Music is the rhythm of my life. From dawn 'til dusk, I find myself listening to various genres from classical to pop, jazz to alt-rock. It all depends on the time of day and what I'm doing at the moment. More Beyonc's "Freakum Dress" over Rachmaninoff's "Prlude in C-Sharp" when getting ready to go out on the town. On occasions, I'm also listening to music when I should be sleeping, scrolling through social media to find new artists and DJs to listen to. It was one night while scrolling on TikTok that I came upon Bridget Kyeremateng, who seemed to not only move with the music but inhale it like air.I was hooked. I chatted with the "diva DJ" and storyteller on house music, spirituality, and bringing everyone to the dance floor.Marie-Adlina de la Ferrire: Tell our readers a little bit about yourself?Bridget Kyeremateng: Oh my gosh, I love this question. Um, so my name is Bridget. I also go by Bridge either as a nickname or, you know, my DJ name. I was born in Italy and I lived there for quite some time. My family and I later immigrated to California, where I spent a lot of my years learning what it meant to be Black in the U.S.I attended the University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB), where I graduated with degrees in Black Studies and Feminist Studies. After that, I moved to New York City, where I've been working in marketing for various companies, including Tumblr, Spotify, and Twitch.But I've always believed and felt that art can make an impact. It's the best way to get through to people, at least for me. And I've always loved music. I picked up DJing about four years ago, and it reignited my love for being on stage and sharing art, expressing what it means to feel fully alive in a very challenging time. I do all these things, but at the end of the day, what I love to do is inspire others to feel free.Who or what was your introduction to house music?YouTube, 2003. I was searching for music as I always do, and I came across a song called "Change for Me" by Eric Roberson. Those chords, that melody, completely changed how I listen to music. I was familiar with genres like funk, soul, R&B, and disco. But I'd never heard such a disco-inspired track on top of a four on the floor beat. It just changed my world.What's the vibe like at one of your DJ sets?My ethos is always to play uplifting house music. I want to introduce people to new music. I want to challenge people to listen to music in a different way. And I want people to have fun. I want them to leave feeling as though they were cleansed or lifted. And because music is such an ancestral calling for me, you will never ever see me stand still. If I'm standing still, that's cuz my feet hurt, my back hurts, I'm thinking about the next song, or I'm drinking some water.Every single chord, every lyric, every vocal, I'm taking in that energy from my ancestors, from the producers, from the artists, and I am just regurgitating it back to the audience. I want them to go, "Wow, if that DJ is living her best life on the stage, I should also do the same."Everyone's recording everyone, and people feel insecure, nervous, or scared. So I want to challenge that. I'm on stage; you're looking at me. If I'm acting a fool, then you can act a fool. Live your life. Express yourself.@iambridgeetWhen my ancestors call, I answer! Ive always said DJing is my ancestral call and I feel very pulled to this art form. I may not be a practicing Catholic anymore but I believe in spirituality and divine calling. This is mine #gospel #gospelhouse #gospelhousemusic #dj #soulsummit #femaledj #womeninmusic #housemusic #househead #explore #brooklyn #explorepage #nyc #newyorkcity #knockdowncenter #foryourpage #viralvideo #viraltiktok #fypYou said DJing is like an ancestral calling. Can you talk more about that?I'm Ghanian. On this side of my mom's family, they're deeply rooted in like Vodu and spiritual work. The older I've gotten, the more I've become attuned, and I've opened myself up to listening to my ancestors and letting them guide me.And I've learned through my DJing that every time I am on that stage, I truly open myself up to others. And the light that is beaming from me is the light of all of my ancestors who've come before me, who did this very same work. Whatever it looked like to them, whichever of my ancestors gave light and spread joy and inspired, that's all in one beaming down to me. When I'm on stage, I sometimes just move through the feeling...like overtaken by my ancestors, you know?I am being carried and guided by people in my corner who recognize that my current mission is to help people feel joy.In these troubling times, how do you believe that house music can heal and unite?House music, at its core, is very spiritual, and it invites everyone. I recently had a wonderful experience at Sankofa and the ClubHouse Jamboree, and it was truly beautiful. The entire community was a massive, diverse pool of people: Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z; Black, white, gay, straight, trans. You had everyone!And everyone was in the same frequency, the same tune, expressing moves, expressing energy, exchanging energy. That entire weekend, and anytime I go, I watch my other house DJs curate these spaces. It's so hard to hate one another when you are in a space of love. For me, house music is a place where I constantly feel at home. Whether I'm DJing, going to an event, or at home.House music brings diverse people together. It has multiple subgenres and encompasses everything someone can feel. It has afro-soul. It has disco. It has gospel. It has deep house. It's a universal language, and I firmly believe it's because it was created by Black people and popularized by the queer community and the Latino community. And because of that, we are seeing a very beautiful and intentional genre that, when you are in the right place at the right time, is transcendental.See on InstagramWhy is it important to tap into the black queer origins of house music?Everyone constantly wants to forget that Black music and queer history are intertwined. We look at disco, right? And disco was a fascinating time when people were able to express themselves, specifically Black and queer individuals. We saw the death of disco, the demolition of disco. This was a racist and homophobic act. And what happened after that? We got house music. House music was disco's revenge. And the free spaces, the accommodating spaces, were spaces for Black, queer, and Latino people.The popularization of house music is largely attributed to the Black queer community. And people forget that. We look at Frankie Knuckles, Larry Levan, and other Black queer men who paved the way. And for some reason, as history has continued to unfold, we have whitewashed it. Same as we've done with every genre. This is a tale as old as time.As a Black woman and someone who has done a lot of my work highlighting and elevating marginalized communities, it's imperative for me not just to DJ the music. There is history in what I'm doing. There is education in what I'm doing. I am here because of the black queer community. It is because of their sacrifices that I am here. How can I simply go on stage and receive all the benefits without sharing knowledge, without providing education?White cisgender men are given a lot of these opportunities to DJ house music, and they are not doing the work of educating their community. They don't feel like they have to. And if that alienates me, then that's fine. I'd rather have people come to my sets and understand that the story I'm creating and the person they are seeing is constantly highlighting and has an intention of recognizing the queer community. For me, my space is a space where anyone can come and feel safe.But I always say, and you can you can quote me on this, I DJ for the girls and gays only.Voices is dedicated to featuring a wide range of inspiring personal stories and impactful opinions from the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. Visit out.com/submit to learn more about submission guidelines. We welcome your thoughts and feedback on any of our stories. Email us at voices@equalpride.com. Views expressed in Voices stories are those of the guest writers, columnists, and editors, and do not directly represent the views of Out or our parent company, equalpride