We caught up with Brandi Cyrus to get the lowdown on her EDC Las Vegas set, her Wynn Nightlife residency, her podcasts, and more!
If you were to meet Brandi Cyrus at any moment, you may find her in a few of her elements. From a successful DJ career and long-time equestrian to co-hosting two podcasts, advocating for horse conservation, interior design projects, and other ventures, there’s so much more to her than meets the eye. The multi-faceted girl boss is going after her passions and not letting anyone or anything stand in her way.
Fans appreciate Brandi Cyrus’ unique blend of dancefloor-fueled tracks and country spice in her sets, often playing original remixes and mashups of the two genres. Since launching onto the dance music scene as a DJ, she has taken her talents internationally. This year has seen her play at festivals like Hangout Festival, EDC Las Vegas, and Stagecoach, with more performances at Lollapalooza, Electric Forest, and Stampede Music Festival lined up.
Recently garnering a Wynn Nightlife residency with sets at Encore Beach Club and XS in Las Vegas, Brandi Cyrus is continuing her momentum as she climbs industry ranks. As she preps for the summer season ahead, we sat down with the star to get her insight on playing EDC Las Vegas, fan interactions, how she hypes up the crowd, and much more. Keep on reading for our full conversation!
Stream Sorry We’re Stoned with Tish & Brandi Cyrus on Spotify:
Thank you for chatting with us today, Brandi! I wanted to dive into your recent set at EDC Las Vegas. It was your first time playing, and you packed out the yeeDC! saloon. With all the magic of EDC, what were some magical or stand-out moments from your set? What did it mean to you to play?
I was so excited to get to play this year. EDC has definitely been on my radar and has been a bucket list festival for me, so I was super pumped to play it this year. I don’t think anything can prepare you for what EDC is like. The minute we walked up, we entered from the very top of the racetrack, so to look down and get to see the aerial view of the entire grounds was so cool. [Insomniac] builds their own world out in the middle of the desert. It was so freaking cool to see it and be a part of it.
My stage was actually smack dab in the middle of it in Downtown EDC. We had to walk through the whole thing to even get to the stage, so I got to see quite a bit. The saloon was inside; a lot of the stages at EDC are outside, so it was a totally different dynamic. It was intimate the way everybody was able to pack in; there was so much energy.
The thing I love about dance music festivals is that even though there’s all this energy and all these people, there’s this peaceful element to everybody. It’s really hard to explain; everyone there is so happy. People have their little groups and their little festival crew. I think the special thing about EDC is everyone is handing out kandi and their bracelets and sharing; everyone is giving gifts to each other. And so, for me, the coolest part of my set was getting to interact with everybody during it, trade bracelets, accept gifts, and take kandi from everybody that was there. By the time my set was over, I literally had bracelets all the way up to my elbows. It was so cool; it was such a special feeling.
That’s so awesome. Yeah, I saw the photo you posted on Instagram with stacks of kandi and perlers that people gave you. How did the energy of the crowd or the fan reactions compare to other festivals?
What’s so cool about EDC is that it’s one of the few dance music festivals where you get all these different genres across the map. Even if you’re a fan of a specific style of music, everybody is so open-minded, and everybody goes to each stage to get a taste of all the music. A lot of people discover new genres of EDM that they weren’t familiar with, and they love it.
To me it seemed like a mix of people that have seen me play before, and I had a lot of people come up to me and say they had seen me at Electric Forest the year before. So I did have some of those fans. But then there were a ton of new people who said, “Oh, my gosh! I came to see you, and I didn’t know what to expect, but I’m so glad we did. You were so fun and so great.” For me, it’s always fun to make those new fans and help grow my audience in this genre of music.
I love that! I actually caught you at Electric Forest, so I was one of those fans who definitely got more exposed to you and your style there. Were you able to catch any other sets at EDC or explore the festival on your own?
