Interview: Nakadia on her inspiring autobiography

Nakadia started her music career in 2003. After 1,600 performances across 76 countries, it’s fair to say she’s become a leading name in the industry. But the route to success isn’t always easy – something that she had to learn the hard way. In her autobiography, Positive Energy – Becoming Nakadia, she sets the record straight.

The book takes you along her rollercoaster of a journey. But even after the ups and downs – she’s still the same girl she used to be. Just one look at her Instagram shows this. You’ll find her dancing on the street or making playful skits. It’s true what they say – her positive energy is contagious.

We caught up with Nakadia to find out more about her debut book and what she’s been up to.

What did you want the book to raise awareness for?

First of all, I thought it would be a great chance to inspire people during this hard time. Not only DJs but anyone who might think about giving up what they love doing. My book proves that for any problem there is a solution, and whenever it seems that all is lost, a new opportunity comes around the corner. This was my main intention during the hard times of the Covid crisis. But secondly, I also wanted to tell the people about our industry, who I am, and why I am where I am today. So many people have no idea and judge me totally wrong. Other colleagues spread lies and hate about me, so I finally wanted to get my story out and put things straight. Even my best friends told me they had no idea what I had been through, and major artists publicly showed big respect after reading the book. They all proved my point by telling me they had the totally wrong idea about me.

What gave you the positive energy to write the book?

I actually started writing the book already in 2008, as I wanted to inspire Thai people with my story. But I never had the time and discipline, between all my flights and hangovers, to actually get somewhere with my writing. Then, during the Corona crisis, a major movie production company asked me for my story, and as I had to write it down anyway, I decided to use the time to write my book finally. A 14-day quarantine in Mauritius in December gave me the perfect opportunity; Seb (my manager and co-author) and I wrote nearly half the book during that time.

Do you think this book will help aspiring female DJs? If yes, how/why?

I hope so. I already got over a hundred emails and messages of young female artists telling me how much they got inspired by the book. The feedback I received is overwhelming, and it makes me so happy. Girls – but also guys – telling me that the book gives them the power to believe in themselves and not to be discouraged when facing problems. 

You wrote, when you started, you were playing both commercial and techno parties; what made you switch to prefer playing to the techno events. How important is it for young DJs to play what they really love?

It was never my intention to play at commercial parties, but I had no knowledge of the industry back then and didn’t know the differences between the genres or scenes. I just played the music that I loved without knowing what it was. I got booked to commercial parties because these promoters loved the idea of putting a sexy Asian DJ on their flyers. But then, I emptied the dance floors with my music. That was extremely frustrating. The promoters often did not even seem to care, but I was crying on my hotel bed at night. At some point, when I started to understand the different scenes and clubs, I made a deal with Seb that from that moment on, we would only accept techno bookings. My fees at the commercial clubs were quite high, so I had to give up on a lot of money and went back to being poor again. But I didn’t care – I wanted to make people happy with my music, and I didn’t care if I made money or not. Better to have 20 people smiling in front of me than 2000 that just want my set to be over.

In your book, you talk about the sexism you faced as a female DJ. Do women in the music industry still have these issues today?

Much has changed over the past years, and the situation is so much better. Before Nina Kraviz opened up the industry for female (techno) artists, it was very hard to get accepted anywhere. If a promoter wanted to book a DJ, it was mostly for the wrong reasons. Today it’s ‘in’ to book female DJs, and that again should not be. An artist should get booked for their music and what they deliver to the dance floor. Gender should not be an issue.

You wrote that a booker once said he wouldn’t let you perform unless you had sex with him. What do you think can be done to empower women in the industry to be more open about negative experiences they have faced, especially those of a really sensitive manner?

I think social media plays a big role and sexual related comments or people not believing victims is the biggest problem. There is so much hate online, and for sensitive people, it’s hard to bear, so they remain quiet. The hate I faced online during the first 10 years of my career has made me strong, and I can handle it, but so many young artists can’t – but they should always stand up for themselves. As a first step, they should not be shy, but open up to family and friends.

Please give us 3 adjectives to describe your book.

Inspiring, surprising, unexpected.

How did the challenges you faced shape you as a person and as an artist?

I am not sure how much of my personality today came from the challenges I faced. It made me tougher and smarter, that’s for sure. But at the beginning of my career, I made a promise to Seb that I would always stay the same person as I was back at my village where I grew up. And I think I managed to keep that promise. As an artist, I was pretty much 100% shaped by my experiences. I only trust myself when it comes to music, and I know exactly what I want. Touring around the world since the early days of my career mostly taught me what I did not want to do, how I did not want to play or who I did not want to become – much more than the opposite way of being positively inspired by other artists.

What has lockdown taught you about yourself?

I don’t know if I found out things about myself that I didn’t know before. But it finally gave me the opportunity to educate myself more. Now I had time for my home studio and to learn more production techniques. I also learned German, slept normal hours, and had no jetlags or hangovers for 16 months.

Has the pandemic given you more time to focus on making music?

Absolutely. Before, it was nearly impossible to produce, as I was hardly ever home. The previous 6 years, I always had far over 300 flights each year, so when I was home, I just wanted to recover and wash my clothes. During the pandemic, I was very happy to have time for my home studio and many days; I spent 10 hours or more on Ableton every day.

What are you working on at the minute, and what are your future plans?

Right now, I am focused on my own event series, ‘Elevate Berlin’ – a monthly rooftop sunset session. Once the indoor clubs are allowed to open again, I plan to expand it into a 10-hour in and outdoor event. Besides that, I am supporting Dr. Motte on his project ‘Rave the planet’ – bringing back the legendary Berlin Love Parade next year. This is an incredible project that I am very proud to be a part of. Besides all of this, I am happy to go back on tour again, and if the virus does not change the plans again, I should be touring across all continents over the next six months.

What can we expect from your upcoming EPs this year?

Currently, my new ‘Time and Space’ EP is on Beatport, released on the new Techno Live Sets Records label. To follow, on July 23 is ‘Around The Clock’ – a summer anthem I produced for ‘Rave the Planet’, promoting the new Berlin Love Parade. Watch out for the amazing video that is just being produced for it. Then in August, I have a strong Techno EP release on Codex, and later on during Autumn and winter, more EPs will follow on Kraftek and other labels.

Positive Energy – Becoming Nakadia is out now as an e-book or paperback.