Freddie Borras is a local DJ and event planner currently serving the Northern Virginia and DMV. Although Freddie Borras won the Inside Nova Best DJ of Prince William County in 2018 and 2019, he didn’t begin his career in music.

Growing up, Borras always have an affinity for listening and collecting music. When he was a teen, he had an extensive CD collection. “If you came over to my house, there were like 200 CDs. Even if you hated music, you could always find something you liked.” Born to Puerto Rican parents, he was surrounded by Latin music and thanks to his father’s military background, Borras was introduced to different styles of music. His father would play Michael Jackson’s Thriller at family events. Borras even had a chorographed Billy Jean skit that he would perform at parties. In fourth grade, Borras attemped to learn the violin, but quickly realized it wasn’t for him. Later on, in middle school, he joined band to learn the baritone and the trumpet, but didn’t find his niche there either. In high school, he pushed music to the side in favor of sports; he played football, basketball, ran track, and wrestled. Following high school, Borras never considered making music a fulltime or even part time job.

After being medically discharged from boot camp, he took odd jobs and eventually landed a positon as a mover for Sprint. That transformed into a mail room position, then supply chain, and now, for the past five years he’s worked in international shipping at Sprint. This job at Sprint introduced him to his current dream: DJing. In 2008, Dan, the husband of his former manager, was starting a DJ and entertainment business. The two got together and spoke about music. Soon after, Borras was offered a job DJing; his love for music was calling to him again after years of laying dormant. With the support of his wife, Borras began learning all he could about DJing. He read online chats, read forums and blogs, networked, and slowly began practicing. While balancing time between his family and a full time job at Sprint, Borras has gradually purchased his own DJ equipment and booked gigs.

Now, he specializes in weddings and events and has recentled added event planning and MCing to his repertoire. His efforts have paid off and he won the Inside NOVA best of Prince William County DJ award 2 years in a row. Unfortunately he didn’t win this year, but that has lit a fire under him to win in 2021.

When I asked him about the effects of COVID-19 on his business and the entertainment industry, Borras expressed how grateful he is for his full time job at Sprint. It’s provided a steady income and safety net for him and his family. He knows many local full time DJs that have lost money during the lockdown. Fortunately, Borras’ clients have been able to reschedule their events. He noted that the demand for virtual events has increased, therefore allowing some gigs to continue. In addition, he’s only had to refund one client since the pandemic hit. The rest have rescheduled and rearranged for the pandemic restrictions.

For anyone considering the DJ business, Borras strongly encourages others to, “decide what type of DJ you want to be.” Whether if be clubs, parties, events, or weddings, practice makes perfect. He stressed the importance of receiving feedback, networking, and joining online forums. He urges potential DJs to remain flexible and learn as much as they can, especially in the current climate.

For Freddie Borras, he loves to play music that creates an fun, vibrant environment for his clients and to provide the best experience for them. Now, Borras books many of his gigs through referrals by former clients or his network of family and friends. He is excited for what the future holds. In the next five years, he plans to improve his website, increase his social media presence, and build a more consistent brand for his DJing and event planning services.

We hope you will consider booking DJ Freddie B for your in-person and virtual events. You can find him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djfreddiebva to inquire about his availability.