Some DJs just can’t get enough of the Electric Daisy Carnival. Case in point: Lady Faith, who will perform at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the 12th time this weekend. “Someone last year called it the ultimate adult playground, and I agree,” Faith tells the Weekly.
Recognized as a hardstyle heavyweight in the U.S., Lady Faith has crushed expectations and sound barriers with her enormous sound, spiking heart rates with distorted mega hits like “Party.” The Persian DJ’s formative years were spent in two vastly different worlds, having been born in Iran and raised in America. But that culture clash is also how Lady Faith discovered her first female DJ, the UK’s Lisa Lashes.
“That’s when things really changed in my head. She showed me there was a whole new world,” Faith says. “She got invited to come to Los Angeles, and I was the person in the middle of the dance floor, not dancing, just standing there, staring at her with my mouth open.”
What was it about hardstyle that initially grabbed you?
It’s very fast. The hard house side of things, it’s very rebellious and in-your-face type of music, which I really liked. Then the hard trance side of it was beautiful melodies, and gave you all sorts of feelings. Put them together, and you have this really explosive, amazing combination.
I don’t really like mindless music. I really need it to speak to me, and for my brain to be able to process it.
How did your Persian culture and being born in Iran influence how you approach your music?
Being Persian, we’re all very musical. If someone starts clapping, everyone starts dancing. That kind of runs in our veins. I went to Iran a lot during my teenage years, and I was met with a lot of oppression over there. It made me more of a rebel. That kind of translates into my music. I try to speak about my experiences. I try to advocate for freedom and self-expression. All of the things I’ve witnessed throughout my life, in one way or another, come through my music, from the track called “Queen Bitch of the Universe” to “We The People.”
This is your 12th time at EDC. Was hardstyle prominent at the festival when you first experienced it?
It’s grown so much since then. 2012 was the first year there was a hardstyle stage at EDC, and it was my very first EDC performance. When the opportunity came up, and they had me open for the biggest hardstyle DJ—who was Headhunterz at the time—it was a “wow” moment for me. The fact that EDC has supported us so much, and every year, they’ve made sure they’ve had a Basscon Stage and that our sound has been able to be present in that massive festival … has done a world of good for myself, for the sound and for all the other artists.
Did you run up against any challenges trying to grow the hardstyle scene in the U.S.?
Hardstyle and hardcore are from the Netherlands; that's where they were invented. Artists who are in the genre move to the Netherlands because they can have a massive career there. Here, of course, we've had many challenges. When I first started, it was strictly underground, all of the events for a few years, even when we went to EDC. Recently, I've noticed that because of the hard work I've put in to grow the scene ... a lot of new American hardstyle artists and hardcore artists have come about. As it stands today, we have the second biggest hardstyle scene in the world. I don't know if this was ever supposed to happen, but I gave it my all and I'm not going to stop. The fact that I see American artists playing on these big stages now just blows me away and puts a huge smile on my face.
EDC Vegas 2024 has more than 40 women. Has the representation of female DJs gotten better since you started?
Definitely, but we’re still not there yet. I represent 50% of EDM fans, and until we have a 50/50 in all events and festivals, I’m not gonna rest until that is done. I’m on this mission of spreading the sound and making sure female artists have their moment in the spotlight. ... As long as we talk about it, and give the newcomers and the ones who’ve been around for a while opportunities to have a bigger platform … I think it’s going to be a good thing.
There are probably girls out there watching you, like you watched Lisa Lashes.
They do contact me here and there. I try to have female artists on my lineups when I have shows. I’m a girl’s girl. Whatever I can do to help and make their lives a little bit easier than what I went through for the first few years of my career. I’m absolutely there for them.
In the last 12 years of performing at EDC, what’s a moment or two that stands out in your mind?
The second year that they had hardstyle, which was 2013, they had this stage design … It was a man with a gas mask holding a daisy. It was a monster. Then a couple years after that, we had a kind of apocalyptic New York, where this DJ stood in the flame of Lady Liberty.
The set that really stands out was Calvin Harris. I believe this was in 2015, and he started his set with a song of his called “Olga.” I was floored from the beginning of his set to the end. My mouth was open, like, wow, this is so ... I love him! And at EDC Mexico, Showtek played the mainstage, and for the last half and a hour, they played all hardstyle. I was like a little kid in a candy store. I have many memories of EDC. I'm just very blessed and grateful to be able to experience these things.
What do you currently have coming down the pipeline?
I'm working on an enormous amount of music for this year. I do have a track called "Lights Out" coming out on June 6 on my label Scantraxx. It's really fun, yet very melodic, gorgeous vocals. I've also done a remix for Alison Wonderland, for her song called "F**k U Love U," so hopefully that can come out sometime this year. And a lot of other really amazing tracks that I can't really talk about [yet], but hopefully soon.
LADY FAITH AT EDC May 19, 11:30 p.m., Wasteland Stage.
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