Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiffany Karam.
Hi Tiffany, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My name is Tiffany aka “Ysheso___”! I am an Atlanta native and have been a house music DJ for the last seven years in this amazing city. My love for music started off when I was in middle school and I learned how to play piano. Being able to hit those keys and create sounds really opened up my eyes and ears to the beauty of music. I was also always that friend that would make you curated CDs, playlists and tapes as gifts all the time, even when it wasn’t your bday.
Fast forward to college, I started going out with some friends (shout out to Donna :D) to some local underground house music parties and I fell in love with deep house music. I knew that I wanted and needed to connect with this type of music further and decided to buy my own controller and teach myself how to DJ. It started out with FB lives > putting myself out there with mixes on SoundCloud> meeting different promoters in the music scene who were throwing amazing parties > authentically and genuinely creating connections with other music lovers and party throwers> getting booked by those promoters, DJ’s/Producers> finding my sound and taking it to the next level with production > playing domestic and international shows >>> all got me to where I am at now.
Where I am at now: I am part of a DJ collective called Project B. who are amazing event throwers and curators of quality music experiences and quality people. They were one of the first crews who gave me a shot seven years back and to them, I will always be grateful and thankful.
I can now also call myself a producer in addition to being a DJ. I have put out three tracks so far that are available on all streaming platforms! This is all to say that I have the best production partner ever – shoutout to the very special Jafari Jeter aka Farro Jarro for teaching me everything I needed to know in the studio and for being a part of my music journey from the start.
As far as amazing shows I have played over the years– I have gotten the opportunity to open up for acts such as Bonobo, Maya Jane Coles, Eli & Fur, Lee Burridge, Moon Boots, Lubelski and many more amazing headliners and local talent. I’ve also gotten the chance to play in one of my fav cities in the U.S. several times — aka NYC–one of fav shows there being at TBA in Brooklyn and many other great shows/venues in surrounding southern cities in the South!
I recently wrapped up my first international tour in Canada! Shoutout to JFUN, from his record label Music.Art.Ppl, for the opportunity to come up to Canada (Ottawa & Montreal) and showcase my sound and energy. Me and Jordan met almost two years ago via Soundcloud. He found one of my mixes, reached out to see if I was interested in doing a guest mix and the rest is history! I also was able to host him in ATL with some shows at great local venues and bars. We had a great time and really enjoyed collaborating — one creative to another creative. I look forward to what is to come in the future with more of this creative collaboration!!
What is next for me: I plan on focusing more time in the studio and creating music for even more people to connect with. My goal is to find a record label that matches the direction I want to go in and loves my sound and vision as much as I do. I have a good feeling about what this next chapter will bring. Another exciting announcement is that in October, I will be opening up for Bob Moses at District in ATL. I have listened to them for so many years and feel blessed to have the opportunity to warm up the dance floor for them! I am really looking forward to what’s to come next for me.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I wish life as a whole was a smooth road but great things that are worth it always come with some lessons to learn and experiences to grow from. One thing that was a work in progress for me was finding out exactly what I wanted my sound to be. House has so many sub-genres and directions that you could go, as far as what music you want to explore and play out, so it was overwhelming at first to figure out what direction I wanted to go into. With time, experiences, and growth, I feel very settled with what my sound is and what represents me as a person, the whole spectrum. As people grow and change, the type of sound that represents them might change as well. I think that is the beauty of music, it can change and grow with you.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Aside from being a DJ/Producer, I work full-time as a Lead QA Engineer at a media and entertainment company. I am responsible for taking all requests from some of the biggest media/app/streaming brands in the world and making sure QA work is performed across all platforms such as mobile, web, and connected devices. I am also responsible for assigning out work to all of the QA team, leading daily team meetings, discussing process flows with other managers and a lot of other rewarding tasks! It is super fulfilling because I feel as if my work is meaningful and I can see directly how it affects the company. It is also very fulfilling to know that both my music world and my career world are meaningful and impactful to others.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
I think being genuine and humble in anything that I do is what is important to me and is what truly matters. Every interaction, every time I collaborate, every time I do anything I want to do it with the most authentic and real energy. It really goes a long way especially in relationships and connections. Whether that is personal or professional relationships — the real ones will always show! Every opportunity that has come my way has been authentic and natural and it is because I have stayed true to myself, I’ve stayed genuine, and I always remember where I came from and where I want to go next.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ysheso.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ysheso____
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ysheso/
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/ysheso___
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/ysheso
Image Credits
Dan Almasy – personal photo and all portrait photos Sara Islas – the photos in the club / action shots
