Exploring Life & Business with A.Mar of Worldwide Sound

Today we’d like to introduce you to A.Mar

Hi A.Mar, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
It’s been quite a journey. I started my music career in 2007; and I’ve learned to appreciate every step because it’s shaped who I am and what my brand represents. I grew up listening to CDs like “NOW: That’s What I Call Music” and playing video games like “Dance Dance Revolution”. My mom only allowed me to listen to clean versions of songs, which led me to rebel and sneak explicit CDs like 50 Cent’s “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” from friends at school.

I began DJing towards the end of the Hyphy Movement in the SF Bay Area. I started by DJing house parties and teen clubs during a time when event promoters would get mad if you played house music at a rap party, or vice versa.

I worked as a dishwasher and listened to the 5 o’clock DJ mix on the radio, which opened my ears to the incredible things you could do with music as a DJ. I became obsessed with DJ mixes and saved up to buy a used Pioneer CDJ setup. I taught myself how to beatmatch before there were many YouTube tutorials. I even typed out my entire music library and organized it in a binder so I could find the right CD within a minute’s notice. A year later, I was booked to DJ a sold-out teen party with one of my favorite radio DJs. That’s when I realized I could get paid to do something I loved, even though I hadn’t initially cared about making money from it. I was hooked.

Since then, I’ve DJ’d all sorts of gigs, which has taught me how to play for diverse audiences. I’ve DJ’d for rappers, athletes, comedians, and more. My early days were filled with DJing every weekend night and organizing parties. Now I do music full-time, primarily by DJing workouts, producing music, and booking other DJs.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road hasn’t been smooth. One of the biggest struggles was gaining support from others, including family and friends. However, this taught me that self-belief is crucial. It wasn’t until I toured as a DJ with Mark Wahlberg for about 10 events around LA that people around me really started to think “wow, he actually might be onto something…”

Another challenge was balancing day jobs with my music career to pay the bills. I was making decent money working day jobs five times a week and DJing twice a week, but it wasn’t until I was laid off that I became aware I was treating music as a hobby. Now, I DJ five times a week and work on music whenever I can.

I initially came into this game thinking everyone wanted to help each other succeed. It took me years to learn that wasn’t the case. I was helping everyone around me, but after noticing people weren’t reciprocating or were annoyed by my advice, I realized I needed to focus on myself. A few months after I shifted my mindset, my music career began to progress significantly.

As you know, we’re big fans of Worldwide Sound. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I started Worldwide Sound in 2016. We’re a music brand and collective that blends diverse genres into a larger unified sound. I wanted to create something that would bring together both my rapper and raver friends as well as my DJ, dancer, and producer friends. We’ve hosted events since 2017 and have provided weekly DJ services to gyms in Venice Beach, West Hollywood, and Santa Monica since 2018.

Worldwide Sound is known for its versatile, open-format DJs and high-energy music. We also release original music, music videos, remixes, dance videos, and interviews. We’ve worked events around Los Angeles at venues like The Laugh Factory, Santa Monica Pier, and USC, and alongside celebrities such as Mario Lopez, Rich Paul, J Balvin, J.J. Fad, and Donnell Rawlings.

When people hear the name Worldwide Sound, they think of something larger than music – a sound that brings people together, regardless of gender, race, age, or background. Some of our proudest moments include being selected to provide the soundtracks for people’s weddings and even LA wildfire relief events. Seeing people come up to our DJs in tears, saying our mixes gave them the most positive energy they’d felt since losing everything to the fires, was incredibly powerful.

How do you think about happiness?
I love making people dance and laugh. I enjoy seeing their reactions to my DJ transitions and songs that I’ve made. Most people think good DJing is just about playing hit songs, but it’s really about how you play them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://worldwidesound.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/a.mar