going to save it to my spreadsheet to listen to it for later. I really try to prioritize listening to full albums. If I’m finding enough of a scattering of songs by a particular artist, I’ll just go through their whole discography and find more things that I like. It’s so much fun for me. I will shuffle through an old YouTube channel to move through Discogs. 

Is there a difference for you between listening to music as a DJ and as a fan?

I think the difference is the amount of time that I give myself to spend with an album or with an artist. If I don’t have a DJ set for a week, then I’m probably going to listen to the same album or mix or something over and over again. But if I have a set coming up, then I’m going to give myself a little bit of time to indulge. I’m probably going to move on to doing a bit more discovery. I think that’s the biggest difference, but as far as my enjoyment of music goes, there’s no real difference.

What are some of your favorite tracks or genres to play when you’re doing a set or radio show?

I play Lonnie Liston Smith in probably every set that I have. When we talk about that tree and that Spiritual Jazz foundation, he’s it for me. He has something across his catalog that can fit into every hour of a club night of a radio set. It just touches on all the things that I need. So, I’m hard pressed to not have a day or a night go by when I’m not playing something from him!

What are some of your pre-set rituals? How do you get yourself ready for a mix or event?

I always think about making sure that I’m taken care of. If it’s leading up to a club night, I need to have a nutritious meal. I need to put my hands on my turntables at home. If not the day of the set, then certainly in the days leading up to, I need to make sure that I’m as centered and holistic as I need to be. If I can create enough time for myself – because I don’t always have the time – without rushing then I’m good to go.

How much time do you ideally need?

If I want to do everything, I’m going to say six hours. I’m going to say it’s most of the day. Sometimes even just choosing what I’m going to wear can really be my downfall! Figuring out what I’m going to eat, making sure that my music is ready and that’s at least 3 hours. Then I need a one hour nap. So all of that time is gone. Let’s say eight hours instead!

“Extend love to women and femmes past, present, and future and find ways to take that beyond the month into your everyday life.”

What would you say to someone who wants to start DJing about how to get started?

Before anything, ask yourself what is needed and if you’re the person to offer it. I think that’s an amazing first step in making sure that you’re going to show up with intention, that you’re going to show up authentically. Not just doing it because you see everybody else doing it, but really ensuring that you have something to offer. From there, it’s just about finding music that you like.

Don’t follow too many rules or internalize those steadfast dos and don’ts about DJing. Play and be curious with your music because ultimately that’s what it’s all about. Talk to yourself kindly when you’re in the booth. If you’re not kind to yourself, if you mess up a blend or if you hold yourself to an impossible standard, you’re just going to exhaust yourself. It’s just not going to be sustainable for you energetically. That was definitely something that I feel like I had to learn early on.

What are some of the proudest moments of your career so far?

So far the deep listening sessions that I started doing through transitioning Summer School Radio from an online radio show to an in-person immersive experiential listening space. I’ve been so proud of that, not only because I was able to materialize it and bring in artists like Laraaji and Mother of Earth, but also do them in a historically Black community space like the Weeksville Heritage Center that holds an incredible history to Brooklyn.

It’s not that listening spaces are new, but they haven’t been very accessible. They’ve been very exclusive and expensive. Creating this space with Weeksville where it’s free and open to the public is amazing, and there’s food before and people come in and they can use the space how they’d like. They can cuddle with friends! It’s just gone so above and beyond my expectations and it’s not the typical way that people have been engaging with music. It’s an invitation to engage with music in a very different way than a lot of people are used to. And I’m just really proud of creating that space for people.

What are your plans for 2025?

A lot of traveling. I’m playing at my first festival outside of the USA, my dream festival, We Out Here, in August. Soul Connection is growing in really beautiful ways. We’re playing at new venues and we’re figuring out ways to book more and bigger talent while also still committing to amplifying new and upcoming talent in New York and throughout the US.

What does Women’s History Month mean to you?

Extending love to women and femmes past, present, and future. Finding individual ways to amplify and support the women that you’re in community with, especially the most marginalized of us. We’re thinking about that intersectionally so, we’re thinking about trans women of colour, women of colour, disabled women. Starting with Women’s History Month if you haven’t started already and then finding ways to take that beyond the end of the month into your everyday life. I would rather somebody read something during Women’s History Month and start unpacking internal patriarchy and misogyny, because that just transcends into the rest of the year.