Sam Blacky: Always Flipping the Script
Nowadays, Sam Blacky is a rising name in the worldwide conversation on dance music. Once upon a time, though, her ambitions as a DJ and producer took the back burner to her career as a model.
Okay, wait, rewind — let’s go back a little further than that. Music was her first love, and there are no two ways about it. Sam Blacky (real name Samantha Black) got into house music at the tender, young age of 16. Among her favorites were Calvin Harris’ 2007 debut album I Created Disco and the challenging sounds of Boys Noize.
After attending UCLA, Black moved to Australia to complete her degree in marketing at a private university. She ended up working for a marketing company that asked her to figure out how to advertise Chupa Chups lollipops to young adults. She came up with an ingenious solution: music festivals. Her strategy succeeded — not only at expanding the Chupa Chups demographic, but also at getting her involved in music through a roundabout series of events.
“I started working for a marketing company that put on huge events and music festivals, which led me to work behind the scenes at a music management company, which then, in turn, led me into DJing,” she told VoyageLA. “When I moved back to L.A. modeling kind of fell onto my lap.”
“One of my friends, Scott Russo, told me I should meet with Jules at newMARK Models,” she told LEFAIR Magazine. “I was like, ‘What? I’m not a model!’ But Jules loved me. I was 25. That’s so old to start modeling! As far as DJing goes, I became the go-to person for all the fashion events thrown in Los Angeles. Brands like LF Stores, Scotch & Soda, Intermix, Guess, and the ZOE Report — everyone loved that I could DJ and wear their clothes too.”
Sam’s double life came with its hurdles. “I have constantly been downplayed or condescended as a DJ or artist because I began as a model,” she told VoyageLA. “It was to the point where people booking me for huge shows overseas actually would say to me after my set, ‘Wow, we are blown away by how good you were. We didn’t know you could actually DJ. We honestly just booked you because of your Instagram.’”
Sam Blacky has proven herself capable of even more, though. Now a bonafide producer with numerous charting releases under her belt, she’s clearly got what it takes to go the distance in the competitive dance music market.
Modeling was certainly a big part of Sam Blacky’s life. It got her to where she is today, though, and nobody can deny that her recent career trajectory looks even better.
