Local Love: DJ Arie Spins On Her Rise From The Classroom To The Big Stage

If you’re not familiar with New Orleans-native DJ Arie Spins yet, you will be soon enough. Since being selected as the opening act for PJ Morton’s Watch The Sun Tour in 2022, she has stepped into a larger spotlight, bringing her talent to stages across the country. The road to her recent success stretches back years, built through steady growth and a willingness to take chances whenever an opportunity appeared.

Born Ariel Sherman, her start came in 2016, while teaching full-time, she began DJing at a school fundraiser during Mardi Gras, stepping in to help keep the crowd engaged. As a preacher’s kid, music had always been part of her life, but those early experiences were informal and community-driven. Over time, she committed herself more to the craft of DJing (specifically during the pandemic), and a local residency led to industry connections, including her manager, who helped open the door to touring.

Arie’s first run with Morton required quick thinking at times, and the experience pushed her to see her abilities in a new way and confirmed she could hold a crowd on a larger stage. “I need to bet on myself,” she said, “That’s when I decided to take the risk and do this full-time, and it paid off.”

Her sets are shaped by heavy research, with each performance tailored to the room, the city, and the audience. In the conversation below, Arie speaks about the >ESSENCE Festival of Culture, the challenges she has faced, and the mindset guiding her next steps.

ESSENCE: Arie, what event or moment started your journey toward becoming a DJ?

DJ Arie Spins: Well, technically I was doing it as a side gig at first because I was teaching full-time. The school I was teaching at would do fundraisers during Mardi Gras. There was a parent trying to work and DJ at the same time while cooking and grilling, so I was like, “Hey, I love music. I’m a music teacher. Let me try my hand at it, entertaining the crowd.”

I did that consistently leading up to COVID, and people would come in and start asking for my business cards. I’m like, “I’m not a DJ for real. This is a side hobby. I’m helping the school.” But then I realized I had a knack for it. So during COVID, I spent time learning more about the craft. Once everything opened back up, I started getting more opportunities.

Not that I was really pursuing it, people were just seeing me in action. I got a residency at a local restaurant, then I met my manager. My manager was like, “Hey, what do you desire to do with this?” I said, however far it takes me, I’m open to it. So it went from working at the school online during COVID, like everybody else livestreaming, to having a residency, and then I ended up on tour with PJ. People watching me and seeing my craft is what led me into it.

Are you still teaching from time to time, or are you a full-time DJ now?

I’m a full-time DJ.

When did you realize this could be a real career for you?

My initial tour with PJ [Morton] was a smaller run. We did B cities, not major cities—six cities total. I was supposed to just do house music, and then an hour before showtime at my first show, he was like, “Hey, you’re the opener.” So I had to pivot, which I had never done before. But being on that stage showed me, like, oh wait, you are more than just a DJ. You can entertain, you can hold the crowd.

We did those six cities, and I was still teaching. I went back to teaching after that, and there wasn’t a follow-up conversation. But a couple months later, when he planned his major tour in 2022, he called me and said, “Hey, I want you to be an opener and an act.” That tour was about 50 cities across the U.S. and beyond. I was on the road every two weeks, then coming home and still trying to teach because my passion is young people. But after talking to my principal and administration, it became a toll. They needed someone in the classroom consistently, and I couldn’t give them that time.

I was like, “I need to bet on myself.” That’s when I decided to take the risk and do this full-time, and it paid off.

I definitely applaud you for taking the leap.

Thank you.

So, how did you and PJ initially connect?

My manager already had a relationship with PJ. They grew up together, and he often goes to her for advice. She’s been in the industry for a long time, both in management and creatively. She’s helped develop my sound too. Between her, his engineer, and other people around him, people were already talking about me. When she presented me to him, she asked, “Have you ever thought about having a DJ on your tour?” If you go to a PJ show, there’s usually a long wait before he hits the stage.

At first, he hadn’t thought about it. Artists usually think of a DJ within a band, not as an opener. But he gave me a shot, and it worked. We matched well. Being church kids, I understand his audience because I’ve been a fan. So it really came down to people speaking on my name, him giving me the opportunity, and me being ready for it.

What challenges have you faced as a Black woman in the DJ space?

Yeah, that’s definitely a topic overall, but specifically in the DJ space, we have to prove ourselves 10 times over compared to men. Of course, there’s objectification, but beyond that, it’s about proving our skill sets, even with basic skills that wouldn’t be questioned for a male counterpart.

There have been many times I’ve been in rooms where people say, “Oh, you the DJ? You know what you’re doing?” I don’t hear those questions being asked to my male counterparts. There’s already an assumption that they’re going to do well. Even when their skill sets don’t match ours, they don’t get the same pushback. I get a lot of hate, even from male counterparts online, where they’ll critique something I’ve done or see a small snippet and have very strong opinions, versus how they respond to other men.

One of the most important skillsets a DJ can have, well, in my opinion, is how to read a room. How do you prepare for your sets?

Well, it depends on the gig. So, if I’m doing a show, for me, I feel like I identify more as a show DJ versus your typical house DJ that may do four hour sets on a regular basis. I’m more of a stage front type of DJ. In preparing for those sets, I literally decide, “what’s my audience? Who am I catering to?” Also, if I’m paired with a certain audience, what’s their audience? What are they catering to so that I can simultaneously meet their needs? If I’m going to different cities, I’ll look up like, “Oh, what’s popping in this city?” If I’m going to DC, it’s Go-Go. If I’m going to Houston, it used to be Chopped and screwed, but I look at the demographic as well. To prepare for those, I also listen to my old sets or ask people “what did you receive from this particular set, and what can be better?”

My manager is vital because she’s very strategic on crowd engagement. That’s another thing. When I’m on stage, I’m not necessarily there to put on a show just for fun. I like to bring people in so that they can also feel a part of it. So that’s pretty much my preparation process. Looking at demographics, geographically, also age range,rel="tag">2026 ESSENCE Festival of Culture DJ Arie Spins

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