One look at Dara Hayes aka DJ Tigerlily’s Instagram is enough to understand: this blue-haired Sydney-born DJ/producer knows how to live her life to the fullest, and she's captured it in her North American tour. This string of shows is a great way to see why her singles "Paradise" and "Feel The Love" became dance hits and why Tiesto picked Tigerlily to support him during his tour last year. We decided not to go easy on her and called Tigerlily at 10am right after her tour’s opening night to discuss the female DJs movement, hair colors and donuts. And guess what? She didn’t hang up on us, but instead gave us a glimpse to her Wonderland-esque world.

How are you, where are you and what are you up to? 

I’m currently snuggled up in bed [laughs]. I’m in Houston, TX. Last night I played my first ever headlining show in America. And it was incredible! So I’m still definitely on a little bit of a high.

I’m shocked you were even able to wake up so early to do our interview! Kudos to you!

Ha, thank you! I don’t really drink when I work, so I didn’t drink last night. It was funny when the manager told me: “Usually there’s never water in the green room, only vodka.” And I was like “Not for me.” So I’m not hungover or anything.

Perfect—it means you’ll be able to tell me how and when you started DJing… 

I started DJing four and a half years ago when I was 19. I pretty much borrowed a mixing system from a friend and played around in my bedroom for a while. Then I entered a competition in Sydney called Your Show, which gives young kids the opportunity to learn how to mix and to DJ as well as teaching them the aspects of performing live. So I entered in 2011 and came in second, which was a great kickstart to my career. I started DJing because I was interested in it—I wanted to do it as a hobby, it was fun. I never had any intentions or expectations. It was a very nice organic process, especially considering I was playing a lot of music when I was younger. I learned to play the piano at school and college.

Did you ever think about combining DJing and singing like Havana Brown did? 

Yes, definitely. I’m gonna be singing on the new EP I’m writing at the moment. But I don’t think that I’ll do it live. I don’t think I’ll ever be up for the whole singing on stage thing. 

When did you start calling yourself Tigerlily? 

I always try to make up a silly story whenever I get asked this question. But the truth is that I wanted to be a popstar when I was younger. I’d make my sisters sing and dance with me. And I wanted my name to be Tigerlily when I was having a popstar dream. So when it was time to pick a DJ name, it was once again a very organic choice for me. 

Well these days DJs are popstars. Just looking at the charts I see more DJs than actual singers, so your dream kinda came true.

Yes, definitely. The DJs are the modern day popstars. 

When did you go blue?

I’ve been blue now for two and a half years. But before that I was pink, purple, red and had all different colors. Blue’s definitely my favorite.

Do you consider following the new trend and going rainbow? 

No, I think I’m gonna stick with the blue for a while. Rainbow would be too difficult to upkeep on the road. 

Can you imagine the world without music? 

Definitely not. It would be an extremely sad place. 

Considering you’re touring so much, what’s your favorite thing to do on a plane? 

If I’m tired, I like to sleep. And I’m tired pretty often. But if I’m not, I’m writing music, listening to music, prepping my set, making edits for my show, answering interview questions. I’m also a big fan of podcasts, so I also love to listen to those. And I always take lots of books on my Kindle. 

Do you have any guilty pleasures when you’re DJing?

I play lots of edits and remixes of old songs and just the songs that I really love. My favorite song at the moment is I Can Fly by Jewelz & Sparks, it’s pretty hot and pretty dirty and I love including it in my set. Guilty pleasure-wise I don’t really think I have other songs like that in my set. Does being a secretly raging alcoholic who has a bottle of vodka before the show count? [laughs]

The DJ scene is pretty much dominated by males, but you’re a great role model for other girls to start turning on turntables. Do you feel like you and Nervo are part of this female DJs movement?

Yeah, but this movement isn’t really that big. Even though the EDM music has been commercialized for a long time now, I really haven’t seen much of a shift in the numbers of girls in the high echelon of the dance music so far. It is a little bit of a problem: we need more women stepping up in this industry. There needs to be shift. I’m not really sure how that’s gonna happen. I guess it’s just a matter of encouraging the young girls to get in this music world. Being a young woman in this industry can be daunting. But I think I’m pretty tough. So I can’t begin to imagine what it must be like for other girls who maybe don’t have the greatest self-confidence or a bit shy or nervous. 

You’re super active on Instagram and honestly I’ve spent a lot of time checking all of your colorful photos. Is it important for a DJ to maintain a bright social media presence?  

It’s not just important—it’s absolutely fundamental. In this day and age if you wanna be successful and convey a message to your fans, you need to use all the different platforms. Social media is a great way to connect people and to show the world whatever you want to: videos from your shows, previews of your releases…You can even livestream from the studio! 

I also saw on Instagram that you’re a bit of a donuts fanatic. What’s your favorite flavor?  

Hmm… Pistachio probably. I know that’s random but I love pistachio donuts. 

Yum! I also saw that you give Pilates classes. Any more hidden talents we don’t know about? 

Many! Haha. I’m interested in a lot of things. I’m really into health and fitness. I love to do Pilates. I love to read and learn. I’m into nature and hiking. Back home in Australia I have friends with whom I go exploring and looking for little hidden gems within nature. When your career is passion-based, it’s important to have many interests to keep that fire burning. 

Sure it is. As an Australian, how many hours a day you need to spend at the beach?

Millions! It can be pretty difficult going away from the beach and not having access to fresh air, salt air and the water. When I get home, the first thing I do is go to the beach and breathe in the beautiful fresh air. 

Tell me about your tour. What should we expect?

I’m so excited! It’s my first North American headline tour. I have 14 shows over the month and I’m trying to visit as many places as I can. It’s gonna be good vibes and good music. I’m so excited to share it with everyone!