Lizzie Curious Talks Starting Her DJ Career, Big Break, Memorable Moments & More!

With two Billboard Number One hits to her name there is no question Lizzie Curious‘ music connects with the masses, and the universal message contained in her ‘One Day’ collaboration with Doc Brown rings true today more than ever.

Their original collaboration won over DJs and music fans alike, with its classic piano riff and Lizzie‘s powerful vocal lending it a classic house feel combined with the club edge inherent in all Unlearn‘s releases. Now just in time for the festive season, Lizzie has dropped a brand new remix. We caught up with her to get the lowdown.

How did you first get into DJing? Can you remember the first record you ever bought?

So I got into DJing back in the heady days of clubbing, whilst I was at university back in the early 00’s. I discovered this amazing world of electronic music and could be found dancing the night away at clubs like Bagleys in Kings Cross or Trinity at the Chunnel Club. I was transfixed by the music and very soon wanted to see if I could learn how to create that musical magic I was experiencing, through DJing myself.  It may sound a little cliche, but I used my student loan to buy my first pair of vinyl decks and taught myself how to mix.  In terms of the first record I ever bought… well when I wasn’t even 10 years old I remember saving up my pocket money to proudly buy coveted albums by the likes of A-Ha and Five Star (which I still have!) But the first dance music vinyl I bought came from my local record store in Guildford near London… I can’t remember the first record I bought there, but I actually managed to get myself a Saturday job there so I could get first dibs on the best tunes… and all of my wages always went straight back into buying more records!

Did you have any mentors when you first started out in your career?

When I first started out there wasn’t really anyone I knew who was into DJing, so I was completely self taught and I got my first gigs in bars and clubs around the town where I went to University. I worked really hard creating demo tapes (yep – actual cassette tapes) and started taking them to the nights in London that I loved. I eventually got my first break DJing in London at a club I loved called Feersum. In the mid 2000s I was really lucky to work with some amazing promoters who’ve really supported me with a residency, including Zoelee of Kurruption and the Knowwhere team. In the 2010s I connected with StoneBridge and over those years, he has provided me with an incredible amount of support, for which I’ll always be hugely grateful for.

Did you have a moment that you would consider your big break?

There’s been quite a few really momentous things that have happened in my career which I kind of all count as big breaks. These include my residency at Privilege in Ibiza with Robbie Rivera, getting my two Billboard Number Ones, having music played on Radio One, releasing on my fave label Toolroom Records and having the tunes supported by some of the DJs/producers I hugely respect… including Mark Knight, Roger Sanchez, and the legendary Fatboy Slim, who really got behind my collab with James Hurr ‘In Your House’!

What have been some of the most memorable performances?

I am so lucky to have had so many incredible shows all around the world.  Through my residency with Groove Cruise (the world’s largest floating dance music festival) I opened for Kaskade at the Groove Cruise 10th anniversary beach party in Cozumel which was an amazing event for thousands of GCFam, set in a stunning location. I’ve also had many brilliant shows on different Groove Cruise voyages – from pool parties, to pop-up sets in a casino, to singing live at sunset, they really hit different when you’re on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by thousands of amazing party people!  I will always also remember the incredible boat parties and full moon beach parties from when I lived on the Caribbean island of Grand Cayman. The Deep House Brunch parties run by Scotty Boy in LA also have an incredible vibe, and I can’t wait to get back out to LA next year!

As someone who clearly thrives off the interaction with the crowd, how hard did you find not being able to connect with people during the pandemic?

At first, like everyone, I found it incredibly difficult and for those first few terrible months of uncertainty and shock, I felt like I had lost my purpose. But then I started live streaming on Twitch and to be honest that really saved me. I started just as a way to see if I could share some good vibes with people during such a challenging time and as an outlet for me to play music. It’s developed into  an amazing community (my lovely Curious Crew) who tune in from all around the world. We all share a love of house music, good vibes and supporting each other. It’s a different way of performing as it’s more like doing a visual radio show than a club gig.  I also do chat a lot, which obviously you wouldn’t be doing at a club gig – but I always put in the same level of ‘curious energy’ as I would in a club. Having this way to connect and share music has become invaluable to me and going forward, streaming on Twitch will always be a huge part of what I do. And in fact now we are able to have Curious Crew meet-ups at my gigs irl, so it’s become a great way for our community to keep connected.

On your new remix of One Day, how did you approach this given you also produced the original?

So originally my remix started out as a bit of a re-edit that I wanted to make for my DJ sets. The original collab was released in June 2020, and here in the UK in late July was when we were first coming out of lockdowns… so a lot of DJ sets for me were afternoon affairs where a banging, underground tech-house tune wouldn’t have been the right vibe to play! I started working on an edit that used more of a bouncy bassline, whilst still allowing the piano and vocal to shine through.  However, after I had played it out a few times (and to my Curious Crew on Twitch!) I saw it was getting great feedback, so I reached out to DB messaged Doc Brown to see if he would be interested in releasing it as an official remix. DB really loved the remix, and brought in our fellow Groove Cruise resident Lavelle Dupree and Freshcobar to also remix the track.

How has it been working with Doc Brown and Unlearn?

Absolutely wonderful. The original One Day collaboration really fused both mine and DB’s styles together so well – whilst musically I would say DB leans much more towards the techy/underground vibe, our ethos and outlook on life and what we’d like our listeners to experience from our shows and music is very similar, so it has really been a great match.

You’re both playing Groove Cruise early next year… what makes this such a special event for you?

In January, after two very long years, the Groove Cruise family will finally be reunited in Orlando on 20th January. The GCFAM community is amazing, we really all like family and I know it’s going to be so special to all finally be back together. The voyage will bring together about 4000 like-minded souls on the biggest ship we have ever sailed on and I’m thrilled to be on the line-up alongside amazing artists including David Penn, Gorgon City, Ferry Corsten, Claud Von Stroke and so many more!

What can we expect from you next year?

Well just before the year is up I have a show that I am incredibly excited about – I am opening for Fatboy Slim in Brighton on 27th Dec! I am beyond excited for this show, and it’s also all for charity as well (The Martlets Hospice in Brighton) which makes it even more special. Two years ago I went to the same club (The Arch) to see Fatboy Slim, and now I will be back there, but this time on the DJ line-up! Then for NYE I will be headlining at an event at my favourite beach bar (which turns into an epic club by night) so I can’t wait for that. And of course then I have the Groove Cruise Orlando voyage on January 20th, along with the West Coast sailing in October 2022, both of which will be epic. I have been busy in the studio and alongside having more tracks coming out on my favourite labels, I also plan to launch my own label in 2022 as well. Alongside this, I will be continuing to stream every TUNESday and FriYAY on Twitch and looking forward to more gigs irl too.