By ANGELIN YEOH
alltherage@thestar.com.my

WHILE everyone else is looking forward to letting themselves get lost in the moment at year-end parties, Angela Francesca Tan, 28, is gearing up for what is set to be the busiest period of her career.

“I have events booked from Christmas eve to the New Year. I’ll be very busy but it’s something I’m very excited for as well, as I get to be there (at the deejay console) watching everyone have a good time,” said Tan, better known as DJ Faith Angela during an interview in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Tan admitted to being a “hardcore clubber” during her days as a pre-university student. After a while, Tan realised she might as well be up there entertaining the crowd and making a living while she’s at it.

“I used to dress up according to the clubs’ different themes – that’s how enthusiastic I was about clubbing!” she said, laughing. “Becoming a deejay was a different story though.”

In 2007, Tan enrolled herself in deejay-ing school and found herself juggling a lot of things at once.

“I had to manage my job as an account planner and going to deejay classes at night. At the same time, my mum wasn’t too keen on the idea of her only daughter getting into the deejay scene. It took a while to convince her.”

Tan added that making it as a female deejay in a very male-dominated industry is not easy. Most female deejays tend to burst on the scene and then slowly fade into obscurity.

“There are a lot of misconceptions about female deejays. Some people think we’re just eye candy. They assume female deejays can only get the crowd going if they are dressed a certain way.”

There is also a lot of pressure on female deejays to not “mess up”.

“Because there best online casino are so few of us in the industry, people will remember when you slip up. We have to carry ourselves well and maintain a high level of professionalism at all times.”

Determined to not let the sceptics get her down, Tan said she is “constantly learning and keeping herself updated.”

“On days when I’m not spinning in the club, I get out and learn. I’ll sit at different places to study the atmosphere and learn what keeps the crowd going. Before I accept an invitation to play at a new place, I always study the location first. I can’t go in and assume people are going to like whatever I play.”

Tan’s hard work eventually paid off when she came in third at the Capital FM Deejay competition in 2008 and won the Readers’ Choice Award at the 2009 JUICE DJ Quest.

But the go-getter is not done yet. In fact, she’s now learning how to be a producer under the tutelage of DJ Fuzz.

“It’s basically having to learn from scratch again. It’s a very important step to take if I want to keep producing fresh and exciting music for my crowd.”

Tan also has a very important word of advice to others out there keen on being full-time deejays, and it’s one you’d never expect to hear from a self-confessed party animal.

“You have to complete your studies first. It helps to have a diploma or a degree if you want people to take you seriously in this industry. It shows you’re willing to work hard and be passionate about learning to get better at what you do.”