Lindsay Luv’s whirlwind career all began with her penchant and passion for all things musical. Vintage vinyl records and concerts were her early inspirations, and a degree in communications from the University of Massachusetts was her first step towards building the hugely successful brand she manages today.
Lindsay, you see, quite literally juggles it all—from running a successful lifestyle blog, LuvLifestyle, and DJing for companies like Victoria’s Secret and Agent Provocateur, to designing celeb-approved clothing in collaboration with luxury fashion designer Andrew Marc. As if that wasn’t enough, Lindsay also works as a brand music supervisor, integration specialist and music curator, proving that she’s as equally talented working behind the scenes as she is while working center stage as the talent.
Throughout her exciting, fast-paced career, Lindsay has proven one thing consistently: that she’s full of surprises! By keeping one eye focused firmly on the “here and now” and the other looking towards the future, Lindsay has been able to maintain her unique brand, which always stays fresh and exciting, never stagnant. Keeping her fans and followers on their toes is her specialty—you never know what’s next for this true Renaissance woman.
Her Starting Point
You earned your bachelor’s degree in communications studies from the University of Massachusetts. How did your degree prepare you for the career you have today? What was the most valuable class you took during your undergraduate degree?
I studied Communications in college. It was pretty broad but definitely included marketing, social media and public relations—important for my positions in music and entertainment. Honing one’s writing skills cannot be emphasized enough. This skill set helps in everyday work tasks: emails, blogging, website posts and contract work. My classes with notable professor, Sut Jhally, focusing on media, advertising and media consumption, were the most memorable and inspirational during my time at UMASS Amherst, and his progressive views on the industry helped shape my lens today.
Did you always have a passion for music? Who, or what, inspired you to pursue music as a career? How did you know this was the right path for you?
I was a music lover from birth. My parents had a pretty extensive vinyl collection of all the greats, which they recently gifted to me! I grew up with the Stones, Neil Young, Blondie, Springsteen to name a few. In high school I was the kid hitting every concert, collecting the bootleg tracks at the show, blasting tunes from my car and sharing my indie finds with anyone and everyone who would listen. I always knew I would work in music.
When I first moved to New York to pursue a career, I landed a job at the premier global digital distribution agency The Orchard, finding and bringing emerging artists into the fold and securing them a spot on iTunes. During that time as the Business Development Manager, I sidelined as an assistant on the management team of then-Columbia artists The Raveonettes with the Orchard founder and legendary songwriter Richard Gottehrer (I Want Candy, My Boyfriend’s Back) and his notable business partner Scott Cohen. The two acted as mentors and having that support—plus my ‘hands-on’ role with a favorite band’s early growth trajectory—sealed my assurance that this was the right path for me.
How and why did you decide to become a DJ? What were some challenges you faced when trying to establish yourself as a pro?
Post-The Orchard, I was the NYC Program Manager for Mess Marketing, an events/music marketing agency, where I discovered and booked indie and emerging artists for Fortune 100 client events. Some of the early talent included Chromeo, Justice, The Presets, Future Islands and Mickey Avalon, and artists that have grown to household names today.
My bookings eventually connected me with the late and great celebrity DJ AM. Our friendship blossomed based on a mutual love for discovering new music, and Adam (aka AM) suggested I spread my wings and try my hand at DJing. With so few notable female DJs at the time I was unsure but intrigued. What then started as an idea and teaching myself in an empty club basement during the day, grew rapidly into a new career overnight as clubs, brands and clients started booking me regularly. The biggest challenges included reimagining myself on the other side of the industry as a talent, teaching myself how to DJ and dealing with a largely male-based club industry that was often tough to compete in for the headlining spots.
Why did you decide to start your blog? What were some of the first steps you took to get it up and running?
I started my LuvLifestyle blog, LindsayLuv.com, as a way to put a mouthpiece behind all my action. The site functions as both a traditional website featuring all my brand details and DJ/music links, as well as a blog feed capturing my latest happenings. The first step was just securing my URL, hiring a web designer, researching blogs and sorting out my own angle and voice behind my blog. Next was to get copyrighted.
Each post generally focuses on projects I am working on or events I am DJing with a Music meets Fashion element. For example: I’d post about the Armani event I DJed and include some favorite tunes I spun at the event, personal snaps and aShop the Look section featuring my look from the night!
Her Big Break
You’ve received many an accolade for your DJ-ing, and now your fashion designs are being praised—your talents seem to know no bounds! How do you make sure that your brand is continually growing and expanding rather than staying stagnant?
I think it is important to always stay both true to oneself and a bit ahead of oneself at the same time. I stay busy in ‘the now’ but am always one step ahead prepping for ‘the then,’ aka my future. I am always focused on the task at hand; however, as both a talent and a businesswoman, I try and imagine where I see my brand and myself down the road—and then start implementing those ideas now so they can grow naturally. It also is important not to direct my brand where others may imagine it, but rather where I see and feel it. Many people assumed that, as a DJ, I would go heavily into music production, but I have seen myself more intrigued by sound design, music-meets-fashion and music direction for brands. Following your natural instincts and passions rather than assumed paths will always be a better recipe for success.
As an artist with a number of projects in the works at all times, how do you keep the creative juices flowing? Where do you find inspiration?
