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Blake Horstmann knows what you're thinking.
The thought of another reality star becoming a DJ doesn't exactly hit all the right notes. But for this Bachelor Nation star, a career in music isn't some storyline or trend that will go away at the end of the summer.
Instead, Blake has been paying his dues and proving to any and all doubters that he can bring the party.
"To be able to give a night to people where they're dancing, smiling, having a good time and forgetting about their worries, anxieties and stresses is a pretty cool gift," he exclusively shared with E! News. "It's a high that I didn't know I needed and now it's something that I chase and it's something that I can't imagine living without."
During California's Stagecoach Music Festival in April, Blake ended up having the Honky Tonk tent's biggest crowd ever, with more than 7,000 guests. And more recently, over the 4th of July weekend, Blake held his first headlining gig in Las Vegas at Virgin Hotel's Elia Beach Club.
"I was on a poster with Snoop Dogg!" Blake said. "It's such a weird life that I've been living lately and I do at times have this impostor syndrome of what am I doing here? But I know that I've put in the work."
For his Vegas performance, Blake's family, as well as his girlfriend Giannina Gibelli, were on hand to show their support. And while the All Star Shore star teased some big announcements coming soon, he's currently enjoying the moment and the positive reaction from partygoers.
"I promise you that everybody leaves—and you will too—with a smile on your face and you will have a good time," Blake said. "I will play the music that you enjoy hearing. I won't play that music that nobody knows the words too. You will leave there being like, ‘Damn. He's got it. That was a fun night.'"
For more behind-the-scenes details into Blake's DJ performances, keep scrolling below.
And don't forget to watch Blake on All Star Shore streaming now on Paramount+ with new episodes out every Wednesday.
In April 2022, Blake Horstmann headed to the Stagecoach Music Festival in California to DJ from the Honky Tonk. "I think one of the coolest things about Bachelor Nation in general is they're wildly loyal and that can turn into wildly crazy," the Bachelor in Paradise star told E! News. "But when my whole Stagecoach fiasco went down, I think a lot of people saw through kind of what was happening and so they came out to support me at Stagecoach and I did end up having the biggest crowd in the Honky Tonk tent that they've ever had."
"I'm definitely an open format DJ," Blake explained. "I will play my mixes and remixes of songs that maybe a lot of DJs won't play. Some DJs have big egos and say, 'I'm not going to play Katy Perry or Natasha Bedingfield,' but if the crowd wants to listen to that and they're going off to it, I'm gonna keep playing it. I'm that kind of DJ."
"I think there's a niche that not many DJs are really breaking into and that's the country house mix," Blake said when reminiscing about his Stagecoach gig. "I've done a lot of country mixes with acapella country with some house drops and people go freaking bonkers for it."
Over the 4th of July weekend, Blake celebrated his first headlining DJ gig in Las Vegas. "My whole fam flew out for it and we had a fun weekend," he said. "There's still some really big things to come that I haven't really announced yet. But Vegas is definitely a milestone for me that meant a lot."
After growing up in Denver, Colo., Blake has his eyes set on one very special venue for a future DJ gig. "Red Rock is one of the greatest amphitheaters in the world," he said. "Just to be able to be on that stage where legends and incredible moments in music have happened, that would be pretty surreal."
With help from mentors in both the country and electronic music world, Blake has dreams of collaborating with many artists in the future. "I got a really big festival and I'm playing the main stage every day," he teased. "I'm hoping some of those country artists that are out there see me and they're like, ‘Oh, dang. What this guy's doing is really exciting, really cool. I'd love to work with him.'"