Booked and busy: how Estelle du Jour quit her 9-5 to become a private DJ
Picture this: it was 2019, on the beach at a deep house festival in Albania. I went over to the customer service desk and was served by a girl wearing a shining necklace that said ‘Queen’. Fast forward a couple of days and I bumped into her again on the beach; this time she was wearing a gold headpiece and a green and pink kimono. We instantly hit it off—this girl’s energy was different! I saved her number in my phone as Estelle <3 and back in London, she picked me up in a red convertible from East Croydon station, blasting UKG in a leopard print bucket hat! It’s safe to say we’ve been best friends ever since.
Fast forward four years, and today Estelle du Jour is a successful business owner who quit her 9-5 job in the music industry to become a private DJ. She’s made the conscious choice to serve her local community in Croydon, playing for all cultures and all ages at birthday parties, ceremonies, house parties and more. Oh, and she’s a talented singer and MC on the side too!
Ready with her decks, booth, flashing lights, smoke machine, and speakers, Estelle brings the full works to every event she graces. She caters to everything from golden oldies—funk, soul, and pop—through to R&B, hip hop, house, garage, and maybe the occasional Jungle anthem! Estelle brings a perfect blend of classics, unexpected bangers, and ones that’ll have you on shazam, and her sound is truly representative of her culture—British, Jamaican, and Bajan—and her relationship with the London rave scene.
But what makes Estelle’s story all the more powerful is the journey she’s been on (and me too, alongside her!) since that day we met in Albania in 2019. She’s never stopped ascending, growing, and glowing up, and I truly see her as a shining beacon of faith, confidence, and self-love. The way she inspires me is deep. Especially because I know all this came from taking risks, hard work, spirituality, budgeting, and resilience—and her consistent results speak for themselves.
Music-wise, “House is where it all began for me”, she says. “It started off with Progressive nights at Ministry of Sound club before I fell in love with Deep House. It had a golden, mainstream emergence all over London, making it such a great era for parties! I was going to clubs like Cargo, Cable, Fire and Lightbox, just seeing what London had to offer. That's when I knew I had to experience playing my favorite tracks.”
Estelle bought her first decks in 2014 and would get inspired by DJ sets she’d heard out. “In the summer, I’d be at festivals like Hideout or WEAREFESTIVAL. Being in the super clubs of Ibiza made the connection stronger for me too! I’d come back with my phone full of Shazams and be ready to make a mix, drawing on all the good times I’d had!”.
Estelle was working in customer service for international festivals in the music industry when we first met, but something was holding her back from putting her creative work out there. That all changed in 2020 - I’ll never forget the day Estelle and I went to the Design Museum during lockdown for an exhibition that changed her life. She recalls: “It was based on the history of the electronic music scene (called ‘Electronic: from Kraftwork to the Chemical Brothers’). It was great to see it all mapped out. Seeing the flyers and headlines about things synonymous with the scene—police, experimentation, dance styles, social groups, subgenres—it was happening at a time when we had no nightlife. It felt very much in sync; history was repeating itself. I felt empowered by that and when I came out, I realized I couldn’t just be playing house music. I needed to know the origins of it. The pioneers. It opened up a lot of questions for me and I knew I needed to explore. So that’s what I did!”
It was from that experience that Estelle quit her job and started her own business to become a full-time DJ. It was a leap of faith: “The 9-5 lifestyle was all I knew, and I didn’t have a degree in anything. Music was the only thing that was second nature for me. I knew I had to try and make it for myself.” But it was still Estelle’s first time starting a business: “I wondered if I’d made a huge mistake leaving 9-5 life. I’m very lucky that I’m resourceful and that my family and friends were so supportive. They really helped me out, gave me advice, and made me realise my potential.”
2021 was the year Estelle’s business took off. She reflects: “after the pandemic, a lot of people lost what felt like freedom to them. The year after, we all wanted to really live. It was beautiful to see and that’s where I expanded to other genres outside of House. I was given a lot of music from family, records, and digital music as well.” “It all just started to become a bit easier and clearer. I started to embrace it step by step and work towards what makes me, me”. And it’s true; I saw how everything just fell into alignment for her with my own eyes!
Having known Estelle on a very personal level, I can say her success as a private DJ is a testament that you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it. “I was able to stop letting my insecurities be the reason why I didn’t do things. You can be nervous and excited, scared and empowered.” She faced her challenges and grew in the process. She is following her path and enjoying her gifts, with or without a stage. It’s a powerful reminder for us all!