Lady Starlight (DJ)

Lady Starlight (born Colleen Martin, December 23rd, 1975) is a classic rock and metal DJ and performer as well as a style icon and writer. She has been an influential presence in the New York City underground since the early 2000s, producing nightlife events that celebrate forgotten genres over the past decade, from late 60’s psych, to 70’s glam, to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.

Biography
Colleen Martin was raised in upstate New York. After gaining a degree in philosophy at college, she moved to New York City in 2001 where she attended the Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T). Martin, a rock history aficionado, adopted the stage name Lady Starlight as a reference to the song "Lady Starlight" by Sweet. A downtown nightlife personality and scene queen, Lady Starlight has produced several long running parties in the Lower East Side club scene. From 2004-2006, Lady Starlight paid tribute to widely noted 1970's Los Angeles glam rock nightclub Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco with her own glitter rock inspired party, "Lady Starlight's English Disco", where Broadway star Annaleigh Ashford made her performance debut, dancing under the stage name Hollywood Starr. Lady Starlight also appeared in NYC DJ/electronica musician Ursula 1000's 2006 music video for the glam rock inspired song, "Hello! Let's Go To a Disco" off his album, "Here Comes Tomorrow". In 2007, she started "Lady Starlight's Heavy Metal Soundhouse", a homage to rock DJ Neal Kay's Heavy Metal Soundhouse, London’s first heavy rock disco.

Lady Starlight & Lady Gaga
Lady Starlight is best known for her work and friendship with Lady Gaga. The two first joined forces as a duo in 2007 as "Lady Gaga and the Starlight Revue". Lady Starlight spun her 70’s glam and metal records between Gaga’s pop songs; the shock and confusion their stage show created has become a trademark for Gaga. Lady Starlight has been a critical player in Lady Gaga’s career with her approach to art and music inspiring Gaga personally and professionally. She has collaborated with the singer on everything from fashion styling, onstage performance concepts, and set design.

From July 2010 to May 2011, Lady Starlight was first support on Lady Gaga’s world tour The Monster Ball. In homage to "Lady Gaga and the Starlight Revue" Starlight's set included Iron Maiden, Faith No More, Anthrax, Slayer and Pantera showcased to an unsuspecting pop audience. Lady Starlight's DJ sets combine interpretive performance with her collection of classic hard rock and heavy metal vinyl, and draw in metalheads, fashionistas, rock bands as well as Gaga’s “Little Monsters”.

Live
Lady Starlight is largely influenced by Neal Kaye's "soundhouse" vibe and at home in stadiums, festivals or playing clubs, Starlight is trying to change the way people view the Rock DJ. Recently touring the USA and UK with Judas Priest and Thin Lizzy, as well as Rival Sons, and playing by special request of Iron Maiden at their O2 shows, Starlight is bringing fashion and a light hearted reverence to metalheads too.

Starlight has done solo international tours as a DJ with stops in London, Los Angeles, Vancouver and Chicago, and played Download Festival in the UK as well as High Voltage Festival in 2011. She also partnered with the Morgan’s Hotel Group to create a reputation for the brand as a rock n roll destination.

She is joining Lady Gaga again on the 2012 Born This Way Ball.

Press
Her weekly residency at the Royalton and Hudson Hotels has been written up in US Weekly Magazine, NY Daily News, New York Post, Urban Daddy, NBC Nightline, Life & Style and other media outlets. and is currently working on radio, music production, writing and fashion design projects, and continues to tour both playing clubs and supporting rock bands (see above).

She was featured prominently in the Emmy nominated HBO special presentation: The Monster Ball at Madison Square Garden and has been voted Best Female Hard Rock DJ by the popular New York City weekly, The L Magazine. Recent press includes an AOL home page feature, interviews in Rolling Stone, NME, Classic Rock magazine, MTV, and Guardian. She was a guest along with Perry Farrell and Gene Simmons on the popular Chicago radio show, Mancow in the Morning.