An Inspired Chat with Brittany Harrelson of Highlands

Brittany Harrelson shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Brittany, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: Who are you learning from right now?
Love this question! As a DJ and producer, I’m always learning from my peers, but also as an avid traveler, I love learning from new cultures and cities and taking in their sounds. I always have my Shazam locked and loaded, ready to go. I’m constantly taking notes and love exploring clubs in new countries and bringing some of those sounds back to Denver.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hiiiii, I’m Brittz 🙂
I’m a Denver-based DJ and producer carving my lane through the underground, bass-heavy, and murky edges of club music. Over the past year, I’ve been making waves in Denver’s nightlife scene—and beyond—by refusing to be boxed into one sound. I used to stress about picking a genre that defined me… but eventually said screw that. Now, I play whatever fits the vibe of the party, warehouse, or festival I’m at. That mindset sparked my personal brand: an anti-genre, genre—aka the reason you’ll see “Fk genres, get money”** across my socials.

I’m open for bookings in Denver and across the U.S., and I always curate the perfect vibe for the room.

This summer, I’m dropping my first original tracks and launching a Brittz clothing line featuring designs with my taglines: “Fk genres, get money”** and “Anti-Genre Genre Club.” Follow along to stay in the loop. <3

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
This is such a deep question, but I really think it was my fear of being seen. As a child, I grew up so shy and never wanted to draw any attention to myself. Now, as a DJ, it’s obviously kinda about drawing attention to myself and to my music.

This is a scary thing to release (and I’m still working on it), because when you start putting yourself out there—whether in front of the public eye or pushing social media content like I am—it becomes crucial to know yourself so you don’t fall victim to what anyone else thinks of you.

I did this by really grounding myself and making sure I know who I am, so I don’t let others change that. They can say what they want, but at the end of the day, I’m the only one who truly knows me.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
If I could say one thing to my younger self, I think it would be (and RIP Ozzy), but I recently heard his famous quote: “Never apologize for anything. People will understand you later.” That just really hit home for me. Ozzy has always been a rule breaker, always been weird in the best way, and he never stopped showing up as his most authentic self.

When he passed, the whole world was mourning him—not because he was perfect, but because he was himself. And that’s what I’d tell my younger self: just be you. The world needs who you are, not who you think you’re supposed to be.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
Since I started DJing, everybody has always told me, “You need to pick a niche. You need to play one type of music and market yourself that way. People are confused if they don’t know what you play—they won’t follow you.” But I really want to break down that stigma. It’s definitely to be determined how that turns out for me, but I think DJs and creatives need to stop boxing themselves in.

Like, why do I have to play one genre? Why do I have to only get booked for one sound? Has anybody ever heard of just… a good DJ? Someone who can read the room and match the vibe?

Obviously, all sets I play are still within electronic music, but if I drop a disco track and the crowd is vibing, I’m going to follow that energy. I’m not going to stick to one sound if people are bored and leaving. That’s not the point of DJing to me.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
I think this question brings up such an interesting point. I know it’s kind of a recent, first-world thing, but a few years ago someone asked me, “Would you still be doing that if you couldn’t post it to your story?” As crazy as it sounds, that completely reshaped how I think about everything.

Like, would I still go to this event if I couldn’t post about it? Would I still hang out with these people if I wasn’t going to take a picture for Instagram? I’ve actually stopped doing certain things because I realized I was just doing them for clout, and I don’t want to be that kind of person.

So lately I’ve really been trying to give my best, even if nobody notices or says anything. I just feel like one day people will get it. Putting my art out there consistently has a compounding effect. Me being myself and showing up authentically might inspire someone else to do the same. And hopefully that energy keeps growing. When you’re real with yourself, people feel it…and sometimes that’s all that matters.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/itsbrittzbitch
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsbrittzbitch
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialdjbrittz
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@itsbrittzbitch1
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/itsbrittzbitch
• Other: Resident Advisor: https://ra.co/dj/brittz

Image Credits
@rizzo_photographs @blurredbybai
on IGS