My Career Lessons

From mistakes to big breaks, DJ Paulette shares the wisdom she’s accumulated over her 30-year career in the world of dance music

From The Haçienda to underground basements, headline sets and monthly radio shows, DJ Paulette has played to hundreds of thousands of people around the world. The 57-year-old disco, house and techno DJ was one of only two women to have a regular monthly residency at Manchester’s Haçienda, as well as residencies at Heaven and Ministry of Sound in London. Aside from Dj-ing, Paulette also curates events and exhibitions, regularly contributes to BBC Radio 6 Music and published her debut book, Welcome To The Club: The Life And Lessons

Of A Black Woman DJ in January – so her career shows no sign of slowing down. Here, she shares what she’s learned along the way (so far)…

I fell into Dj-ing by happy accident…

…because I had a massive record collection and one night accepted the challenge of playing it in a nightclub. I loved entertaining crowds of people and making them happy, with a soundtrack tailor-made to encourage dancing.

Because I’m a seasoned clubber, I think I instinctively knew what made a great club night. I love music. I love performing and people and parties and nightclubs. And I buzz off the energy that comes with sharing that with people. I also had the guts to learn on the job and wasn’t afraid of making mistakes.

The environment suited me and it brought me so much job satisfaction. Quickly, I found I was good at it, so I followed my instincts and decided to make a successful career out of it.

The one piece of career advice I would give someone is…

Choose the thing that keeps your curiosity alive and allows you to continue to learn. Then find people who believe in you to accompany you on your journey. Travelling is always easier with company. And asking for help is a strength, not a weakness.

My biggest work mistake was…

…moving from Paris to Ibiza and expecting to repeat the same level of success without having a support network or a solid plan. That’s when I found out that verbal offers don’t necessarily convert into actual work. I learned how to convert and confirm work properly, in writing, and how to adapt my skill set into playing longer sets in bars to people who were eating. I also learned to be myself and not to try to be something that other people wanted me to be. You can’t always be everyone’s cup of tea, but that’s okay.

The secret to succeeding as a DJ is…

…being passionate, obsessive, curious, enthusiastic and ambitious. It’s essential to love and believe in it, to want to do it no matter what happens and to be prepared to embrace change at any moment. You have to be adaptable: to explore and establish multiple streams of revenue and to evolve and grow as you mature.

What I wish I’d known when I was younger is…

I wish I’d known that being a DJ was a job that existed, and that it would become my life. I think I’d have got into it sooner if I’d known that.

Welcome To The Club: The Life And Lessons Of A Black Woman DJ (Manchester University Press) by DJ Paulette is out now