A quiet weekend in Los Angeles sent Lucy Guo to Guitar Center. There were no parties she wanted to attend, so she bought DJ equipment and called a friend to teach her how to use it.
By then, Guo had already helped build a company supplying the data used to train artificial intelligence. She co-founded Scale AI with Alexandr Wang in 2016, leading its operations and product design before leaving two years later. The stake she retained eventually made her a billionaire as the company’s valuation climbed. She subsequently founded Passes, a platform that helps creators and artists earn directly from their fans.
DJing was something she had wanted to try for a while.
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“I’ve always wanted to be a DJ. I just never found the time to learn,” Guo tells Bandwagon.
Her friend’s introduction involved a USB, Rekordbox, a selection of her favourite songs and an explanation of the controls. Guo describes that first lesson as a “10 minute crash course”.
Since then, she has moved into paid bookings and released her debut single, ‘Champagne On Me’. When Bandwagon catches up with her in Singapore, she counts five gigs during her visit, with RaveDAO and Amber Lounge among her favourites.
The city was already familiar. Guo says she lived here for three months during the pandemic, when restrictions limited what she could experience. Returning meant reconnecting with friends and old fitness trainers, as well as exploring its nightlife.
“People can dance. People love to party,” she says of the crowds.
At Amber Lounge, their response prompted her to change direction. She had been told the audience wanted tech house, but noticed a stronger reaction when she played rap.
“I saw the crowd go more wild with rap songs,” she recalls. “And I was like, okay, cool. I’m just going to continue playing rap.”
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For Guo, deciding what to play is the most challenging part of DJing. Learning the craft has made her more aware of imperfect transitions, including those made by established performers, but she believes most people in an audience are less likely to notice those errors.
“I actually think the hardest part about DJing is song selection,” she says.
Her interest in electronic music began well before her own bookings. She has previously traced her introduction to festivals to Ultra Korea, followed by Ultra Singapore, and went on to travel regularly for music.
Asked what draws her to DJing, she points to the happiness music brings her and the sense of community she associates with dance festivals. She cites the culture’s values of peace, love, unity and respect, and its ability to bring people from different backgrounds together.
She is also candid about enjoying the job itself.
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“Now I get paid to party, which is awesome,” she says. “I get a check and I get to listen to my favourite music.”
The move into production followed conversations about developing her career. After signing with an agent at UTA and speaking with prospective managers, Guo kept hearing that releasing music would help her be taken seriously.
Initially, she thought a remix would be a good place to start. She worked on a version of ‘Done With Your Ex’, which is on SoundCloud, before discovering the approvals involved in commercially releasing someone else’s song.
“So then I was like, okay, I think I have to produce my own song then.”
The idea for ‘Champagne On Me’ arrived on a flight home after a trip spent partying. Lyrics began forming in her head, and she took them into a studio set up in a friend’s living room, working with two close friends.
After trying vocals themselves, Guo called Australian DJ and producer Lucille Croft, who had mentioned singing on techno tracks.
“I was like, ‘Hey Lucille, can you come and do vocals for us and sing the lyrics?’ And she’s like, ‘Right now?’ And I’m like, ‘Yes, right now.’”
At the time of the interview, Guo estimates that the song is approaching a million streams.
Her own releases have also given her experience relevant to her work at Passes. Founded in 2022, the platform offers memberships, paid messaging, livestreams and other ways for creators to connect with paying fans. Its roster has included Kygo, while investors include entertainment executive Michael Ovitz and SKIMS co-founders Emma and Jens Grede.
Guo has previously said that releasing music herself is helping her understand what DJs need from the platform, particularly when it comes to connecting with fans and supporting a release.
She is now working on two tracks with different sounds. One draws on Dom Dolla, while the other leans towards pop EDM. Asked whether the latter is intended to reach a wider audience, she says it began with a personal experience.
“I had a lot of feelings, so I wrote a song about my feelings,” she explains. “I turned a sad situation into a happy song.”
She compares its feeling to ‘Clarity’. However, someone advising her on her music, whom she describes as a “pseudo-manager”, has encouraged her to rethink its direction. According to Guo, he feels its sound is too reminiscent of 2016 EDM.
Guo believes the track could have been a hit in that period, but acknowledges that musical trends have changed. She points to John Summit as an example of a sound attracting attention now, distinct from the Zedd and Marshmello reference points she mentions.
“I think it’s more of a feel and a trend rather than the data,” she says of anticipating what will connect with listeners.
Her technical background enters her songwriting process in a specific way. Guo says she has put lyrics she wrote into Suno to hear how they might sound when sung. This helps her identify awkward phrasing and cadence before working with a vocalist.
“I’d be like, ‘Oh, okay, this line doesn’t flow well with this line.’ So then I would have to change the lyrics,” she explains. “It’s been making songwriting easier for me.”
She is less convinced by the music it generates.
“It sounds too basic,” she says. “There’s not anything that makes a song sound special.”
Guo believes taste remains important in deciding what makes a good song. She also argues that AI contributions should be disclosed and credited.
Her public profile is another factor in how she experiences the music industry. In 2025, Forbes named her the world’s youngest self-made woman billionaire, a title she held for part of that year. Asked whether being known as a billionaire affects how people judge her as a DJ, she says it does.
She recalls receiving criticism after struggling with two transitions at a private event, where she says the mixer had not been configured to her preferences.
“I do think that I’m judged harder,” she says. “And I have less room for failure.”
She acknowledges that her profile creates opportunities too. Private parties account for much of her DJ income, she says, and some clients book her because they are already fans of her work outside music.
As for what she wants to achieve next, Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) is high on the list. EDC Las Vegas would be her first choice, though she believes she could draw a strong audience at EDC China.
And if they don't like EDC/Tomorrowland, they don't like being happy. Sprint.
— Lucy Guo (@lucy_guo) August 4, 2026
Notably, since her conversation with Bandwagon, Guo has been announced for Palm Tree Music Festival in West Palm Beach, Florida, taking place on 6 and 7 February 2027. She joins a stellar line-up featuring The Chainsmokers, FISHER and Gryffin, adding another major festival booking to her growing DJ schedule.
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She also wants a song to reach 10 million streams and would like to triple her booking fee. With ‘Champagne On Me’ approaching the million-stream milestone she initially had in mind, she has already raised her target.
Still, Guo says her enjoyment of DJing extends to playing without an audience. Even an early festival slot with nobody in attendance would appeal to her, although she admits a packed room is more fun.
“For me, it’s just fun, right? Like I could play in my living room to nobody and have fun.”
Look out for Lucy Gui's full interview with Bandwagon Asia's founder Clarence Chan on the Bandwagon TV YouTube channel.
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