Before HARD Summer kick’s off, we wanted to get deep and personal with Austrailian DJ, Alexandra Sholler, AKA Alison Wonderland. Within the last five years, under the DJ name with a Lewis Carol pun, this EDM icon has hit the charts and been at the top, showing the world that gender is not an obstacle which will weigh her down.
This year, Alison Wonderland’s set at HARD summer is going to be something no festival-goers will want to miss, especially since she’s keeping it a secret from us. Check out her HARD playlist below along with our interview with the EDM Icon.
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Courtesy of Alison Wonderland
**You’ve been working your ass off to get to this position, not just under Alison Wonderland, but, in life and in practice. What would you say has been a driving force for you as an artist to motivate yourself, even through tough times, and get you where you need to be?**
My biggest motivation is my passion. I am the type of person who doesn’t do anything unless I have passion. Having belief in yourself is a really powerful thing and that’s pretty much the reason why I’m still here: is believing and truly being who I am.
**When you were first starting out, did you have a certain idea of fame that you would reach and say, “this means I really made it”? Did you exceed that idea?**
No. I never ever had that in my mind. Not once. For me, making it is defined by feeling full in my soul. I never really did music to be famous. Or to “make it.” I also feel like the minute I think I’ve made it is the minute I should quit, because then I’ve become complacent.
**I’ve read in other interviews that when you collaborate with other artists, you like to get to know them deeper, you're real and honest and hold each other’s secrets. I think that's pretty refreshing to hear, have you seen others respond well to this? Like a studio-fight club?**
Ya, this is still how I practice in the studio. For me, I think it’s really important to feel comfortable in front of the other artist. You know, in order to really express your feelings properly! Those secrets.. we take to the grave. I’ve found that other artists have responded really well and we always get something much more meaningful out of the session.
**I’m sure you would rather be known as an artist foremost over a token female DJ and Producer, but to many young women you are representing an underrepresented class. Can you shed some light on what it’s like being one of the biggest names in EDM as a woman?**
For me, I let my art speak for me. Not focusing on my gender is what I believe has gotten me past those stereotypes. I think for me, the less you talk about it, the more being a woman in this industry becomes normalized. I don’t really want to talk about. I just want to be a strong figure in this industry, regardless of my gender- which I hope gives other women the confidence to put themselves out there.
Courtesy of Alison Wonderland
**Something I love about you is your honesty as an artist, and it’s very heartfelt that you’ve opened up about your mental health. I know it must be difficult to talk about it, but doing so has helped so many young listeners who might also feel lost or alone, or disengaged with the world. Can you talk a little about how your journey with music helps open up your emotions to fans about making mental health issues less taboo?**
Opening myself up with my mental health isn’t really something I do on purpose. What you see is what you get with me and as I’ve said many times: I’m unapologetically myself. I think using this platform- not to romanticize depression and anxiety is something that I feel is very important. So when I do speak about my own struggles, I make sure that it’s important for people to know that there is a solution and that it’s not cool to use that as a crutch. I think it’s also important for people who feel like their alone know that there are other people, especially artists that they listen to, are going through the same thing as them. No one is lesser than anyone else. No one is more important than anyone else. And for me, it’s important for me to put myself and stay on the same level as everyone else. I think that I’ve always owed it to my art and music to write about very real issues that I’m going through. It’s almost therapeutic. Sometimes, I write about mental illness and I’ve never really had any doubt with putting myself out there. I almost can’t help it. Once I realized that people were actually listening to me, I made sure that when I did speak about what I was going through, I said it in a way where I could give other people hope.
**What’s been your favorite festival that you’ve performed at this year?**
My favorite festival that I’ve performed at this year is going to be.. My own Red Rocks show**.**
**HARD Summer is approaching, and we wanna know if you have something special in store for your fans at your HARD set?**
100%. But I don’t give away my secrets.
**Do we have some new work to look forward to in 2020? Are there other non-music projects that you like to work on?**
I think I only really ever work on music. So you have a lot to look forward to in 2020! As well as 2019. I have a lot of music that I’m working on right now but I just can’t talk about it yet.
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Catch the set at HARD Summer Saturday August 3rd!
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