Whether he is opening for The Chainsmokers or DJing at the next beach party, Greg Tchertchian and his DJ skills, are widely popular around campus. With his sweet and funny personality, any party Tchertchian DJs at is sure to be a fun one. Get to know this amazing student we are so lucky to have at Fairfield U.
Her Campus: What made you want to get into being a DJ?
Greg Tchertchian: In 2012, I went to a musical festival called Electric Zoo in New York. It was the first concert I had ever been to and after that, I started to get into music and looked into becoming a DJ.
HC: Do you have a different DJ name people call you by?
Tchertchian: As of now, no not really. People just call me DJ Greg T.
HC: What is the best part about being a DJ?
Tchertchian: Besides being the center of attention? *laughs* I love when a crowd acknowledges me and lets me know that they are having a great time. That’s when I know I’m making their night and that’s definitely the best part.
HC: How do you prepare for an event you DJ at?
Tchertchian: It depends on what event I’m playing for. I have to keep in mind all the equipment I need to bring along like my speakers and wires. For Clam Jam, I actually made two playlists with different types of songs.
HC: How did you get your Clam Jam gig?
Tchertchian: I am close with the ruby guys and they told me to e-mail Storm (shout out to Storm) and ask for a slot. Later on, I got an email saying I got approved by the producers and was set to open for The Chainsmokers.
HC: What are some of your favorite tracks to play?
Tchertchian:hertc“How You Love Me” by 3LAU, “Mammoth” by Dimitri Vegas and “Like Mike”, “Bad” by David Guetta and Showtek
HC: What are some challenges you face as a DJ?
Tchertchian: My challenges range from the technical stuff, like if a speaker blows out, to transportation issues. I’m just a one-man team so carrying and moving my equipment around is all on me. Another challenge is people being careful around my equipment. Although the crowd just wants to have a good time and party, accidents happen and my equipment can get damaged.
HC: Do you DJ around campus?
Tchertchian: All the time! I DJed at the rugby formal, for Around the World at the town houses and at various beach parties.
HC: What was one of the best moments for you as a DJ.
Tchertchian: The best moment was opening for The Chainsmokers at Clam Jam and getting to meet them. Also, being the DJ for a crowd with over 1,500 people and getting a real life concert experience wasn’t bad either.
HC: Have you made any mistakes or had an embarrassing moment while DJing?
Tchertchian: Yes, it happened recently actually at the beach. Few weeks ago one of my speakers blew out. Everyone started the classic “ohhh oh oh oh ohhh” chant as I rushed to grab a backup. Luckily, the owners had another speaker and we were back up and running ‘til 3 am.
HC: What was your first ever gig?
Tchertchian: My first gig was in high school at Project Graduation. We went on a cruise around the Statue of Liberty, and I DJed the boat with the entire graduation class.
HC: Would you ever consider being a DJ as a possible future career?
Tchertchian: Yeah it’s very possible. I’m getting into producing my own music but we’ll see where that goes. *laughs*
HC: Do you have any superstitions?
Tchertchian: I have to make sure every knob is on the 12 o’clock mark before I begin. If I bring up a song and its pre-filtered due to a knob being in the wrong position, people will obviously know it’s not supposed to sound that way.
HC: How do you put your songs together?
Tchertchian: I base it off my crowd. People love songs they can sing along to, so I throw in lyrical songs with songs that drop. I’m never guessing, I always have a plan.
HC: What was your weirdest song request?
Tchertchian: One time at the beach, a girl requested the same song, “Trampoline”, for like a half hour. Finally, I had to physically turn my computer around to show her I didn’t have the song.
HC: Do girls usually fan girl around you?
Tchertchian: Yeah but guys don’t leave me alone either. *laughs* I always have my boys around so if someone keeps bothering me they kindly ask them to give me some space.
HC: What is your go-to DJ outfit?
Tchertchian: The classic DJ look, jeans or pants and black V-neck.
HC: Where will your next appearance be?
Tchertchian: I am playing for a birthday party on a boat in late may. I live in New Jersey, Bergen County, so if anyone needs a DJ, I’m your guy.
Want to obsess over Tchertchian and his DJ skills even more? Follow him on Instagram.