Oh, my gosh! I wish I could have, but I had come from Hangout Festival the day before, and we had traveled all day [from Alabama]. The journey was quite extensive, and unfortunately, I didn’t get to catch many other sets. I did get to meet a few people backstage; that was fun. I got to meet Green Velvet, and it was super cool to see him back there. I saw a couple of old friends as well, like my buddy James Kennedy, who was playing, too.
It feels like a family in a way; I know a lot of those DJs know each other, and they work together, and it’s cool to go back there and network a little bit, see old friends, and make new ones. I would love to play again next year, but either way, I’d love to go back and stay a couple of days and get to do it right and see more of it, because it really, truly was one of the coolest festivals I’ve ever seen.
I’m sure you will get another opportunity. There’s honestly so much to see there, but it sounds like you did have a good time from what you were able to do. So, pivoting a little bit here, I wanted to say congratulations on your Wynn Nightlife Residency for this year! Can you walk us through how you prepare for these club sets? What are your favorite ways to hype up the crowd?
So, what’s interesting about Wynn is that really, every show is so different. I never know what to expect, and I think Wynn’s talent roster is so across the board, which is such a cool thing. Some days I play, and people show up and want to hear country and some of those country dance remixes and more mainstream music. Other times, I show up and start playing a little bit of that, and if that’s not catchy, I switch to playing more house and tech house. People love that. I kind of have to go into it without planning a set. I’ll feel it out as I go because you never know what the crowd there is going to want.
I play at Encore [Beach Club] and XS, two completely different venues. At XS, I get to play a little bit more of that harder style of electronic music, a little bit of trap and dubstep, and kind of play around a little bit more there in the nightclub. I’m loving it so much.
My favorite way to hype everybody up is, I love to get up on top of the booth, jump around and dance, and point to people and call them out on the mic. I know a lot of people will hold up phone signs and say it’s their birthday or they’re getting married or other things, so I’m able to shout out different people and try to sneak a few people from the crowd back into the booth if I can. That totally makes their day, and I love being able to do that.
I’ve seen all these videos on TikTok and Instagram of you standing in the booth and dancing to your music; it looks like a blast, and the crowd loves it, too.
It really is so fun. I try to stick around after my set and take pictures with anybody who wants to, especially at Encore. That’s been a cool way to actually meet the fans and get to talk to people face-to-face. That makes it such a more personal experience, and that’s one of my favorite parts about it.
You also recently celebrated your birthday in Nashville while playing a show there, which looked like a fun time. You did mention that you have so much to be thankful for and that you’re ready to have your best year yet. What are a few goals that you have as you enter this next year of life?
Yeah, I feel there are so many things that I have been working toward for a while now that I finally am starting to check off. The Wynn residency was a big one. I’ve always wanted to play more festivals and get on more of those festival billings; I’ve been able to do that this year which has been so awesome. Those are always some of my favorite shows.
Looking forward, I want to do more of that. I want to be back at Wynn next year, and I want to play festivals. What I’d love to break into is playing some more international festivals. I got to go to South America a couple of years ago and play some of the biggest shows I’ve ever played, so I would love to explore that more internationally.
Another thing for me that’s exciting is that I’m finally going to release some original remixes this year that I’ve been working hard on. I would love to do more of that and maybe even collaborate on some original songs in the future.
Awesome. Yeah, we’re excited for those remixes. I know you’re sprinkling them throughout all your sets, and it’ll be great to see those released.
Yes, I’m so excited, and it’s been fun to work with everyone. You know, some of the women are friends of mine. Lainey [Wilson] is an inspiration; I’m such a big fan of her. So to get to make these [remixes] for some really cool chicks is a fun thing to do.
So, you’re a woman of many talents and passions; you DJ, you’ve acted, you’re a podcast host, interior designer, blogger, and equestrian. What else would you love to pursue or try if you find the time in your busy schedule?
