Today we’d like to introduce you to Drea Young
Hi Drea, 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?
Drea Young, the founder and creative director of Nice Rack LLC and MUSIC IS OUR HERO®!, has always been passionate about music. From producing and engineering to writing and DJing, Young consistently collaborates with contemporary musicians, adds new effects and techniques to her technical repertoire, and supports emerging artists in making their visions into realities.
After graduating from the Art Institute of Philadelphia with a degree in graphic design, Young was picked up by Electric Factory Concerts, a Philadelphia-based concert promotion firm affiliated with the popular music venue of the same name. There, she created and distributed promotional material for headliners such as the Grateful Dead, the Gorillaz, Britney Spears, Disco Biscuits, Eminem, and Dave Matthews Band.
Looking to expand her brand beyond digital design and better embrace her love of music, Young attended Full Sail University’s prestigious Recording School. With a degree in sound engineering in hand, she moved to Manhattan, where she was hired by Area 51 NYC (formerly SevenSeas Studio). Young was mentored by the studio’s owners, music moguls Brian McKenna, former VP for Sony Studios, and Tony Drootin, former studio manager for Sony Studios.
Within the first two years of her working at the studio, Young had risen to lead engineer status, and by 2010, had won her first Grammy LP credit with Esperanza Spalding’s award for ‘Best New Artist’. In 2011, she snatched her second Grammy with Adams: Doctor Atomic ‘Best Opera Recording’ as well as a nomination for a Latin Grammy for Yeahwon Shin’s ‘Best MPB Album’. Young would go on to work with music icons: Bjork, Beyonce, Lucie Arnaz, Avishai Cohen, and Justin Timberlake; engineering greats: Joe Ferla, Jim Caruana, Robert Smith, Richard King, and Kenny “KNS” Lloyd; and finally producing legends: Steve Epstein, Rob Fusari, David Frost, NERVO, Gil Goldstein, and Al Pryor.
In 2015, Young opened her own independent entertainment business, Nice Rack LLC. In the following two years, she would sign her first four artists, record and engineer dozens of tracks, and host a series of highly successful shows and concerts in and around Philadelphia. In the same year that she started Nice Rack LLC, Young met fellow musician, Keith Moffett, a drummer and budding producer. Moffett formally joined forces with Young in 2016 to create savage_machine productions (s_mp), a subsidiary of Nice Rack LLC, that produces music for games apps, artists, and video.
In 2017, Young’s path led her to come out from behind the scenes. With an extensive background in recording arts, and her experience as a sound engineer/producer, she began to DJ. Young, who goes by the stage name da_BooBoo, got her start in DJing at Toasted Walnut Bar and Kitchen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which she opened as a bartender with colleague Denise Cohen. After first performing in 2017, she got hooked on producing and creating remixes, enjoying the ability to play off of the emotions of a crowd and to control the energy of a room through music. With her experience and expertise growing continually, da_BooBoo currently DJs / hosts weekly for karaoke, dance parties, and Philly Drag Mafia. Along with that, she continues to grow BooBoo’s Babes, The Fire Open Mic Monday Night Meetup, and is part of many other exciting events public and private across Philadelphia and the tri-state area.
Young is a leader in Philadelphia’s entertainment industry. She believes in the core values of: Unity, collaboration, not letting ego get in the way of all things creative, and always moving forward. From producing music from all angles of the industry to stepping out front and being the key energy of the party, Young has no plans of slowing down and is excited for what is to come next!
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?
– To get where you want to go, there will be a lot of sacrifices along the way. For example, missing out on family/friend activities, being on call and dropping what you were doing at anytime to get to the studio, losing money while building a brand to make money, working endless hours to make ends meet, etc. But those aren’t always permanent. Some may end and new ones may begin as you grow. It comes with the territory of the entertainment business. If you don’t have a passion for it, don’t do it. It’s the burning passion that keeps you going in your toughest times.
– Being a female has always made it a little bit harder. Females in the industry are becoming a thing more and more every day, but when I started it was a lot more rare. I would find a male would get put in front of me for no reason except that’s how life can be in a “man’s world”. But more power to us all as we progress and move forward and hopefully continue the fight for equality.
– Making a sustainable living doesn’t always come automatically. It took me over a decade to figure out my path and make a living from what I love, music. While working towards that goal, I was a leader in the restaurant/bar business in multiple ways, which paid the bills.
We’ve been impressed with Nice Rack LLC is the business I’m registered under but not many people know that. More people know me as MUSIC IS OUR HERO®!, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I feel you can learn almost everything you need to know at musicisourhero.com.
I started in the studio. There I became an expert in recording, mixing, and mastering. I acquired two Grammy credits early in my career. That is all mentioned in my bio.
Currently, I have two communities I’m growing that are different from each other. One community is bringing together the indie music scene, which you can learn more about at https://musicisourhero.com/monday-night-meetup. And the other is bringing together the night life scene, which you can learn more about at https://musicisourhero.com/booboos-babes. I treat everything I do as it’s own entity. Therefore, many social media accounts. I’ll just give you Instagram:
MUSIC IS OUR HERO®! @musicisourhero
Personal @drea__young
DJ @da_BooBoo2
BooBoo’s Babes @booboos__babes
At these accounts you can get more of an idea of what I’m saying. Sorry, I’m a better talker than writer and I’m hoping sending you to the different links and accounts help.
I’m most proud of keeping an ego-free caring environment and inspiring others to fulfill their dreams. I help provide a platform for many people starting out. I also provide a platform for professionals and book them when I can.
I am a full-time open format DJ that takes all kinds of bookings. I curate my own events. Run live sound randomly. And at this point, I’m rarely in the studio working on other people’s music.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
Tony Drootin & Brian McKenna brought me in in 2008 at their small studio after the collapse of Sony Studios in NYC. Working for them gave me a taste of major labels and genres from Hip Hop to Classical. We did it all and I was the only one working there so it was a lot of experience in two years. I appreciate them taking me fresh out of school and trusting me with the opportunity.
The late Professor Pooch was my music business consultant. Instead of having to go back to school for a third time, he was a lot cheaper. He guided me and helped with many many contracts. He was a great guy for the indie music scene. It was a great loss when he passed away.
Karen Lauria Saillant has always believed in me since I met her back in 2017. She gave me the opportunity to grow an indie community, with her help, and put on many events at her small independent music venue, The Fire.
My mom and stepdad, Karen & Cloyed Fleming. They stood behind me through the whole ride and I’m so thankful for them because without them it may have been nearly impossible to accomplish some of the things I have done.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://musicisourhero.com
- Instagram: @musicisourhero
- Facebook: @musicisourheroMIOH
- Twitter: @musicisourhero
