Katie Chandler is a teacher by day and DJ by night. Known as “Pretty Na$ty” by most, she wants to help people pursue their musical passions and be a role model for women.
Chandler was born in New Orleans and has always had a passion for music. She grew up listening to artists like Lil Wayne and Boosie, so her work has strong influences of hip hop.
In college, Chandler majored in journalism before she made the switch to education. She didn’t think there was a career in music, so she went on to pursue teaching for 9 years.
During her free time, she would listen to music all day or get in the studio. Eventually, her passion for music grew so strong that knew she needed to express it. Encouragement from friends and her first time at a music festival really helped solidify how Chandler felt. She then discovered a career in DJing.
Chandler bought her first DJ controller during Hurricane Ida when she had plenty of time on her hands to get the hang of it. She taught herself to DJ by watching YouTube videos and constantly practicing. Eventually, she was able to put her skills to use.
Chandler had some friends who worked at Republic NOLA, who were looking for performers. After some deliberation and previewing her work, she played her first show at Republic NOLA.
Her shows didn’t stop there. Since then, Chandler has played at multiple other dive bars in the city like The Saint, The Drifter, Rabbit Hole. Subsequently, gigs began to get more high profile, and Chandler has now played in other cities like Denver, San Francisco, and Austin, Texas.
With her rising popularity, she’s used her platform to mentor other aspiring DJs. Chandler is more interested in taking women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and minorities under her wing because she understands the difficulties that come with being a woman or a minority in the music industry, or even both.
As Chandler is growing in popularity, she approaches challenges, like not being taken seriously, people doubting her skills, and being told she was seeking attention.
She wants to teach other women that while these challenges might feel like they’re holding you back, they’re just words, and all you need is to “have a really strong sense of self.”
Chandler hopes that fellow up-and-coming female artists know how beneficial it is to be true to themselves, regardless of how saturated the music industry may be.
“It’s important to find your uniqueness and use it for branding purposes and build a community people can relate to. Have something that people can expect from you,” Chandler said.
Chandler continues to believe in herself and what women can do and is proud of how far she’s come.
“I’m really starting to see the fruits of my labor. Seeing myself overcome my challenges and my mental toughness to be able to push through,” Chandler said.