Oh, my gosh, I don’t see a world where I have time for anything else. [Laughs] The one thing I’ve always wanted to pick up, and I never have time to do is I would love to learn how to play tennis. I know that’s so silly, but I have so many friends that play. So, if I ever do have enough free time, I’m going to learn how to play tennis. It’s a good hobby to have in your back pocket as you get older, especially.
Jumping off that last question, how do you take time for yourself in your schedule? What are your preferred ways to unwind among all the craziness?
For me, being outside is my favorite way to unwind and recharge. I know you mentioned I’m an equestrian. I’ve ridden horses my entire life, and I’m blessed enough to be able to live in a place where I have a few in my backyard. So for me, I make it a point to come home as much as possible, even if it’s just for a few days. I’ll take the extra flight or the late flight to get home a day early so that I can spend time doing stuff like that.
The horses for me, I’ve done it literally since I was five years old. My dad put me on a horse. There’s something about them that is so grounding. It’s been so good for my soul, and to be able to have that to balance the crazy world of entertainment that I’ve put myself in has been such a lifesaver for me. I hold it as such a high priority, and I do my best to make it a priority because it is so important for my mental health.
You’re currently a part of two amazing podcasts, one of them being Your Favorite Thing with Wells Adams and the other being Sorry We’re Stoned with your mom. You’ve had many guests across both of these podcasts over the years. Who else would you absolutely love to have come on that hasn’t yet?
Oh, man, we have had some good guests. I’ll tell you one that we’re after right now that I hope happens: Nikki Glaser. I think she’s so funny. She would be hilarious on Sorry We’re Stoned. We don’t really do guests as much on Your Favorite Thing because Wells likes to control the show. [Laughs] But, I think it’d be cool to have some musicians on that one. Wells is a big music guy, too, so having somebody like Noah Kahan would be super cool on YFT, so maybe I’ll put that out into the universe. Maybe Noah will come on some time. I think [Wells] would say yes to Noah. He’s a big fan of his, too.
You’ve worked with your mom on various projects, like the Cyrus vs Cyrus interior design show on Bravo and your current weekly podcast. Being so close with your mom and as best friends, what is the best advice your mom has ever given you?
That’s a good question. Best piece of advice… oh my gosh, she’s going to kill me! “Stay away from boys.” [Laughs] And she’s right, because every time I get into a relationship, shit hits the fan. I know that’s a silly one. But I think another one, both my parents raised us to make sure that whatever we choose to do with our lives, that it’s something that we enjoy, makes us happy, and that we’re doing it for us and nobody else. And [my mom] has always been so supportive of that.
I think in the beginning, when I told her I was going to start DJing, she probably thought I was crazy. Now, she sees how hard I’ve worked and how far I’ve come with it, and she’s so supportive. Even though I’ve had a lot of ups and downs with it, and there have been times when I’ve thought, “Should I quit?” she has been my cheerleader. She’ll tell me, “No, this is something you really love. You’ve worked so hard.” She’s always been the ultimate cheerleader and my go-to person for advice along the way, and that’s been invaluable.
Coming to our last question, what else can we expect from you in 2024? Is there anything you can share with us, or do you have any final words for fans?
Yeah, I still have a couple of really exciting festivals coming up on the horizon. Electric Forest is in a few weeks. I can’t wait to be back there, and then I’m playing Lollapalooza in Chicago this year, which I’m excited about. I got to play Lollapalooza in South America, and it was my favorite show I’ve ever played. Getting to play one here in the US is going to be so fun, and I have two sets. I’m actually playing on Thursday and Friday, so people have two chances to come to see me. I also have definitely two of these remixes that are going to be coming out very, very soon. So be on the lookout for that.
How fun! Any hints as to what remixes they are?
Hmm, what can I say? I’ll say that one is with a girl who’s been coming out with me at all my festival sets. So, if you’ve been to any of the festivals I’ve played and seen my special guest, that’ll be your big hint.
Oh, we will look for those. Well, that’s all I have for you today. Thank you again, Brandi!
Thanks, so much!
