Rising Stars: Meet Bianca Dijkhoffz of North Hollywood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bianca Dijkhoffz

Hi Bianca, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Bianca Dijkhoffz also known as BB, my stage name is BB BAD. I was born and raised on a beautiful island in the Caribbean called Sint Maarten, where I was raised to an African American mom and Caribbean dad with two older sisters. I started dancing at the age of 5 years old with ballet, jazz and musical theater as my foundation. By the age of 16 I decided I wanted to pursue dance professionally and with the support of my family I moved to New York City at the age of 17. I quickly got signed to Bloc NY which was a huge dream of mine and a few years later I booked my first job which was a tour for four months in Japan! Since then I’ve been blessed with so many cool opportunities including music videos, movies, tv and live performances with people like Chris Brown, Afro B, Lil Baby, HER and the list goes on.
It was always a dream of mine to move to Los Angeles and so in 2020 I had my bags packed, ready to move a week before the pandemic hit which changed everything. Instead, I ended up moving back home to Sint Maarten for two years and I thought everything I worked so hard for was over. I spent a few months upset until I realized I was in paradise while the rest of the world was on lockdown. This is where I was blessed with the opportunity to learn to DJ which I instantly fell in love with. It brought me so much joy and I’d say it came pretty easily to me. I would sit for 3 to 4 hours just practicing nonstop while my mentor would sit and rate my transitions and musical choices. After roughly about a month of learning, I landed my first gig at a small hookah lounge where all my friends would attend and that continued to grow until I was playing at bars and clubs all over the island, eventually landing my first gigs on neighboring islands.
In 2022 I decided it was time to get off the island and moved to LA as I had planned. A few months into settling into my new home I landed a residency at Sohoware House. At the right place and right time, I met the right people who saw me playing there and recommended me to Karol G’s team as she was looking for a female DJ to tour with her. A few weeks later, I was already in rehearsals with her and travelled with her up until recent for her Mañana Sera Bonito US and Latin America tour. As I look back and summarize my journey, I do want to acknowledge that by no means was any of this easy. It’s been 10 years since I first moved to the US. It took a lot of adjusting as a foreigner in a new place at that young age. It took a lot of mental, emotional and spiritual growth then and now to continue on this path. It took a lot of strength and resilience while there were moments I felt weakness and doubt, even up to this day. But I am an artist in every way so I would choose this life over anything else, everyday.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There were so many struggles moving to New York at such a young age. I was shy and felt awkward trying to communicate with people. I turned 18 but was still considered under age in the US, so I couldn’t attend parties or even enter a bar which further limited my social life. It took a few years for me to find people I could actually connect with and call friends.
My body was always sore from training which consisted of 12 classes a week at Broadway Dance Center. At many points, I lost the passion for dancing and questioned if it’s really the direction I wanted to take. My mom left me after 6 months of living with me and after that point I had to learn so much about adulting which made me miserable. I wasn’t staying in a dorm so it felt like I was introduced to the real world very quickly.
I often questioned if this is the life I truly wanted for myself until things slowly started falling into place like friendships, community, routine and dance opportunities.
Then when the pandemic hit I was truly heart broken. I felt like all the work I had put into my dance career was elevating to greater opportunities and that Los Angeles would be the next big part of the journey. So when I had to move back home it took me a while to get out of the thoughts of what could’ve been. I had to remind myself of the great parts of being stuck at home like spending so much free time with family and friends, going to the beach, exploring my creativity through boredom and not just because I need to put out content. My perspective shifted to what the most important things in life were to me.
When I learned to DJ there were a few struggles that came with that. Firstly being a female in a male dominant space and constantly being judged for boldly trying out this new skill. People thought it was a joke until they realized that I was actually good and serious about it. A lot of jealousy came with this level up which was a hard reality to face especially when it’s from your own friends. All through out my journey I’ve seen how to the more I succeed, the more people who supported me in the beginning, were no longer happy for me. That has been the hardest pill to swallow. None the less, I still have so much support from fans, family and friends which are those who truly matter to me and I’m grateful for that.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a professional dancer specializing in commercial dance. I became most known in the dance scene as I defined my particular way of movement “Caribbean Fusion”, started teaching monthly classes and took to social media with friends to create content. I became the red head girl from New York that does Afro & Dancehall. Even though I trained in all styles and considered myself a jazz dancer, people defined me by where I’m from, my strong Caribbean accent and my red hair that I’ve had for about 8 years now. It became a huge part of my brand and a way that people remember me or recognize me up to today.
I think becoming a DJ set me further a part from the huge pool of dancers that exist here in LA. Now most dancers and choreographers commend me on this addition to my artistry and motivate me to keep in that direction to differentiate myself and build a unique brand for success. That opened my eyes to the way I had put myself into a box of just being a dancer versus seeing the entirety of who I am as a versatile artist with infinite potential.
I’m most proud of myself for trusting the process and never giving up, no matter where life has taken me. Sometimes, it’s hard not to compare myself to others and think that my journey should look like theirs especially with social media at my finger tips all the time but I’m happy that I’ve been strong enough to stay outside of the box and walk my very unique path with confidence that I believe God has carved out for me.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Know that any path you choose in life comes with uncertainty and not every plan you have will come to fruition. Sometimes when we take the first steps towards where we think we should be, God redirects us to where we are destine to be for a greater purpose, so have faith that things are always working out in your favor as you do the work.
For every up, there’s a down and that’s just a part of life. The downs teach us to be grateful for the ups and the ups prove to us that the hard work we’ve put in does manifest eventually. So many people let the opinion of others define them and don’t chase after their dreams because they are concerned with the outside noise. You have to be grounded and trust that the passion and vision you have for your life can become a reality and it’s not for anyone else to dictate. Anything is possible if you really dedicate your time and energy to what you love and surround yourself with people who support you and inspire you become better. People underestimate that this is actually one of the biggest reason for success or failure.
I believe that God has a bigger and better plan for you than what you can ever imagined, so having faith that everything is always working out for you is important! A lot of people give up because they don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel but I think if you have a passion in your heart and you can see it clearly in your mind it’s because it is more than possible to achieve. In the end you’ll always end up exactly where you’re meant to be.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://biancadijkhoffz.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bb_bad/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/biancadijkhoffz
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bb_bad
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/bb-bad

Image Credits
Larry Photo SXM
Felipe Orvi
Souleyman Photo
EG Portraits