We handed the keys to Shelby Pinckard, who seems to be wearing just about every hat there is to wear in the music industry, to unlock how she balances it all and her ever-expanding vision.
What brought you to San Diego?
I was originally born and lived in San Diego until I was seventeen, when I moved over to O'ahu, Hawaii. I spent a lot of my life there, but recently moved back here to work in music. I think that San Diego, or California in general, has much more opportunity in every facet of the entertainment industry. Although I loved my home and all of my hobbies in Hawaii, I knew that the move would help progress my career substantially.
What inspired you to enter the music space?
I have been going to shows since I was fourteen (honestly I was using a fake ID to go to 18+ raves) and have looked up to many friends working full-time in the music industry over the years. I lived in LA for a few months, one summer, and met so many inspiring people who were professional DJs, throwing events, or event photographers. They inspired me to look into internships while I was still in college and I eventually found one at a music PR agency. I started DJing around the time I was eighteen and switched my university major to focus on finding the right job for myself in the music scene. As cliche as this sounds, music has always been my passion and a safe space for me since I was pretty young.
Talk us through your favorite genres to mix
I can't really pinpoint my sound to one genre but I definitely have been loving the clubbier side of afro-house, indie dance, Latin-inspired tracks, breaks, and darker melodic techno. I like to hop all over while I'm playing depending on what feels right and what will sound good in a club. I don't really like deciding "oh this is just a house music set" or only playing what I think people will want to hear. I think it's fun keeping people surprised and playing genres they might not be used to.
How did you decide on your stage name, SORAYA?
Honestly, it's a funny story, I thought of it in the shower one day when I was in college. I have NO idea how it came to mind and when I looked up the name, it meant "star cluster" or "princess" in a few languages so I thought it was fun. A few weeks later, I was listening to a slenderbodies album in my car and noticed one of their albums was titled, "soraya". Pretty sure it was just in my subconscious but I rolled with it for a while and it just stuck.
You just held your first fundraiser event, RECLAIM CTRL, what were your biggest takeaways?
Well, the first lesson I learned was how incredibly difficult it is to run an event. There are so many facets that you have to consider on top of billing, selling tickets, and in this case- finding a way to raise the most amount of money for our charities. I definitely respect event producers 1000x more now- it's an insane amount of work. I definitely learned a ton from my friends and the KLCTN team who mentored me through that experience. However, the outcome of over 450 people showing up for our cause was absolutely amazing. I think in the future I definitely would want to bring in more of the community to be involved and find a way (aside from a monetary donation) to directly impact the cause we're raising money for. I believe the dance music space definitely needs more events that are fueled by intention and a way to give back to the world.
How did your experience in France and learning the French language impact you in relation to music?
I wouldn't say that speaking French directly impacts my role in the industry or really helps me out... but definitely being an Asian, female, French-speaking, younger artist 100% puts me in a minority position in the world. In 2017, I lived in the French Alps with this incredible family while going to language immersion school and eventually double-majored in it. The music scene out there is next-level and so deeply rooted- I think that's where I learned about older European legends in dance music like Laurent Garnier. Every house party there plays some kind of dance music, unlike in America where it can be varied, and I definitely draw a lot of influence from my experience out there. In the future, I definitely want to produce some tracks with French vocals because the language is beautiful and it just creates that extra level to a track.
We’re so impressed that you’re simultaneously a Tour Manager, Model, Head of a Music PR Agency, DJ, & Event Organizer. How do you balance all of these roles?
Honestly, I put my eggs in SO many different baskets and have done so my entire life- it's never really been that difficult for me until recently. I've been learning how to say no more often and spend as much of my free time doing the other hobbies I enjoy like traveling, free-diving, backpacking, and skating. Moving from O'ahu, many of my activities were spent outdoors so I definitely get a bit overwhelmed when taking on so many roles. I'd say having an amazing support system and an amazing work environment certainly helps. Over the past year, I launched a music PR agency, Simply Gigantic, that I run full-time alongside DJ'ing, tour-managing, modeling, and throwing RECLAIM CTRL. It's been pretty freaking insane. Luckily, I think they all go hand-in-hand and I get to work with amazing artists such as Robbie Rivera and Saeed Younan (who I actually just opened for recently) at my agency during the week and get to work around even more inspiring artists at my residency at Bang Bang and traveling with Mary Droppinz. It's definitely somewhat of a symbiotic relationship between all of my roles.