I think environment is very important to one’s creativity. Living in both NYC and Los Angeles has been hugely inspiring career-wise. These cities are the hubs for music and fashion and I always find inspiration in my surroundings and the places I frequent: coffee shops, lounges and even mountain hikes.
I also have been designing my studio and workspace in my new home to be bright and airy with an inviting desk, couch and DJ booth surrounded by some of my favorite music memorabilia and vinyls. It is important to make your work space your sanctuary.
Lastly, I love spending time with other creative and likeminded people, as well as staying abreast of the blogs and magazines featuring other creative types in the industry. I always keep a sketchpad nearby to doodle any designs, ideas, notes or inspiring thoughts.
Your flair for fashion and style has gone hand-in-hand with your DJing career. When did you decide to incorporate your personal style into your brand in a big way? How did you go about establishing yourself as a style maven?
I actually think my personal style incorporated itself into my brand. I have always been a girl who loves her fashion and when I started DJing, fashion brands just picked up on that combo and were excited to have a female DJ that not only could rock the tunes but also rock their styles while doing so. I definitely picked up on this and started showcasing my style and DJ looks regularly on social media. The two were just a natural pairing within my brand.
Just some of your high-profile clients include Victoria’s Secret, Agent Provocateur and GUESS. How did you land these jobs? What qualities do you think helped you along in the process of gaining clients?
I have had the opportunity to work with countless amazing brands and I think it was just a domino effect of sorts. I both naturally attract and work with all clients that simply fit my brand and my everyday life; I shop at VS, AP and GUESS and am both a fan and a natural face for these clients and the events and projects they hire me for.
I would say I secured many ongoing relationships with brands like Victoria’s Secret through delivering the goods—i.e. playing great tunes, rocking their looks, sharing the LUV, showing up on time and being dependable and pleasant to work with. Having a positive attitude, going above and beyond and simply fitting the brand and sharing that LUV are the three things that have helped me both gain and keep clients.
Her Perspective
What do you think is the most challenging thing about working independently? Does the amount of work that comes with running your own business ever overwhelm you? If so, what do you do to relax?
Working independently has its pluses and minuses like all jobs. Being one’s own boss is great because you can set your own schedule, but at the same time it is hard to ever truly turn off. In some ways it’s a scary feeling to know that your fate is yours alone to control, but when you land something big the reward feels that much more personal.
I think the biggest challenges are knowing when to turn ‘off,’ how to maintain a good balance and division of work and personal life and definitely staying on top of the financial side. Running your own business means you must be meticulous in all your accounting, money chasing, taxes and such.
I think most talents also would agree that you feel the ups and downs so personally when you are the product. It is easy to get lost in comparisons and focus on where you are lacking versus where you are succeeding. The way I combat this is trying to always stay focused by acknowledging my successes and learning from my missteps. I also maintain my health and fitness: Bar Method and hiking with my dog as well as Thai Massage to relax. But nothing beats some downtime with my family!
Do you ever find it difficult combining your interests in fashion, beauty and music into one career, or is it just something that comes naturally to you?
I think that music really sets the soundtrack to everything in life, so music really has this overarching way of connecting to everything ‘lifestyle.’ From the runways, TV shows, movies, stores and hotels, one will always find setting the mood and it is the same for me with my work. Everything easily falls into place as the brands I work with allow me to connect the dots. As someone with an insane zest for life and adventure, I find my artistic side just extends itself naturally to so many areas.
How do you maintain work/life balance? Do you ever find it difficult tearing yourself away from your work, even when you know you need some down time?
I try and make choices that are reasonable and take into account both my personal needs and those around me. For example, I always stick to my fitness plans and make sure to completely ‘turn off’ on Sundays. I turn my phone off at dinner and try to never leave it on the table when I am eating with someone so that I am present in the moment. I also try and schedule any touring well paced out so that I don’t over-extend myself and have time at home with my family and to re-group.
With that being said, when you work for yourself things often bleed into your personal space: I spent last night trying to fix an email glitch until 2:00 a.m. and often I roll over in the morning and start checking emails before I even eat breakfast. And I haven’t spent a New Years just celebrating in years. It is hard to maintain the perfect balance, but prioritizing your calendar and personal life definitely helps.
And finally, what do you wake up looking forward to? What’s next for your career?
I wake up every morning excited to see what might pop up in my email. As a talent you never really know what the next offer might be or where it will come from, so it’s especially exciting uploading your email each morning to see what may have popped up. Just yesterday, I got an offer to play in Berlin and the day before that I confirmed New Years in Dubai. And today, I am writing this interview for you! My job is full of surprises!
I don’t know that there is a ‘next up’ as much as there is a natural growth and constant evolution of opportunities. My job is always taking on exciting new developments that have music and lifestyle at the spine. I love working as the talent, but also welcome new growth in additional, behind the scenes work and biz dev. I see myself developing heavier music programs for brands through sound design, brand ambassadorships and consulting opportunities.
I also see myself exploring the hospitality industry, similar to my role as a culture insider for the Andaz Hotels and as sound designer for Ian Schrager’s Public Hotel. A goal is to be one of the first female music directors for a major hotel group or brand.
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