Miss Ghyss speaks on her origins, latest release & gender inequality in the industry

Previously touted as one of the most ‘brightest and most passionate artists’ the scene has to offer, Swiss producer and ‘DJane’ Miss Ghyss has been a revelation for the Dance music community following heavily streamed remixes of Zombie Nation‘s ‘Kernkraft 400‘, Calvin Harris‘ ‘My Way’ and Ed Sheeran‘s ‘Shape of You‘. One of the towering musicians amidst the Swiss Dance music community, the Lausanne-based DJ and producer has also been part of our ‘Artist of the Week’ selections on Spotify – where Miss Ghyss curated a full playlist for our fans and followers.

What’s more is that Miss Ghyss has taken the next step in her career with her next release titled ‘Siren Call’ featuring J. Lauryn, which is set to be released by Armada Trice as part of their Miami 2018 Compilation album. A chilled-out listening experience in its totality, ‘Siren Call’ features impressive vocals entwined seamlessly with a break-beat style ‘drop’ that captures Miss Ghyss production style adeptly.

In light of her recent release, we took the opportunity to sit down with Miss Ghyss for an exclusive interview where she opens up about her origins, her sound, the latest release on Armada Trice and most importantly, on the question of Gender Inequality in the Dance music industry today.

How long have you been a producer/DJ for? Tell us about the origin of your music. What inspired you to pursue your career as an artist?

I’ve been DJing for 8 years now.  That’s how I met my husband (by learning about turntables)! We then started producing music around 5 years ago. Music has always played a major role in my life. Even when I was a child I would record songs off the radio and make my own mix tapes.

I started playing and producing progressive house but I’m now focusing more on pop/future bass music in order to follow the trend but, always adding my own personal style in the work I do. I hope to come back to Progressive house in the future and produce more festival-oriented tracks.

Congratulations for your latest release ‘Siren Call’ on Armada Trice label. What was your reaction upon signing with one of the largest labels in the world?

Thank you! I was really happy and excited about this new release! Each project is special for me and especially ‘Siren Call’. I put a lot of love into it! Signing my music on Armada was an achievement for me! Working with a label as big as Armada is a great opportunity towards bringing my music to the world but this is not to alter the fact that you need to keep working hard! It’s not a single song that will put you at the highest level but you need to focus on the ‘big project’!

You’ve been supported by Tiësto in his Clublife podcast! That’s a significant achievement! How has this inspired you?

Of course, it was an important step for my career and such an honor to have support from the likes of Tiësto! This guy is a legend and has always inspired me! When I was younger I had the chance to watch him performing live. In that moment, I thought: This is what I want to do. I wanna be on the stage and make the people dance!

What are you feelings on gender inequality within the dance music industry? Do you feel that being a woman can hold artists back in their musical careers?

I had some bad experience in the past about the inequality of gender. As Djane, we are not always taken seriously.

No one will understand what it’s like to be a woman in this male-dominated industry except other Djanes. People are expecting a lot from your side, you need to make your own proof and show everybody that you’re talented and not just a “pretty girl” who plays music and is booked due to their physical aspect! It’s strange, but female DJs are easily questioned or challenged. There is nothing like this happening to male DJs. Furthermore, it is already not easy to combine family and career, it is more difficult when your career is based on music!

Topping the last question, we’ve seen a women on the rise over the past few years (with talented artists like Alison Wonderland, REZZ etc. helping to shape the dance music industry). Do you feel that the trend will continue and we see more and more women achieves further dominance in the scene? Or is there more work to be done?

I hope this trend will continue! The industry is more dominated by DJs or other business men. I hope more women will take the lead and help to change the mentality. I think it is really a hard and time-consuming job – complicated to allow your personal life and your career in music. You really need to be strong because people in the DJ-world are really demanding. This is maybe why there is not enough women in the scene.

You have a very diverse sound. How do you produce such different sounding tracks while maintaining your signature sound?

Nowadays I’m working more on Future Bass project like the recently released track  – ‘Electric Night’ & ‘Siren Call’. Besides that, I work a lot with my husband who is a Sound Engineer. He brings  other visions and inputs on my projects. I also have a working team here, Streak Agency, who support and help me a lot. I’ve tried to always keep my signature sound into the project I work on. It depends on my inspiration. Sometimes I get the vocals and I write a song based around that and find the right sounds and elements based on it. My sound can go in so many different ways, so I work with what I’ve got and go with the flow, trend or feeling.

Speaking of your music, it received a huge amount of support from the likes of David Guetta, Don Diablo and W&W, just to name a few. How does it feel to gain support from artists like that? Also, what’s the best piece of advice you’d give to aspiring producers?

Support from artists like them is really rewarding for the work done in the background. We work a lot with my husband on the musical project Miss Ghyss. Having support help us to have more confidence in the music we create and remind us we are on the right track!

My advice for upcoming artist and producer is to keep working and never stop believing in yourself and your dream! Don’t hesitate to help people around you! Support and stand behind each other through everything you will encounter on the way!

What are some of your plans for the festival season? Any follow-ups? Upcoming singles?

I have some upcoming shows here in Switzerland but also in France this summer! I really look forward for the festival season. Festivals are my favourite DJ place! In addition, I worked intensely on a new visual show! I’m really excited about it!

Musically, I have some unsigned tracks on the signing process, new projects started and in addition a new free-download track of a classic hit which is coming soon! I can’t wait to share with you what I’ve been working on lately!

‘Siren Call’ is available on iTunes as part of Armada Trice’s Miami 2018 collection here.