MODGIRL.
Photo: Orlando Welsh
MODGIRL is the exuberant and stylish wave of positivity that has been making a splash on the West Coast and across the country. I first met this endearing creative at the Pines Party 2023 Pool Party, alongside fabulous vintage curator, Mitchell, of Mitchells Palm Springs. It was one of those serendipitous Pines moments of like minds meeting for the first time from across the country as Fire Island does best. I have gone on to watch her work with gusto as she continues demonstrating her fervor for music and movement, which has been her life’s work across many mediums. From Palm Springs Pride and Red Dress Party to pre-show sets for Madonna, Harry Styles, Janet Jackson, and Cyndi Lauper, MODGIRL is an established, award-winning tour de force with sincere passion for her sound and a vintage wardrobe to boot. She is a cherished icon in the heart of Palm Springs, has been a nationally-acclaimed champion for children’s health through music, and is returning to Fire Island on May 17 to deliver her signature vibe at Froot Falls along with special guest, Ana Matronic, to kick-start another summer season.
MODGIRL and I had a video chat together to talk all things music and catch up on what has been moving us lately. The following interview is edited from our conversation.
* * *
DXD: You’ve been a dancer throughout your life and created a first career of dance programs for kids. Tell us about your journey to becoming a DJ.
MG: I came to DJing by way of being a dancer, but I didn't have a choice in the matter. My mother was a dance teacher and musical theater director, and I was in her stomach while she was rehearsing Guys and Dolls. Apparently every time she rehearsed, “Sit Down, You Rockin’ the Boat,” she literally had to sit down because I loved that song and was doing triple-time tap inside of her. My aunt was also a dance teacher. My mom was more on the Fosse side and tap-dancing. My aunt was like Martha Graham running around with chiffon. And my grandfather claims he won a jitterbug contest during WWII. That's what he says. I don't know if it's true. But that has been my life. I grew up with a dance studio in my house – my bedroom was right over it. And I can only tell you how old I was by what play my mother was doing. So there was no way out. I remember my mom like teaching me from a young age and us listening to songs over and over and hearing every instrument, so music is my first language.
I later started a dance program for children and it was a natural evolution to being a DJ – finding my own style and sound. I can be quite versatile because of dancing, but I definitely have my preferences and know where I want to go.
I love the effect music has on people. I love watching, witnessing, and orchestrating. When you’re up there playing an event, you are often by yourself with the music, and you observe a lot. I really love watching different people come in, groups or individuals. A lot of times, I feel like a doctor. I prescribe a song and then see the reaction.
DXD: You have that extroverted sense to not only read a room, but also read individuals and work your way around the room hitting them all. Is there a common thread you find as you do that?
MG: For me, it's always about going to joy. That's what music does for me. It makes you feel everything. I love the songs that make me cry. I put them on repeat and just wail. But that’s not what you want to do at a party. At the same time, that's when I know the event is going well – when I am crying.
I trip out on music because we don't need it to live. We need water. We need oxygen. We need food. We need sleep. We don't need music, but I couldn't live without it. I think a lot of us would say we couldn't live without it. With my background working with kids, you can look at a toddler who doesn't know what the hell is going on in life at all and can barely stand. You can put music on and they innately move. I love that.
DXD: Your work with kids has been prolific and highly awarded. Tell us more about that and why it's been so important to you.
MG: My background is theater. Growing up, my dream was to be an actress. I went out to LA and I was working, but I was the runner-up for everything. One day I had a real epiphany to look around and ask myself what am I doing? What is this dream I'm chasing? Is it mine? Is this my mom's dream? I wasn't happy and I wasn't successful. And I thought back and asked what brings me true happiness? And it was always children and dancing. I didn't have any plans or qualifications. I just had this sense of relief. And I'm not joking, the phone rang fifteen minutes later. It was a friend of mine asking me if I knew any dance teachers, because her friend ran a multicultural performing arts camp throughout Los Angeles, and her main teacher had to move away. The next week, I was teaching 15 classes a week, and I didn't really know what I was doing. Those kids taught me to teach.
That led from one thing to another, and I created this organization called KidTribe, which started out as a freestyle rave for kids – no parents allowed. We had a disco ball, glow necklaces, and popsicles. That's where it all started. And then somebody from Burning Man donated hula hoops, and I couldn't get the kids out of them. The next thing I know, KidTribe became Hoopapalooza, and I was hula hooping with 40,000 different kids a month. When the office of former First Lady Michelle Obama called me, I thought it was a prank call. It wasn't. To be invited to the White House and hula hoop with Michelle Obama every Easter Monday for eight years remains an incredible highlight.
So that has been my trajectory. I think there's no detours. I've always followed my passion. And I know not everyone is as fortunate, but for some reason I've got the Capricorn gumption to go all in and follow the open doors with the discernment of staying true to who I am, as true as I can.
DXD: You’re based in Palm Springs. What is the scene like there in a place where they really know how to entertain?
