It’s easy to get lost in the sea of people one may encounter at the bars on Grand River Avenue, or in the various fraternity and house parties scattered throughout the East Lansing neighborhoods. There are some people who might look familiar outside of the weekend lights; those same Michigan State University student DJs who make the beats that drive the party.

DJing is a hobby driven by passion for music and the desire to have an audience. For many, DJing has the potential to spiral into something more. Marketing junior Madison Jurczyk, also known as DJ Mad Jersey, found DJing through her existing love of music.

“I’ve always enjoyed music, and I’ve always loved going to festivals,” Jurczyk said. “I really started getting into the EDM genre in college.”

She partially credits her introduction to DJing to her involvement in Greek life on campus. A member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, Jurczyk was inspired by other students who would DJ events she attended.

The story is similar for others on campus as well. Finance junior Armaan Pirzada, who goes by DJ Zada, started to take over for his frat whose DJ was getting ready to graduate. Taught by his brother in Beta Theta Pi, Pirzada picked up on it quickly and wanted to start playing for more people.

“I did a few parties, and (my frat brother) brought the opportunity up to me,” Pirzada said. “I got my trial night, and it was a really, really busy day in the springtime. I got to play on the patio (of Dublin Square) for like 300 people.”

That was Prizada’s freshman year. Now, he’s focused on his more regular gigs at Landshark and Rick’s. One of the most fun things about DJing on campus for Zada is the reactions he gets from the crowd while he tries to make the music as fun as the night out.

“When I started playing bars a lot, I started playing this ‘Victorious’ song,” Prizada said. “It’s literally like my best song. When I have my biggest floor or when I’m really trying to get a crowd going, it’s the song I’ll open with.”

The song Prizada is referring to is the song "Best Friend’s Brother" from the 2010s Nickelodeon show "Victorious." Jurczyk agreed that she think’s it's most fun to play throwback songs on campus to get the best reaction. Though it’s most fun, this isn’t always the goal.