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Everything You Need To Know About DJ James Kennedy's Musical Career
It's safe to say that the resident Vanderpump Rules DJ has come a long way from Season 2.
DJ James Kennedy is one of those people you can't help but to root for. Whether you love him, hate him, or agree that he is now the "number one guy in the group," you have to admit that the Vanderpump Rules star knows how to come up with a catchy song and a memorable one-liner.
Since first coming onto the show in Season 2 as Kristen Doute's boyfriend, the music-loving troublemaker has graduated from bussing tables to manning the DJ booth during his famous "See You Next Tuesday" sets at SUR. In spite of having a tumultuous relationships with his co-workers and boss, Lisa Vanderpump, James has a true-love relationship with music.
Whether he's remixing a song, collaborating with one of his cast members on a new track, or playing music in the corner of SUR, James' DJ career has been documented on Vanderpump Rules for the past 10 years. Read on to learn about his foray into music and where his DJ career is taking him now.
DJ James Kennedy got started in music as a teenager
During a 2015 appearance on the Vanderpump Rules After Show, James revealed that his love of music started at a very young age.
"There was one day I remember my dad caught me just sitting in my room listening to Oasis and I remember the look on my dad's face, like 'I knew it, this kid. He loves music.' Because my whole life before, I was like 'I love soccer! I want to play football,'" he said. "And it was that day my dad realized this kid is going to be in music."
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After learning piano, violin, and guitar, he discovered producing music when he moved to Ibiza at the age of 14, he told viewers. James said that he landed an internship at Interscope records several years later, which ultimately led him to the doors of SUR, asking for a DJ gig.
His dad, Andros Georgiou — the managing director of Aegean Records and close personal friend of the late George Michael — also played a pivotal role in helping guide James' music career. "He understands what you need, you need the talent, and you need a look as well," James said on the show. "You need a brand."
It's safe to say that James was pretty much destined to stumble into music, especially since the late Wham! lead singer is also James' godfather. (James has lovingly referred to his "Uncle George" many times.)
In a March 2023 episode of Vanderpump Rules, James' dad shared praise for his son's career. "You've come on so far from those early days, right?" he said.
Can DJ James Kennedy also rap?
James admittedly can't sing, but you can hear him rapping on the occasional song — like his first collaboration with fellow VPR cast member Lala Kent, "Feeling You."
"I rap because I've written poems a lot in my life, and it's come to the point where it's like a very Eminem style rap, I'm very quick, Dizzy Rascal, maybe, a very British-style grind," James said during the aforementioned 2015 VPR After Show appearance.
He's been known to show off his freestyle skills and even went as far as to call himself "White Kanye" in 2016, in an homage to the rapper currently known as Ye. "I think I'm like him in the sense that I explore sound," James told The Daily Dish in an interview in 2016. "I want to create something no one has heard or seen before and I have nothing stopping me, the only thing that could possibly stop me is myself."
James officially retired the nickname in September 2020. "I'm just going to be James Kennedy — the best DJ I can be, myself," he told Page Six. "But his music still lives within me."
What original albums or songs has James Kennedy released?
James released his first EP, Blitz, in 2014, and his first album, Pump Sessions, in 2016. He's also performed a number of original songs on Vanderpump Rules and Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, and he posts his remixes of original songs to his Soundcloud account, where you can really get a feel for his DJ skills.
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Being the supportive friend he is, James' fellow Vanderpump cast members have been heavily featured on his tracks. He and Ariana Madix collaborated on the song "Party" in 2019 and he has been known to feature his longtime BFF and frequent collaborator, Lala, on songs like "Playboy Bunny" and "Ride with Me".
See You Next Tuesday at SUR
James became the resident DJ on Tuesday nights at SUR, which is formally known as See You Next Tuesday.
Although the show has become synonymous with Kennedy, he can today only sometimes be found on the microphone on Tuesday nights at SUR — that is, when he isn't on tour or spending time with girlfriend Ally Lewber. Still, he sells See You Next Tuesday merchandise on his website if you really want to go hard and represent the DJ.
Is James Kennedy still a DJ?
The answer is simple — yes. And his musical career is actually going better than ever.
James performed at the 2022 Imagine Festival, where he opened for Kaskade, which he talked about in an April 2023 episode of Vanderpump Rules. "It's kind of surreal," James said during the episode.
"Like, I've done my fair share of nightclubs, you know, but this is the first music festival. I'm opening for Kaskade. This has gotta be like, 30,000 people, 50,000 people. For those of you who have been sleeping under a rock, Kaskade is a legendary music producer, DJ, songwriter, so to open up for someone on his level is massive, it's a dream come true."
That same year, James appeared on MTV's Wild n' Out where he spit bars. He was also the DJ for Scheana Shay and Brock Davies' wedding, and took his DJ set on tour.
James' dreams continued to come true in April 2023 when he performed a surprise B2B DJ set at the 2023 Stagecoach Music Festival, the sister festival to Coachella.
RELATED: Go Behind the Scenes at James Kennedy's Stagecoach DJ Set
And his career sights just keep growing. "I've been doing massive shows all around the United States," James told Interview magazine in May 2023. "I've been working with Tao Group and I'm in chats with the biggest venues in Las Vegas to be deejaying at some pool parties. And then, obviously, I'm doing a huge post-BravoCon party."
At BravoCon 2023, James appeared on panels and even took home the "Who Said That? Award for Colloquial Excellence" at The Bravos for calling Tom Sandoval a "worm with a mustache" on Season 10 of Vanderpump Rules.
In the last quarter of 2023, James took his show on the road, performing at various clubs across the United States until 2024.
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