Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Shroyer.
Hi Emily, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My journey with music really started when I was little. I started out young playing piano and viola, and I was first chair in orchestra throughout middle school and into my sophomore year of high school. I began DJing around 27 years old in Indianapolis. As I attended more music festivals and EDM shows, I fell in love with dubstep. I knew from the first festival I went to that I wanted to be up there on stage doing that exact thing. I’ve always had a passion for music, but once I got behind the decks, I felt at home.
Over the years in the Midwest, I got opportunities I never imagined I’d have when I first started. I’ve opened for artists I love, including DJ Diesel, SVDDEN DEATH, Level Up, Kai Wachi, 12th Planet, Virtual Riot, and Dillon Francis, and I even got to play a camping stage at Lost Lands. I’ve played venues I never thought would be possible.
A few years into my career, I moved to Denver—the bass capital of the United States. I took a bit of a break from music for personal reasons, and afterward, I had a hard time getting my foot back in the door. Eventually, I was introduced to Bass Bingo at Larimer Lounge, hosted by Bryan Hambrecht. He took a chance on me and added me to their amazing lineup of residents. Bryan and the bingo boys have opened so many doors for me in the music scene and have become some of my favorite people. More recently, I opened for Jkyl & Hyde at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom and Drinkurwater at Summit Music Hall. Denver truly has a one-of-a-kind music scene, and I’m so grateful to be a part of it.
Over time, DJing turned into wanting to create my own music, and that’s when SNAXXX really started becoming what it is today. I taught myself music production and am continuing to learn every day. I started developing my sound around dubstep, heavy bass, riddim, and honestly, just anything that makes you want to headbang.
I’ve also had a lot of fun building the personality around SNAXXX. A huge part of the project is centered around food (something I’m very passionate about). My show visuals include creepy—but cute—food characters, including a cupcake with giant chompy teeth and eyelashes, french fries with octopus tentacles, a giant chicken drumstick with a long tongue, and even a cereal monster. I also love dinosaurs, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and anything Marvel. All of these random pieces of who I am have somehow found their way—or will eventually find their way—into the project and my tracks.
Outside of music, my life is kind of all over the place in the best way. I’m a Realtor here in Denver, and I created Impactful Plates, a cooking content project that combines my love of food with giving back to organizations fighting hunger. Somehow, I’ve found myself balancing houses, recipes, bass music, and occasionally dressing up as my own ghost producer for the internet. If you haven’t met her yet, you gotta check her out. She takes credit for most of our tracks.
Next year will mark 10 years of this project, and I still feel like this is only the beginning of where I want SNAXXX to go. I’m constantly learning, making new music, meeting people from all over the scene, and thinking about what’s next for me. Looking back at where I started, though, it’s pretty wild to see how many things that once felt like huge dreams have already become real. I am beyond grateful.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have been a lot of ups and downs over the years, but I think that’s also what has made the journey so rewarding. One of my biggest struggles came after moving to Denver. As I said earlier, I ended up taking a break from music for personal reasons. I was going through a tough time mentally, didn’t have any friends here, and really didn’t know many people at all. When I was ready to come back into the music world, I honestly had a really hard time finding my place. Denver has an incredible music scene, but there are also so many talented artists here, and starting over in a new city was intimidating. There were definitely moments when I questioned whether I still had a place in it.
I think another challenge has been learning not to compare my journey to everyone else’s. The music industry can make you feel like you’re behind, especially with social media constantly showing you everyone else’s wins. I’ve had to remind myself that there isn’t one timeline for success. We aren’t all competing for one spot. There isn’t a maximum number of artists who are allowed to succeed, but sometimes it can feel that way when you’re not constantly putting out content, releasing music, or getting booked for shows. Next year will mark 10 years of SNAXXX, and my path has had plenty of stops, starts, changes, and moments where I wasn’t sure what was next. But I’m still here, I’m not going anywhere, and I think I’m more excited about the project now than I’ve ever been.
Learning music production has also been incredibly humbling. I taught myself, and there are days when I feel like I finally know what I’m doing, followed immediately by a day when I feel like I know absolutely nothing. There is ALWAYS something new to learn. But being able to play my own music in my sets and watch people react to something I created from scratch makes all of those frustrating hours when I wanted to give up worth it.
The biggest thing I’ve learned is just to keep showing up. Some opportunities have come from places I never expected, and some doors I really wanted to open didn’t. I’m learning to trust that the right things will come at the right time, keep working, and be grateful for the people who have believed in me along the way. I wouldn’t be here today without the fans, friends, family, and all the people I’ve met who told me to keep going.
