New York DJ HOPESTARXX recently found herself navigating an intense situation when another DJ attempted to hijack her set during a live event. The incident, which took place at the Backroom of Pianos, saw a man interrupt her performance by claiming the event was his own. She documented the ordeal in a video posted to Instagram and TikTok, which has since racked up over 2.4 million views. The interaction began while HOPESTARXX was playing her set. A man approached her and insisted, “This is my event.” First, he was vague, claiming he was doing the sound for the event. Then he kept asking her when her set was done, and stated that he was going to hop on. That is when she got suspicious and clarified that she had booked the space for the entire night. The man, who identified himself as Hell Cartier, continued to assert his authority. He claimed, “it’s my event. From the front room, upstairs, and the back room.” HOPESTARXX noted in the on-screen text of her video, “Me knowing that all these spaces are booked separately.” She also pointed out that she was aware of the actual sound technician present. As she pushed back, he says, “It’s my event but I just wanna make this shit work. I don’t care who run this b***ch.” Crossing professional boundaries When he left for a bit, HOPESTARXX thought the incident was behind. However, he returned when her colleague took over. That was when he started to mess with the deck, turning dials and making adjustments. In a case of a man trying to control a woman outside of music, a man stopped a woman in a new neighborhood to demand her address. In a different case, a man tried mainsplain his dates her illness to her. View this post on Instagram HOPESTARXX had originally attempted to diffuse the tension by staying polite and ignoring him. However, at this moment, she got assertive. As she reset the dials, she told him, “I don’t want to have to get somebody, but we can’t have this.” When she pulled him aside and spoke to him, she noted, “After going back and forth, I realized that he was unwilling to leave.” So, she called security to escort him away. It was in this argument that she learned what was happening. She alleged in the caption, “I then learned that he was the event organizer of the event happening upstairs that night. People had left his event upstairs and came to my event in the Backroom. He insisted that because “his collective” was now at my party, that the event was now “his”.” HOPESTARXX went on to describe her frustration. She wrote, “It’s frustrating enough navigating nightlife as a young black woman let alone a new event organizer. I don’t doubt that he would had conducted him the same way if we were men. Female DJs and event organizers deserve to do their jobs in nightlife without being concerned for their safety. It’s really a shame that the night had to progress this way.” The online community rallied behind her. One user on TikTok remarked, “So he was jealous and tried to sabotage you.” Another suggested that his behavior was a desperate attempt to reclaim an audience that had left his own event upstairs. On Instagram, a user agreed with HOPESTARXX, “He would have never approached a male DJ that way.” @hopestarxxxx Last Thursday, BLACKSTAR hosted its 3rd event ever in the Backroom of Pianos. Everything was going fine, until a man I did not know came onto the stage and began insisting that it was “his event”. Even after explaining to him that I had booked this space for the entire night, he still insisted that it was his event. I tried to ignore him and focus on my set, but his presence on stage made me deeply uncomfortable. He was overly close, touched the decks, tried to play his own music, started recording my track IDS, and took pictures of me and another DJ as we were playing. These clips are only 2 and a half minutes of a 25 minute interaction. For the safety of myself and the other DJ, I tried to be polite and attempted to diffuse the situation on my own. I did not want to cause a scene or disrupt the party, especially as I was playing my set. I continued to ignore him in hopes that he would leave, which he did for a short period of time. However, he eventually returned during the next DJ’s set. The situation escalated when he began touching the decks. At this point I pulled him aside so that the next DJ could play her set without his disturbance. I then learned that he was the event organizer of the event happening upstairs that night. People had left his event upstairs and came to my event in the Backroom. He insisted that because “his collective” was now at my party, that the event was now “his”. After going back and forth, I realized that he was unwilling to leave. I informed him that I was leaving to call security. I then returned with security who had him removed. It’s frustrating enough navigating nightlife as a young black woman let alone a new event organizer. I don’t doubt that he would had conducted him the same way if we were men. Female DJs and event organizers deserve to do their jobs in nightlife without being concerned for their safety. It’s really a shame that the night had to progress this way. ♬ original sound – hopestarxxxx The incident reflects broader challenges faced by women in the music industry. A recent study published by the Dutch outlet Het Parool highlights that female DJs continue to face systemic discrimination and inappropriate behavior. Research by ABN Amro confirms that male DJs are booked more frequently and often earn significantly more than their female counterparts. Techno DJ Carmen Lisa, who founded the collective Riot to support female artists, noted that inappropriate physical contact, such as someone grabbing or touching a DJ during a set, is a recurring issue. She told Het Parool, “What stands out is that action is often only taken when a woman says something about it.” Interestingly, the man involved in the Pianos incident later posted an apology on Instagram stories. In the message, he stated, “I apologized the day after ts happened, after already losing a lot too. Never done anything like that before and I’m disappointed in myself.” He claimed he had no business being in the backroom and that he was taking a break from the scene. Despite the disruption, HOPESTARXX remained focused on her work. She concluded her post by noting, “That was insane, but we are still going to enjoy the night.” Her experience serves as a stark reminder of the work that remains to be done to ensure that nightlife venues are safe, respectful spaces for all performers.