Hey there, I’m Ivan Tizon. I wear a few hats—creative brand director, DJ in Manila, and writer for Midnight Rebels. In this line of work, you meet a lot of interesting people, but Francie Gee‘s story really stood out. I was introduced to her through friends, including the owner of Sessions Academy, and I was fascinated. How does someone go from being a student there to performing on global stages and then coming back to be an instructor? Stories like that don’t happen every day, and I knew I had to find out more.
Her journey is a great example of how passion, good training, and a strong community can take an artist from a local classroom to stages around the world. I had the chance to sit down with Francie to talk about her path. I wanted to hear about everything, from the nerves of her first day to the realities of a global DJ career. Her story is one that any aspiring artist should hear.
I started at the very beginning, a moment many DJs can relate to. I asked her, “Can you take us back to your very first day at Sessions Academy? What was going through your mind?”
“Honestly, I was incredibly nervous,” Francie Gee admitted with a laugh. “I remember walking in and seeing all the professional equipment. The turntables and mixers gave me a mix of pure excitement and serious intimidation. You have this deep love for music, but you start to question if you have what it takes to actually create it and control it. There is a fear of not being good enough. But what struck me right away was the atmosphere. It was not competitive or judgmental. It felt like a safe space to be a beginner. My instructors and classmates were all focused on one thing, which was learning. That feeling of a shared goal made the fear go away pretty quickly. The moment I got my hands on the decks for the first time, even just for a basic function, I knew I was in the right place.”
It was clear the academy gave her a strong technical start. I was curious about what else she learned. “Beyond the essential skills like beatmatching and scratching, what was the single most valuable lesson you learned as a student that you still carry with you today?”
“That’s an easy one,” she responded thoughtfully. “It was the idea of DJing as storytelling. Angelo Del Carmen, the founder, always pushed us beyond just mixing two songs together. He would ask us, ‘What story are you telling? Where are you taking the crowd?’ That changed my whole perspective. A DJ set is not just a playlist. It is a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. It has high points and low points. Learning to pick tracks based on their mood and energy, not just their key or tempo, taught me how to create an experience. That idea is at the core of who I am as an artist. It’s what lets me connect with a dancefloor… You are not just playing music, you are communicating.”
Francie’s journey is special because she now teaches in the same rooms where she was once a student. I asked her, “Becoming a mentor must have been a powerful experience. Was there a moment you realized the true reward of that responsibility?”
“Absolutely. You feel the responsibility the first time a student looks to you for approval… You realize you have a direct role in shaping someone’s confidence. But the reward is ten times greater. There was one student who was technically gifted but very shy and hesitant to take creative risks. We worked for weeks on building trust in their own musical taste. I remember watching them perform their final set… and the look of pure joy on their face was everything. That ‘aha’ moment for a student is the most fulfilling part of teaching. It is a privilege to help someone find the artist inside them.”
This work at home has been a launchpad for a global career. I wanted to know, “You’ve played in such diverse cities, from New York to Singapore. How do you prepare for and adapt to these different international crowds?”
“You have to be adaptable,” Francie explained, a principle she’ll be putting to the test on an upcoming international tour. “You cannot just show up and play your standard set. Every city has its own energy and its own musical taste. Before I travel, I do my research… But the real work happens when I am in the DJ booth. The first 30 minutes of my set are all about watching the crowd and reading their energy. Are they responding to the vocals? Do they want a harder beat? It is a constant dialogue… The goal is always the same, to find that universal rhythm that connects everyone, but the way you get there is different every time.”
Her run this year kicked off at ANIBA Singapore for New Year’s Eve 2024 before a packed 2025 schedule that took her from a Street Party in Miri, Malaysia (April) to a top rooftop bar Mantra in Kuala Lumpur (August), to Artifact at Jardine in Hong Kong (July), Pontoon Club in Cambodia (July), and later this month Dancing at the Hop at Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. Last year she also concluded shows in New York City at Lot 45 (Bushwick), Cuffing Season (Deluxx Fluxx Manhattan), and The Woods (Brooklyn). She’s expecting two more shows in SEA to end the year which she will announce via Instagram.
As a fellow DJ, I know the dream of playing internationally is a powerful one. I asked her, “What is a reality of being a global DJ that people might not see on social media?”
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“People see the packed dancefloors, but they do not see the grind,” she said frankly. “It is a life of jet lag, sleeping in unfamiliar hotels, and solving technical problems… There is very little room for error. That is why the discipline and professionalism I learned early on are so important. You have to be organized and resilient. It is an incredible job, but it is still a job. The passion for music has to be strong enough to get you through the tough moments.”
As our conversation came to a close, I wanted to understand her vision for the future. I asked, “You talk about being part of a movement. What does a healthy, thriving DJ community look like to you?”
“A thriving community is built on collaboration, not competition,” she stated firmly. “It is a space where artists share knowledge, support each other’s shows, and celebrate success together. The network that started for me at Sessions Academy is still a huge part of my life… That is the movement I want to build on, one that proves we are stronger together. It is about creating a legacy where talent is supported and artists lift each other up.”
Finally, I asked her one last question. “If you could go back in time, what would you tell that nervous version of yourself walking into Sessions Academy for the first time?”
“I would tell her to trust the process,” Francie said with a warm smile. “I would tell her that every mistake is a lesson and every challenge is a chance to grow. Do not be afraid to experiment, to fail, and to ask for help. That passion you feel right now is your compass. Follow it, be patient with yourself, and know that you are at the start of an amazing journey. Your beginning does not define your limit.”
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