I always tell newer artists: you don’t know who you’re going to meet. You don’t know who might be at that show where only five people showed up. You don’t know who’s watching you. Put your best effort into everything you do. It’s so important that you do that.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about SNAXXX?
SNAXXX is a dubstep/bass music project at its core, and while I take my music and where I want to go with this career very seriously, I also want the project to be FUN. I love making and playing really heavy music, but I think there’s something special about pairing that intensity with a playful, weird, and sometimes ridiculous personality. If you’re at one of my shows headbanging while simultaneously looking at a giant chicken drumstick with a tongue on the screen behind me, then I feel like I’m doing my job.
A lot of what sets SNAXXX apart for me is the world I’ve built around the music. Food has become a huge part of the identity, from the name itself to my visuals, song titles, releases, and even “The Pantry,” which is what I call my label. Then there’s my Ghost Producer, who has somehow developed a personality of her own and apparently deserves most of the credit for my music. I love finding ways to make all of these things feel connected while still leaving myself room to experiment creatively.
Musically, I specialize in dubstep, heavy bass, and a little riddim here and there, but I don’t want SNAXXX to ever be confined to one tiny box. Dubstep runs in my blood at this point. I love heavy drops and music that makes people want to headbang, but I’m constantly experimenting and figuring out what my sound is as I grow as a producer.
What I’m most proud of right now is how much more of me is becoming part of my sets. Teaching myself production has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done creatively, so being able to play an original track and watch a crowd react to something I made from nothing is an indescribable feeling. Every new release feels like another piece of SNAXXX clicking into place.
More than anything, I want people to leave a SNAXXX set feeling like they had the best time ever—and like they want to come see me play again. I want to connect with people. The music can be heavy, the visuals can be weird, and things can get a little ridiculous—that’s kind of the point. I want the project to feel recognizable and completely like me.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
There are SO many people who deserve credit. I genuinely don’t think anyone builds a career in music completely on their own, and I’ve been incredibly lucky to have people throughout different chapters of my life who believed in me, sometimes during times when I didn’t believe in myself.
Bryan Hambrecht and the entire Bass Bingo crew have played a huge role in my journey here in Denver. Like I mentioned earlier, Bryan took a chance on me when I was struggling to find my place in the scene and brought me on as a resident. That opportunity introduced me to so many people, opened doors for me, and, more importantly, gave me a community. Bass Bingo has introduced me to some of my favorite people who I now call my friends, and I’ll always be grateful for what they’ve done for me and continue to do.
My manager, Amelia, has also become a huge part of the next chapter of SNAXXX. Having someone in my corner who believes in the project, helps me navigate decisions, and sees the potential in what I’m building has been incredibly valuable. As an independent artist, you spend so much time trying to be the artist, producer, content creator, promoter, booking person, social media manager, and everything else all at once. Having someone alongside me who genuinely cares about where this goes has made such a difference.
My family deserves so much credit. They’ve listened to unfinished songs approximately 900 times, watched me obsess over tiny details nobody else would ever notice, come to shows, shared my music, been in my ridiculous videos, and encouraged me through every high and low. My mom has even headbanged with me on stage. My family has always supported the fact that I chose a pretty unconventional dream and has never made me feel like I needed to give it up. I honestly don’t know if I’d still be doing this project without their constant support and without them always being my biggest cheerleaders.
My friends. My day ones. I’d list all of their names, but there have genuinely been SO many people in my corner since I had this crazy idea to name myself SNAXXX and start DJing. They know who they are. Most of those people are still in my life and still support me to this day, and I know they always will. I am a very lucky human being to call them my friends, and I love them more than they’ll ever understand.
The fans!!!!! Literally, the fans—I don’t know what I would do without them. I wouldn’t be here! I’ve had people follow me around the United States to see me play, and people who have been supporting me since I first started. I have TWO separate people who have my signature tattooed on them! That is crazy!!! I still can’t believe that. Sometimes it’s really hard to fathom that this project has brought so many wonderful people into my life who believe in me, love my shows, and continue to come see me play. It’s a feeling unlike any other, and I am eternally grateful. I love my “Snack Pack.”
And above all, God deserves the credit. Over the years of my career, there were times when I didn’t know if this was His calling for me or if this was the right path. I’ve prayed a lot through both the good and the bad times of SNAXXX, and I genuinely believe in my heart that He supports the path I’m on. There have been a lot of times when I almost gave up, only to be blessed with another show opportunity, a boost in my creative flow, new ideas for music, or simply a reminder of who I am and why I started. I am blessed all around!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/snaxxxmusic
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notyourtypicalsnack
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djsnaxxx
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/snaxxxmusic
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/22pJR9rcNjsJn761TlmFh7
