“When I was a teenager, I composed music and dreamed of being a musician full-time. But then I opted for the “standard” career path, always leaving the music career on the side as a secret wish that I may have followed at some point.”
The point at which Cristina Lazic decided to seriously follow her “secret wish” came during maternity leave. After learning how to DJ during her time off work, she found a fresh impetus to follow her passion, which prompted her to make a tough decision about her future.
“Upon returning to work full time, I knew that I would never be able to leave my music passion again,” says Cristina, who had built a successful career in tech working for Apple and Google. “I was enjoying my job at Google, and I loved the team, so the decision to leave was the toughest I ever had to make. However, as my profile started progressing, I felt the need to produce and release more, which was almost impossible with a full-time job and my daughter to take care of.”
Despite pursuing a different career path, the Italian DJ and producer’s experience in tech proved extremely valuable to her creative process. As one might expect, she worked with a team of innovative, driven professionals who influenced her approach to work.
“Working at a tech company allowed me to be surrounded by very smart, entrepreneurial and motivated people. I also got to work on products and projects that impact millions of people’s lives. I am happy to apply the setup and ways of working that I used during my tech jobs to music. I see this is working well, and I am confident it will continue to do so.”
Cristina’s approach led her to develop her own sound, which caught the attention of renowned DJ and electronic music producer Damian Lazarus. Soon after, she was invited to play DJ sets at famous venues, including Hi Ibiza and Koko London.
As for her latest venture, she has just released a video and sound project in collaboration with 3D creative studio CrazyPanda. The content is also available as an NFT, and fans who purchase this could have the opportunity to receive additional perks, including coaching sessions with Cristina.
For those who miss out on the coaching perk, there will undoubtedly be further opportunities in the future. In addition to her own work, Cristina is building a community-centric label that aims to help artists reach their full potential.
“I am in the process of developing the full idea and strategy behind it, but I envision launching a music label that won’t have the objective of simply releasing music. I would like to involve like-minded artists with exceptional skills and potential and give them a boost by helping them to grow.
“I think I can bring some of my experience in the tech industry by coaching them and helping them with career development and marketing skills. In this respect, I see my label as a family of people that I collaborate with. We will be able to create a movement together.”
Indeed, with plenty of success behind her already, Cristina knows what it takes to get recognised. She gives some valuable free advice for budding producers who want to follow in her footsteps.
“Nowadays, you see many artists explode because of Instagram reels or TikTok. I am sure they have been working hard on creating content, but I think music should speak above anything else. This is what will make them last longer as artists and be less of a hype.
“For this reason, my advice to other producers is to make sure that the music they release is of excellent quality and that they continue working with consistency and determination without getting lost in the social media trends or hype.”
Cristina’s story is indeed a testament to the power of determination, which fittingly echoes the entrepreneurial spirit of Steve Jobs, who once said, “I’m convinced that about half of what separates successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.”
While Cristina never gave up on her dream of becoming a musician, we all know persistence isn’t the only factor in success. In her case, she has applied what she learned in tech to her creative process, which seems to have given her a competitive edge.
You could say that following a “standard” career path was her best decision ever.
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