We caught up with Lady Faith at EDC Las Vegas and discussed the rise of hardstyle in America, what playing the festival means to her, and much more!
Lady Faith is doing everything in her power to bring hardstyle to the masses. She has dedicated over a decade of her life to the genre, amassing countless beloved fans and hardstyle enthusiasts along the way. From her early days learning to mix on vinyl to performing at some of the world’s biggest festivals, Lady Faith has only continued to make a name for herself in the scene.
Her mission is not only to cater to her supporters but to expose everyone to the incredible sounds of the genre. Her fan-favorite releases, like “Supernova,” “Party” and recent track “Lights Out,” and her signature high-octane remixes have captivated audiences; through remixing pop tracks known by the general public and adding her own genre-twist, she’s extending a welcome invitation for all to experience the allure of hardstyle.
We jumped at the opportunity to catch up with Lady Faith at EDC Las Vegas this year to get her thoughts on everything from American Hard Dance and the magic of the festival to her new music and more. Check out our full interview with her!
Watch the full interview with Lady Faith on YouTube:
Hey everybody, it’s Hannah with EDM Identity, and we’re here with Lady Faith at EDC Las Vegas. How’s your EDC been so far?
Amazing. I’ve only been here for just a short couple of hours, but I’ve already gotten very festive, and I’m enjoying being home.
You’re playing the wasteLAND stage here tomorrow. How did you prepare for your set? How are you feeling about it?
I’m feeling very good about it. I wish it was tonight. I don’t like waiting. And everyone who knows me knows I hate waiting, but I can’t wait for tomorrow. I got a lot of special tracks that I’ve made for this set, so I’m looking forward to playing there tomorrow.
Awesome. We’re really looking forward to it. I heard that you’re actually playing one new original release and two new bootlegs. Can you give us some more insight into these brand-new records that you prepared for EDC?
Well, the original track is called “Lights Out.” It’s going to be out June 6 on my label Scantraxx. I’m very proud of it. It’s super melodic beautiful hardstyle that everyone knows with a small hard techno influence in it here and there. I’m really excited because I haven’t done a very euphoric track in a long time, so I’m really, really looking forward to the feedback that I’m going to get from the fans. And the bootlegs, they’re kind of a secret, but I’ll tell you guys. I did a remix of blink-182‘s, “All the Small Things.” One of my favorite tracks ever. And “Style” by Taylor Swift.
Oh my gosh! I feel like those are songs that people may not expect to hear.
No, they’re not. They’re not. It’s just going to kind of come out of nowhere and hit them in the face, and we’ll see how they feel about it.
Your tracks always highlight outside influences, whether Persian instruments, political speeches, or other genres like hard techno. Your style spans multiple genres and influences. Where is your sound heading next?
As usual, as you said, I like to experiment a lot with my sound and what I say in my music, so that’s going to continue. I’m really inspired by the new hard techno movement, so I would love to incorporate that a little bit more into my music and see where it takes me, but still keeping within the [hardstyle realm.] Because I’m a hardstyle purist and my fans know this about me, so I still like to keep that, experiment a little bit with hard techno, and see where it goes. And maybe other genres, you never know. I get inspiration from all sorts of different genres.
I feel like many hardstyle artists have been playing hard techno recently, too. There are a lot of crossovers there.
They really have. Yeah, I like the fact that they’re embracing it. It’s pretty cool.
And you’re no stranger to EDC Las Vegas. You’ve played many times over the years. What makes this festival special for you?
This was the first big festival I was ever invited to play, and the first-ever hardstyle stage that was here was in 2012 when Q-dance came here and it was this massive king with a crown over his head, which was very special. And I got to open for Headhunterz, which was even more special. And it’s just always had a very, very special place in my heart because it was the first major production company in the U.S. that actually gave Hardstyle a chance. So I’m forever grateful. This is my home. I love Insomniac to death, and I’m just really happy and grateful to be here.
Coming back every year, what are some important lessons that you’ve learned when preparing for your sets?
Not to wear high heels, but I do anyway because I like pain, and fashion is pain. [Laughs]
Fashion is pain, but it’s worth it.
Yes. [Laughs] But just be yourself and play what you think is best. And I know my fans very well, and I know what they like and what they don’t like, so I always come armed with a lot of fun, amazing explosive tracks that I know they want to hear, and just keep it really, really fun and exciting for them. And that’s what I try to do every year.
People always look forward to your high-energy sets. So everybody knows you for your hardstyle beats, but is there anyone else that you’re looking forward to seeing at the festival, even outside of hardstyle? Any other artists that you might want to see while you’re here?
Well, I would love to check out Alison Wonderland tonight because I love the female artists very, very much, and if I can get to experience their sets would be amazing. I did a remix for her track called “Fuck U Love U.” I would love to go check out her set and see what she plays, and hopefully she plays my track.
Yeah, that’d be so surreal for you, I’m sure.
Yeah. And at the kineticFIELD. Oh my God.
Speaking of kinetic, if you ever got to play kineticFIELD, what would be the track that you would open with?
Oh my God. Maybe my “God Is A Woman” remix by Ariana Grande. I think that would be the perfect track.
You’ve seen the hard dance scene evolve throughout the years. Where do you personally see it heading in America?
I see it getting bigger, bigger, and better. And I’m putting that out there in the universe, even if… Let’s just say that I’m going to make sure that it’s going to get bigger and better because this is something that I’ve dedicated more than a decade of my life to, and I would like to see it flourish like all the other genres that are out there right now that we see that are massive. So I think hardstyle is one of the most beautiful EDM genres in the world, and if you haven’t experienced it, please come to the Basscon stage, and watch us. Or if you’re in your own state or anywhere else in the world, and you hear hardstyle, you have to go. You have to check it out because it’s truly an amazing, glorious genre. So I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that we get bigger, just bigger.
It’s been crazy to see everything growing, especially in the States here over the years too, and you’re definitely contributing to it.
Thank God, I’ll knock on wood. [Laughs]
Finally, your journey to get to this point has been quite the wild ride, from moving to the States, working a day job in IT, and becoming a high-profile DJ now, of course. What advice do you personally have for women who may want to expand in their careers, or maybe in any field, and follow their dreams?
I’d say work really hard. Make sure you’re the best that you can be at whatever craft you have because this is a very competitive world we live in, so it doesn’t matter if you’re a female or minority or anything like that, you will get where you want to go and be successful as long as you put your absolute all into it. Never take no for an answer. Keep trying, keep trying, keep trying. Your dreams will come true one day. It may take a long time, but it will get there. But you have to be consistent and absolutely dedicated to what you love the most.
Great advice. Thank you so much for talking with us today!
Thank you. My pleasure.
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