By Zach Collier
This is a busy weekend for Provo DJ Ricky Barrera. Back-to-back shows are exhausting enough, but Barrera is doubling that. This week, he’s headlining 3 packed BYU homecoming events, plus a night at The Complex in Salt Lake City.
Barrera has been DJing full time since 2018, when he quit his full time job at Google to pursue his passion. Since then, he’s traveled all over the country for parties and live events. California, Colorado, Arizona, and Pennsylvania are just a few examples of the places he’s been recently. He loves it.
“I love DJing because I feel like it’s a calling. I feel like all of my senses revolve around it and it’s the best way to express myself,” he says. He loves the energy he feels when a crowd responds to his set. “It reciprocates. You’re there with the people, the people are there for you, and that’s why you do it: you wanna see them have a good time and enjoy themselves.”
He says that life is hard, and being able to take a break for two to three hours to go to a show and be entertained is special and important. It’s cathartic. “And getting to be that entertainment? It means everything to me.”
Barrera performed yesterday at the Marriott Center to kick off the BYU Basketball season. Tonight he’ll perform outside of Lavell Edwards Stadium in Provo. On Saturday, the BIG 12 is throwing a pre party for the BYU student section inside of Lavell Edwards stadium.
“I have a long relationship with BYU Athletics,” says Barrera when asked how he landed such a busy lineup. “They hit me up right before the Gonzaga game back in 2019 right before the pandemic. They asked me to do the pre party right before that game.” They’ve worked on nearly every big BYU Athletics event since then. “The energy has always been a respectful one. It’s always been hype. I’ve done the stadium, Fan Jams, Midnight Madness, events with the BIG 12, etc.”
Barrera has enjoyed working with BYU and the kind of environment they create together. “I love where BYU is at right now. I love how open and accepting BYU events have become through BYU Athletics,” he says. Then, with a laugh, he says, “I love the fans at BYU because they’re all sober, which is great. They have a lot of energy. When we put them in the right situations, that group of kids goes so hard. You can see it in the student sections at the game. They’re so energetic.”
According to Barrera, attendees at the BYU events this week can expect throwback pop music mixed with house music and popular hip hop oldies and modern rap hits.
The Saturday night show will be a little different from the BYU events. Happening at The Complex from 7:30 PM – 11 PM, Barrera will be providing his iconic Haylor Night experience. Haylor Night is an all-ages celebration of pop music centered around the music of Taylor Swift and Harry Styles. A pop pre party happens from 7:30 to 9 PM. All the popular music of today is played as people enter, mingle, grab drinks, and take photos. 9 PM is when a set specifically built around the theme begins.
“It’s 100% T-Swift, Harry Styles, and One Direction,” says Barrera. “It’s the ultimate GNO: Girls, Gays, and Guys Night Out.” Barrera is excited for this weekend’s party especially. “This one is a Halloween party. It’s called Haylorween.”
As with any career in the music industry, it can be tough to get your start and even harder to earn a stable living. I asked Barrera what advice he has for aspiring DJs and musicians.
“Are you willing to be broke for a very long time? Do you love it enough? There’s so much chaos that comes with music. Be self aware. Do you love it? And are you good? If you are both of those things, music is for you. Get ready to suffer, and get ready to rock ‘n roll.”
To book Ricky Barrera for parties and events, follow and contact him on TikTok @therickybarrera or Instagram @therickybarrera. You can watch a promo for Haylor Night below.