DJ Cassidy Biography

Cassidy Durango Milton Willy Podell, aka DJ Cassidy, is a New York-based American DJ, MC and record producer, known for his eccentric look and the single “Calling All Hearts”, sung by Jessie J and Robin Thicke.

Early Life

Cassidy was in New York, on the Upper East Side, in 1981. He grew up listening to hip-hop and watching cult classic dance films. When he was 13, he was inspired mostly by Grandmaster Flash, [DJ] Kool Herc, and Afrika Bambaataa. Consequently, he took up DJing to be part of the culture. He worked at teenager parties, carnivals and talent shows. Moreover, a little before finishing high school he began performing at nightclubs. He graduated sociology at the New York University, in 2003.

Music Career

Sean “Diddy” Combs discovered Cassidy at Lotus, a club in Manhattan. He invited the DJ to work at Grammy parties and at the MTV Video Music Awards. Subsequently, Cassidy became a commercially successful artist, earning up to $100.000 per gig, according to Forbes. He began working at parties thrown by NY’s elite and by massive artists such as Beyonce or Jennifer Lopez. Moreover, he developed an eccentric style, which included a 24-carat-gold microphone. Single-wise, Cassidy’s best-selling song came out in 2014, titled “Calling All Hearts“, wich peaked at number 6 in the UK. It featured on his debut album, Paradise Royale. Additionally, Cassidy topped the US Dance Club Songs chart with his 2016 single “Kill the Lights”. Most recently, he released the 2017 single “Honor“, featuring Grace and Lil Yachty.

Photo credit: ThatDJLife