Finance broker to female DJ: How Claire O’Shea made the bold career change

Living in a deeply capitalistic society, it’s no surprise that many of us recall actively being discouraged from pursuing the arts in favour of more ‘serious’ or lucrative career pathways.

One study found that enrolment in arts and humanities subjects in VCE is declining due to the scaled ATAR system, which prioritises maths and sciences over art, music, drama, or dance.

Once they leave education, those who manage to build a passion career in the arts are often then chronically underpaid and receive less stability and fewer benefits than those in industries like business or finance.

Claire O’Shea, also known as DJ FADJ, is a DJ, coach and mentor, and knows all too well how many hurdles face those who want to pursue a creative career.

“Born in Singapore, I grew up thinking you needed to be either a doctor, lawyer, or accountant,” she said.

O’Shea completed a degree in finance and international business economics, transitioning from stockbroking to mortgage broking. Despite her finance-focused career path, music was always a huge part of her life.

“My dad was and still is a drummer,” she said.

“My parents were lawyers, so they had pretty stressful jobs, but music was always an outlet for them. As an only child, they would take me to all concerts — Whitney Houston, Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Elton John, Michael Jackson, the list goes on!”

O’Shea said these core memories from her childhood influenced and shaped her signature DJ style today. DJ FADJ’s sets combine chill beats, funky house, disco, and many other genres to create the perfect party vibe.

How O’Shea turned her side hustle into a booming career

“I started DJing when my boyfriend got a set of turntables, and I loved the feeling of mixing two songs together to create a unique sound,” O’Shea said.

DJing was never more than a hobby and creative outlet from her serious and busy life until she took a career break to have her daughters after seven years working as a finance broker.

“After having my second baby, I remember having a light bulb moment at 2am. Completely delirious from lack of sleep, I was feeding my baby and I asked myself, ‘What can I do that is meaningful enough to be away from my babies?’ I knew at that point it wasn’t finance,” she said.

In this moment of exhausted clarity, O’Shea realised how much she missed DJing and playing music. She decided to find her way back to her passion and do something truly meaningful to her.

Balancing her dreams with a healthy dose of reality, O’Shea knew she couldn’t play in bars or nightclubs, where she would finish at 4am, only to wake up a few hours later to feed her child. Having always loved fashion, she decided to carve out her niche playing at fashion and corporate cocktail parties where the hours would better suit her lifestyle and family’s needs.

Say yes before you’re ready

O’Shea’s first big break came when her friend Adam Heath asked if she knew any DJs who could play at a Dion Lee fashion party. Despite her nerves and feeling unprepared, O’Shea seized the opportunity.

“Saying yes before I was ready kicked me into gear, and I prepped and practiced as much as I could in between my daughter’s sleep and feeds while my eldest daughter was at kindergarten,” she said.

Her courage was rewarded, with many more gigs coming her way. O’Shea’s unique style filled an unmet need for event DJs, especially women, who could tailor music for particular events and demographics. The niche DJ FADJ carved for herself allowed her to explore two things she loved – fashion and music – and she relished the opportunity to get dressed up and get out of ‘mum mode’.

As rewarding as her newfound success was, striking a balance wasn’t always easy. While her DJing career was taking off, she was also bookkeeping and raising her two girls. It took four years of juggling her two careers until she got so busy with events that she stepped away from her bookkeeping career.

“Reflecting back on what I was like when I first started getting paid gigs, I had a lot of self-doubt,” she said.

“It took me four years to feel comfortable calling myself a ‘DJ’ as my actual job when people asked me what I did for a living. 

“I had no formal training as a DJ; I taught myself, which took me a very long time, and I was too scared to ask other DJs I knew questions (who were all male) for fear of sounding silly or stupid.”

O’Shea’s can-do attitude and determination ultimately paid off despite her imposter syndrome. She benefitted from the support of her family and her skillset from her experience in finance, which prepared her with the thick skin and resilience she needed to break through in a male-dominated industry.

Her finance brokering career had also helped her develop an ability to read people and understand and meet their needs, an essential skill in tailoring a music set to an audience. Combined with her professionalism and hardworking nature, she approached her new venture with a business mindset, while also exploring her creative side.

“DJing was so freeing, and being able to move and express myself through music was a breath of fresh air,” she said.

“I take people on a journey when DJing to tell a story through music that evokes so many wonderful emotions.”

DJane School: Paving the way for future female DJs

When she started to get so busy that she was turning down gigs, she saw another opportunity to platform and promote other women in the industry. She created the House of FADJ Entertainment, an agency that promotes female talent.

Since women historically had few opportunities to train and work as DJs, she also decided to branch out and create DJane School, where she mentors and coaches other aspiring women DJs.

“I realised I got so much joy imparting my knowledge to other female DJs and seeing them shine behind the decks,” she said.

This endeavour had its challenges, with some people skeptical of the idea’s merit. O’Shea recalls being actively discouraged from creating DJane School by a large entertainment agency that insisted she wouldn’t make money from it.

However, when the pandemic hit and disrupted so many lives and careers, many paid gigs were canceled, and her DJ agency was suddenly out of action. Fortunately, O’Shea’s overhead costs were low as it was a one-woman operation.

Despite how difficult this sudden disruption was to her business, she said it was the best thing that could have happened to her as it forced her to stop overworking herself to the point of hardly seeing her family and risking a serious case of burnout.

“Lucky for us in Western Australia, we were still able to travel within the state – it was on a family caravanning trip to Karijini that I had my next light bulb moment,” she said.

Amid the beautiful gorges, she made the decision to create DJane School to provide others with everything she didn’t have when she started her career — a supportive community and inclusive learning environment.

“The school offers a space where women can learn without fear of judgement, covering everything from selecting affordable equipment to setting it up and mixing tracks,” said O’Shea.

“Unlike scattered online resources, DJane School breaks down complex concepts into simple, actionable steps.”

DJane School offers education and support to women from anywhere in the world through its online learning format, forcing O’Shea to acquire another skillset in digital marketing, live streaming, and online education design and delivery.

Despite facing her fair share of obstacles, from technical difficulties to fluctuating and initially inconsistent enrolment, O’Shea stayed resilient and kept showing up.

As it so often does, persistence and resilience paid off. Fast forward to today, DJane School has taught nearly 150 students in less than three years.

“The best part, after teaching over 100 women and children how to DJ, is not even about pressing play on the decks,” she said. 

“I see in all of my students the pure joy, confidence, and sense of empowerment and presence they feel from DJing. Seeing their faces light up after mastering their first set is incredibly rewarding.”