Last week I had the opportunity to interview Dara Hayes, also known as Tigerlily, when she swung by our headquarters. For those of you who haven't heard of Tigerlily, she's an Aussie DJ who performs frequently at various nightclubs. She recently released a track with KSHMR called Invisible Children after Tiësto recommended the two to work together.

Tigerlily showed up devoid of her signature mermaid-turquoise hair in a fresh green Adidas tracksuit. She's tiny in-person, but has a big personality and presence that captivates the room. While the crew took some time to set up, she talked and joked about not wanting to place last in the NYC marathon which she's set to run this Sunday and about how she's giving her hair a rest from the world of dye after having sported funky colors for 4 years. She also expressed her excitement to go back to Australia after the marathon and visit friends/family after months of continuous international touring. The small talk before the actual interview came so naturally that I almost wish we had gotten it on camera.

During the interview, Tigerlily expanded on her role as an ambassador for Lifeline, an Australian charity for crisis support and suicide prevention as well as on the personal reasons behind it. She was clearly passionate about promoting mental health and awareness -- issues that she spoke about on and off-camera. Tigerlily also shared stories about her journey from aspiring DJ to where she is today. We talked about her musical influences, current favorite songs and her struggle to finish University while touring. Even while speaking on more serious topics, Tigerlily never made the conversation heavy; simultaneously, she didn't glamorize her experiences working with top DJs and producers, instead keeping them raw and real.

I came in terribly nervous and stumbled my way through the interview, but Tigerlily's upbeat personality and charisma left me feeling great. There is no question about how down-to-earth she is and I honestly enjoyed every single moment talking to her.

Tigerlily is currently touring in Australia. You can see the full schedule of her shows here: http://djtigerlily.com.au/tour-dates/