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Nakadia. An exotic name - and face - that many may already know, especially social butterflies. She is pretty, sexy and funny. But above all she is one of the most famous, up-and coming DJs in the international circuit. And by saying "international" we still may not make her justice. As we said, Nakadia comes from Thailand, and yet for the last three years you have better chances to meet her aboard planes or in the control rooms of the coolest discos, especially in Europe and Asia. What is her type of music? As Nakadia herself defines it in her official web site, "House music, between funky-electro and breakbeat".

More than 120 shows in 2005 alone performed in 31 different countries
Today in Italy, tomorrow in England, in a week's time in Malaysia... more than 120 shows in 2005 alone performed in 31 different countries. The little time between one show and the next one is completely taken up by transfers and red tape for entry visas. Although she is known to be extremely approachable, it was not that easy to arrange this meeting with Nakadia. But eventually we made it. In Bangkok. In a posh tea room in one of the most central and luxurious malls in the Asian megalopolis.

We were curious to meet Nakadia by day. When we first met the night before, at the Glow club, we could not help admiring her undeniable skills as a DJ., her beauty and most of all her strong and charismatic presence. On the day of the interview we spotted her immediately in the crowd while going down the escalator to get to the meeting point. Her long, slim legs did not go unnoticed. She wore flat-heeled sandals with an ethnic touch, a short skirt and a coloured T-shirt. She had the most perfect hairstyle and just a little make-up. She was naturally attractive. Nakadia was escorted by Sebastian, her manager, and Gert, the owner of one of the most renowned places in by-night Bangkok: the Glow. Here Nakadia held one of the two "domestic" shows scheduled in Bangkok before leaving for a big European tour.

We talked about her job, her dreams and her future while sipping tea and fresh fruit juices on the posh sofas of the tea room. "You're constantly travelling. Today you're here in Bangkok, in three days' time you'll be in Cannes (France) and then in Italy, Germany... Don't you ever get tired?", we asked her. "Never!" was her prompt reply. "I get a big kick out of my job. It's the best job in the world. I love travelling, seeing new places, meeting new people. Me, tired? No way!" Sebastian proved her right. "She is unbelievable", he said. "She never stops!".

As a matter of fact, Nakadia is bubbly, full of enthusiasm, always smiling and a good sport. Although she works late hours ("I went to bed at 6 am this morning"), she is glowing and shows no signs of exhaustion. She is undeniably beautiful. We can't help asking our next question, even if it may sound obvious. "How important was the looks for your success?" "The looks is not important", said Nakadia. "Because what counts, in the end, is just your skills as a DJ. Actually, being good-looking can also work against you...".

No doubt during her performances Nakadia shows a strong personality. She becomes a different person and takes control not only of the music but also of the audience. She is in tune with their mood, hits on their tastes and slowly builds up the atmosphere of the night with her smart music selection. It was very difficult to see the sweet and smiley girl we met during the interview in the same woman that acted with such self-confidence and charisma in the control room of the club the previous night. Besides her indisputable skills as a DJ, we were impressed by her openness with her fans, who craved attention for a photo snapped with their mobile phones or a word exchange. She was always ready, always smiling but also always focused. A show within the show...

Amidst a great many shows, flights and the very long yet necessary visits to the embassies to get the visas Nakadia finds time to reply to the e-mails posted through her official web site, http://www.nakadia.com/. "The Internet is a key medium to promote my job as a DJ", she said. "I think that without it all that I'm doing wouldn't be possible. The Internet is a very powerful marketing tool. Bypassing the traditional channels, it allows me to keep in touch with the clubs I work for, plan my trips and chat with my fans. I do believe this would have never happened without the support of the Internet".

From time to time Nakadia (the correct pronunciation is with the accent on the "i", Nakadìa) exchanges glances with her manager Sebastian, a sort of her alter ego; a blending of creativity and energy on the one hand, and organizational skills and dedication on the other.

"Planning is no easy task under the tights deadlines between one show and the next one", explained the manager. "Don't forget that, since she is Thailandese, Nakadia has difficulties travelling from one country to another. On planning her tour we always have to think out the logistic problems involving the application for visas along with the flights and all that. Therefore, we can't include many dates in her tour, and this is a drawback, especially if we consider that other European DJs haven't got such problems. In 2005 we were able to plan only 120 dates for her tour, and that's close to the limit. In 2006, though, we might squeeze in more dates than last year. In all accounts, it's not easy".

The tour will take Nakadia virtually everywhere around the world: from Lithuania to Germany; from France to Malaysia... she is in great demand. As Sebastian explained, "After performing in a club, Nakadia's always invited to come back. Then there are the new clubs, and there's never enough time...". When we asked Nakadia if there is one particular club she would like to perform in, she replied without hesitation, "No doubt the Amnesia club, in Ibiza (Spain)".

The feeling for the audience
The feeling for the audience was one of the most recurring topics in our conversation with Nakadia. So we asked her in which countries she had more fun working and what kind of audience she prefers. "It's a tough question", she said. "Because each audience's got something I like. In the summertime I often work in Italy, and I just love it. Recently, I worked a lot in Eastern Europe and the audience there was very much into music; I came across really posh clubs and a surprisingly thriving nightlife. "Of course", she laughs right away. "Sometimes I happen to have a difficult audience but I'm not gonna say bad things! After all, I always try to get the most out of every show. At times it's not that easy and I have to radically change my programme while the show is under way. This is bound to happen especially in new clubs where it's important to watch and test the audience. Unfortunately, there's hardly ever any time to visit the club the night before to try and get the feeling of what to expect".

I love flying but above all I love my job
Time to rest is often short. The shows end late at night (or early in the morning, depending on the viewpoints) and transfers are already scheduled. "I often go back to the hotel from the disco well past dawn, and soon after I have to rush to the airport to get on the next flight…"

Yet when we met her she looked fresh and rested. At the time of the interview Nakadia had just returned from three well-deserved relaxing weeks in Koh Samui (Thailand), where she has settled herself, before leaving for her long summer tour around Europe. If you log on her official website (http://www.nakadia.com/) and click on "schedule" your head will start spinning...

Since Nakadia loves flying, our conversation - far from being a formal interview - enriched with accounts of lucky escapes from plane crashes (statistics work against someone like her who actually flies once every two days...) and personal stories. Times flied, literally, and it was difficult to resume the threads of the interview. Here is our last question for her. "Your job is wonderful as much as it is demanding and stressful. Did it ever occur to you that you could keep it up for some more years and then stop, or else slow down?" "Never", she replied almost jumping on the chair. "Never! I love my job. I have the time of my life. Actually, I have just started! I can't imagine doing anything else in my life!"

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adversus.com
june 2006