Can you tell us a bit more about your role as Mary Droppinz' Tour Manager?
I met Mary sometime in the past couple of years at festivals and we had a ton of mutual friends. We became social media acquaintances and she invited me to a few of her shows. I actually got brought on to tour manage another artist at CRSSD last year and she ended up asking me if I'd be interested in hopping on a few of her dates. One thing led to another and now I'm with her for many of her tour dates (as much as I can) and we are literally sisters. Both of us are very low-maintenance, love our jobs, love each other, and love to cook (which is huge) so we just have the best time being around each other. I can't really say one negative thing about her. I can't wait to watch her grow into a globally-recognized artist and grow right alongside her. I look up to her as a producer, DJ, mentor, and friend and I've never met anyone quite as dedicated as her so it's all been very inspiring.
If you could play anywhere, at any venue in the world tonight, where would it be?
I don't really have a specific place (obviously I'd love to play any major club in the US) but I'd absolutely love to play an outdoor set like Cercle with a 360-degree stage set-up where the vibes are right and everybody is engaged. I love watching sets where everyone is off their phone, on the same vibe, and having a great time. Another goal of mine is definitely to play Lightning in a Bottle, because it's my absolute favorite festival with an amazing crowd. I've been attending it for over seven years.
Who are your ones to watch from the San Diego dance music scene?
I'd definitely say the Drake Brothers, who I met in San Diego, are doing really well for themselves. They both have supported me immensely at my shows and across the board, which means the world to me. Being in a male-dominated industry, it's refreshing to meet two male artists who are constantly lifting me up. They're like the two tallest people you will ever meet but the kindest souls in the world. Their latest track release has also been doing extremely well. My friend Bailey Carter is also the most talented producer I know, but I swear he has been refusing to release his tracks. I know for a fact he is sitting on some chart-toppers so I think when he finally comes around, he'll be climbing as an artist incredibly quickly. Lastly, I just became friends with AMZEL, who is dating one of my friends from Hawaii. She is so soft-spoken and sweet that I had ZERO idea that she rips the craziest electro/breaks. She completely tore up my event. She got the crowd moving and I know for a fact she belongs on a big stage.
What are your future plans, what should we look out for from you?
I've been working on my debut track with my good friend, Julian, who has taught me an insane amount about production. He's another person who has really invested their time and supported me wholeheartedly. I'm hoping to get our debut track and inevitably, an EP out in the coming years that reflects my sound and me as an artist. Also, I really want to move into playing more LA shows and shows outside of Southern California and definitely see some festival stages. I'm playing the official Portola afters, which is huge for me, so I'm pretty stoked about that.
In what ways can the San Diego dance community support you & your events or collaborate with you?
I would love to see people show up for the other female artists in San Diego as much as people have shown up for me. It's really tough being on bills with mostly men. The women making moves in San Diego just do it for their passion for music, they deserve that same recognition and support that I've seen in our community. As far as RECLAIM CTRL, I hope the next event will bring that same fire and that same spark as our first one and we can keep raising money for life-changing charities.
Lastly, just love each other. Dance music is based on no boundary of gender, race, or "who you know"- even though it feels like that sometimes. I just want our community to continue being a safe space that sets a standard for younger kids coming into dance music and the generations that'll come after us.
Lastly, what’s a track you want to share?
The track I chose is Ecstasy by my friends Prospa, who I met at Coachella this year, they have been consistently releasing amazing tracks and getting insane bookings over the last few years. Their sound is so different and they're amazing guys. I absolutely love their sound. This track is my go-to driving jam and I really look up to them as producers and DJs. Their sets range from house to electro to breaks and I love how they can cross-genre so smoothly and seamlessly. I'm excited to see where their careers lead in the coming years because they're definitely gonna be huge in the US soon- they're currently on tour with Flume and I'm really stoked for them.
You can keep up with SORAYA
on Instagram (main),
on her DJ instagram account
on SoundCloud
or Listen to her EDM ID Mix
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