LA Guestlist

Sourcing Los Angeles Culture

4th of July BBQ Mix Curated by skyelyfe + Q&A w/ Founder Dahvi Shira

Tell us a little but about yourself and how you came up with the idea for skyelyfe?

Since graduating from the University of Oregon in 2005, the goal was to get a job at some kind of entertainment magazine. This was before websites became so huge. When I was much younger, all I wanted to do was work at The Source or Vibe (I’ve always been a big hip-hop/rap fan). But once I moved to L.A. at the end of 2006, I realized that working at a celebrity weekly or some kind of celebrity-related outlet was the new dream. After taking on random jobs (including a tanning salon that literally trained its employees to scam customers), I finally landed a few jobs at E!, which then led me to four years at People.com.

Working in the world of celebrities is pretty much a dream for any young aspiring journalist. Posh parties, brushing elbows with the rich and famous, free food and champagne, swag galore. It’s pretty incredible all the cool stuff I got to do. But, after a while, you kind of grow into your specific interests. I’ve always loved music, and more and more, I found I was less interested in attending a charity luncheon hosted by Ben Affleck, than I was attending a media luncheon hosted by a trendy eyewear brand. The music and lifestyle aspects of this world became so much more fun to me, and I figured why not make that my full-time priority, while of course taking on additional gigs on the side to make money?

Describe skyelyfe in a few sentences?

skyelyfe is a portal for music discovery and a place to learn about new brands and just pretty much new everything. The name “skye” is such a cool and carefree name, and that’s the gist of the site. It’s a place to go where things are kept very light.

Is skyelyfe influenced by Los Angeles culture, and if so why?

Absolutely. I interview a slew of up-and-coming L.A.-based musicians and tastemakers, and I cover a bunch of L.A. events, boutique and restaurant openings and so forth. The L.A. experience is incorporated into all the interviews I conduct with other people.

Who are some of the favorite people that you’ve interviewed?

Overall, number one is Shannen Doherty. I’m probably the biggest Brenda Walsh fan who ever lived. The original 90210 is my favorite show to this day. I had the opportunity to interview her at her Malibu home and it was a dream come true. I felt so embarrassed because she remembered me from an interview a few months prior and knew I was that same huge fan. But she could not have been sweeter!

Going off of 90210, I’m also a big Melrose Place fan, and I got to interview Doug Savant and Laura Leighton together, and they were super sweet and adorable as well.

Music-wise, I’ve interviewed Paul Wall twice and he was a total gem. He’s one of my all-time favorite rappers for sure, so it made me happy that he had a really chill personality.

Who are some new artists to be on the lookout for?

I’m totally loving Alison Wonderland and Coyote Kisses. Alison Wonderland has a huge following in Australia and in the fashion world, but out here, her music is just now starting to make waves. They are both in the electronic category and their music is FUN! There’s also this brand new artist Bearson, who has a sound similar to Odesza.

What are your 4th of July plans?

Nothing too crazy, honestly. There are a few bbqs, so I’ll just hang out with some friends, drink some wine, probably overeat and call it a day!

If you like what you hear, head over to skyelyfe and be on the lookout for a new mix hand selected by skyelyfe off of Spotify every Monday!

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