Interview with Kiki Doll

Interview with Russian DJ and Producer: Kiki Doll

6/30/2018

Kiki Doll is a Russian DJ and Producer with releases on Armada Deep, No Definition, Whore House, Which Bottle?, Tiger Records, and Rawtone to name just a few. Many of her singles have made it to the top of the Beatport charts and has opened many doors for her to play in a multitude of countries.

Tell us about how went from a professional tennis player to chart-topping producer?
I started writing lyrics when I was ten years old and started making melodies for them when I turned twenty. Coming from a professional sporting background gave me a lot of great qualities that have been really beneficial in my journey as a producer. For instance, my stubbornness to win, endurance, and taking things step by step in order to keep moving forward without giving up.

Your style has certainly changed over time from sort of a Pop style to what many would call Jackin’ House or Nudisco. What led to this shift in creative vision?
I wouldn’t necessarily call it a shift because there’s going to be a wide range of tracks coming out on very established labels in the coming weeks and months. They all have their own kind of vibe but for me, it is just music made with passion to keep the dance floors moving.

You’ve been quite prolific over the past few years, what is your secret to putting out so many high-quality tracks?
In the studio you will find my “other side.” I am a very passionate producer and loving working together with other talented people like Luca Debonaire, Rio Dela Duna, Damon Grey, Robert Feellgood and others. The ideas for the tracks come to life usually after a few hours thanks to that special Kiki Doll juice and I can finish them in about a day. After that, then I send them to a few of my DJ friends so they can play them to see how people react to it on the dance floor.

A post shared by KIKIDOLL (@kikidollmusic) on Feb 26, 2017 at 10:51am PST

What was it like to throw down at SLAM ADE 2017?
Was really amazing! It meant a lot to know that my music and presence made it through to the SLAM A&R team and that they wanted to have me on. They asked me to do a one-hour mix which was a great opportunity to showcase myself and I think it went extremely well!

What have been some of your most memorable moments on the stage?
I had one strange moment when I played first time in Ibiza. The Pioneer setup was so old and broken-up that one moment, all of my music stopped playing but the people just kept on dancing! It was pretty funny to watch but the sound was fixed after a few minutes and everything went back to normal.

What inspired you to start own label, Doll Recordings, and what sort of goals do you have for it?
I set up Doll Recordings to release my own productions as well as music I really believe in. My goal is to put out really progressive and evolutionary tracks. Starting from August of 2018, we will be releasing a monster tracks straight into the charts every two or three weeks!

A post shared by KIKIDOLL (@kikidollmusic) on Mar 15, 2017 at 4:33am PDT

What other sort of hobbies do you have?
I love to travel and read. Some might even consider me a travel addict! Whenever I’m on the plane or before I go to bed, I always have two or three books with me. I just really love learning new things and delving deeper into the stuff that I’m already interested in.

What have been some of your favorite travel destinations and where do you look forward to going to next?
My favorite places are Ibiza, Miami, New York, and Bali but I always find myself coming back to Ibiza to play and set the place ablaze! I couldn’t really say where I’m looking forward to going to next because my travel plans are usually really spontaneous. Sometimes I’ll have four flights a week!

What sort of words of advice would you give for other female producers or DJs out there looking to break onto the scene?
Honestly, I think the female DJ have to give 500% to get taken seriously compared to our male DJ/Producers. There’s a lot of competition and it’s not easy to get yourself out in front. As long as you never give up, keep showing off your talents, and get as much exposure as you case, you’ll be on the right track to getting to where you want to be. Anything is possible!

What has been the proudest moment of your career thus far and what are you looking to accomplish next?
Hands down, my proudest moment was getting a release on the Armin Van Buuren’s Armada label under the Armada Deep. Looking towards the future, well you’ll just have to keep following to see everything I’ve got coming up! Lots of great tracks and surprises are on their way so keep in touch!