MG: I was in LA forever and I moved to Palm Springs to be closer to my mom, who I lost a couple years ago. She needed help and I thought I would come spend a year here, wash LA out of my soul, wear a muumuu, and hang out with my mom. I had no idea that this is the most social place on planet Earth. It's nonstop parties amidst these architectural masterpieces. You find yourself dancing in Frank Sinatra's living room asking yourself if these walls could talk – it gets emotional for me.
92262 is apparently the gayest zip code in America. It's such a warm and welcoming community, and they really love to party. As a DJ, I find myself sometimes having two to three gigs a day. I recently had the honor of headlining the Red Dress Party, and it was next-level. You get to witness the creativity that shows up in these outfits, the outpouring of love, and the production value with 5,000 wild maniacs all dressed in red. It's just the best.
DXD: You also have a weekly radio show on Sundays with KGAY 106.5 based in Palm Springs. What do you love most about that radio spot that you can’t do with your live sets?
MG: I have the KGay Sunday Tea Dance, 4-6pm, PST. You can stream it on iHeart and kgaypalmsprings.com, and also listen to it live. Every seven days, I'm making a two-hour mix that I also have to talk over. I will wake up sometimes at six in the morning to do it. In the beginning, I used to really belabor it and now I trust myself.
I have my first couple of songs per set and then I just go with what's feeling right and feeling good. It has really helped me find who I am and express myself. When it's a rainy day, I'm gonna play a little bit more on the moodier side of nudisco. When it's around holidays or pride, I'll find the songs that are speaking to that. Thank you to the listeners for hearing my therapy. It's interesting when your profession ends up being the thing that is and was your passion. It's a lot of fun and it has created a platform for me. The feedback I get is amazing. And now I've come to such a place of trusting my intuition.
Before my sets, I feel my feet on the floor, I breathe into my heart, I extend my heart out in a circle, and I ask the music to speak to me. When I give myself permission to be all of me, both the powerhouse badass and the joyful little girl that's jumping on her bed with maracas, I'm inviting all of you. Do you need drugs and alcohol to find your freedom? Can you get lost? Can you find yourself in the same moment? What a gift to be able to do that.
DXD: You’re also known for your energy and bubbly personality. During difficult times, how do you shift yourself into showtime mode so that you can do the same for the dance floor and create that space of escape?
MG: Funny you say showtime, that gave me chills. Well, I did grow up with a musical theater mother. I would say the hardest period of life was after she died, and I had gig after gig after gig. Sometimes I would have to kneel down because I was crying at the decks, but she taught me that the show must go on. With my theater training and doing eight shows a week, you have to leave your shit on the doorknob and show up. Like I said earlier, I'm a true extrovert and music is my oxygen. So something does happen. I could be crying in the car. I could be crying on the way into the club. I could be feeling so alone. And then I turn on the music and it genuinely takes me there. Then I leave the experience in a much better place than I started.
For me, it's also a job in the same way for a Broadway performer or any kind of performer where you have to go on and you have to shine. Thank God I had that place to go where I could express, where I could feel, where I could turn it off and remember that I am a happy person. Thank God when the world is falling apart, I have a safe place that I can go, that I can create, and that we can share this moment together.
DXD: Is there an artist or a specific track that's inspiring you lately?
MG: Where do I start? “Gabriel,” by Travis Emmons. I'm going nuts for that. I love Cassimm. He honors the nostalgic classics, but hits it with today so it's more full. Anything he does, everything he does. Where I'm at right now, I can't get enough of Kings of Tomorrow’s “Fall For You,” Sandy Rivera's classic mix. That's the song that I will play to dance in my living room – full leaping, modern, sweaty.
And of course, anything David Penn does. I can't wait to be his friend. He doesn't know it yet, but he doesn't have a choice in the matter. He will know. I also like Moon Boots. I just met Pete from Moon Boots, and I really love his sound too. I saw Bob Moses kill it at Coachella at his surprise set at DoLaB, and it was very moving. Love Bob Moses. I think I'm in a downtempo phase right now.
DXD: Three things you love seeing at parties?
MG: 1. It truly gives me life to see someone completely in their own world, connecting with the music and dancing their heart out. Sometimes I observe how people move, how they get lost in the moment, how they’re having an intimate experience with their own soul, and it makes me tear up.
2. I love it when people support each other on the dance floor, when they cheer each other on, when dance circles naturally occur, when there is a welcoming and loving energy amongst the crowd. It brings me so much joy to see the harmony and joy that happens when you play the right song.
3. I love seeing disco balls. Whoever invented the disco ball is my favorite person ever.
* * *
Thank you MODGIRL! You can catch her spinning in the Pines this Saturday, May 17, at the Annual Opening of Froot Falls with Ana Matronic. Silly hats mandatory. Keep up with her on Insta, SoundCloud, and DJMODGIRL.com.
Xx,
