In Conversation with Savssounds on ALTVERSE

SAVSSOUNDS reflects on building ALTVERSE from a gap she felt personally, a need for spaces where practicality and expression can coexist without shame - and on why centring creatives in the “in-between” matters just as much as celebrating visible success.

For this Community Spotlight, we sat down with SAVSSOUNDS — DJ, curator and founder of ALTVERSE — to talk about creativity that’s expansive, intentional and rooted in care.

Known for her high-energy, genre-blending sets that move fluidly between Global Club, Alt R&B, electronic edits, pop punk and sounds of Jamaican origin, SAVSSOUNDS has been steadily shaping spaces where people can show up fully across scenes and identities. Her work carries both emotional depth and dancefloor urgency, driven by a clear desire to bring people together rather than box them in.

We’ve been in conversation with SAVSSOUNDS through her DJ / Creative Career Annual Review Workbook - a thoughtful, under-60-minute creative reset that invites DJs and creatives to reflect on their work with honesty, structure and self-respect. The workbook mirrors much of what we care about at ourppls: understanding what’s already working, protecting creative health, and building systems that support sustainability without stripping the soul from the work.

In this conversation, we talk about the often-unspoken realities of creative life: the pressure to appear “fully free,” the quiet labour of balancing stability alongside passion, and the fear that doesn’t disappear even when things are going well. We speak about reducing the internalised idea of failure, sustaining yourself while holding space for others, and imagining creative futures that prioritise longevity, care and reinvestment rather than burnout. It’s a conversation about grounding the work privately so it can expand publicly - and about building systems that allow creativity to endure.

Can you share the moment or experience that sparked your journey into this work?

When I first started DJing it felt like it not being full time was a failure because no one openly spoke about the 9–5s funding their art. I was balancing a corporate career in finance with DJing but there was an unspoken pressure to appear fully free, even when many of us were navigating responsibility behind the scenes. I struggled to find honest conversations around sustainability, financial stability or the emotional weight of building something without burning out.

At the same time, as a DJ I felt that the music that I listen to most often listen to in headphones was not being played at the club and knew that I wasn’t the only one who felt that. ALTVERSE was born from that gap. I wanted to create spaces through music and discussion where expression and practicality could coexist without shame. It started as a thought in my head, then conversation on my Instagram stories and has now grown into a platform in the real world which is so exciting to me!

How would you describe the kind of care or change your work brings?

ALTVERSE centres creatives who are navigating the “in-between” stage of something meaningful while also managing real life responsibilities. The care we bring is both emotional and structural. Emotionally, we create spaces where people feel seen in their complexity. Ambitious but human, driven but tired, talented but figuring it out. We normalise conversations around financial literacy, pacing yourself, sustainability etc. I’m interested in reducing shame. So many creatives internalise the idea that if they haven’t “made it” yet, they’ve failed. ALTVERSE reframes that. We talk about the long term durability of your creativity.

What’s one thing people don’t always see about what you do?

People see the sold out events, the international bookings etc but before every output, the possibility of it not landing never fully goes away. Even after years of DJing and real momentum with ALTVERSE, there’s always risk attached to putting yourself out there publicly. Not because people don’t understand it, but because when things look like they’re working we assume the fear disappears but it doesn’t. You just continue to strengthen the muscle to move through it.

How do you sustain yourself while giving so much to others?

Being an only child taught me to value my own company. I know when I need time for myself and I’m learning to take it without guilt. That quiet time whether it’s running, travelling, praying they’re all how I recalibrate. If I’m pouring into others publicly, I have to be rooted privately. I love beautiful experiences too. Travelling to new cities remind me the world is bigger than any one project or event. My faith keeps me grounded and prayer reminds me that I’m not carrying everything alone.

And then there’s community. My family, my partner and my friends - I’m rich because of the people around me. When I’m well, ALTVERSE is well. When I’m grounded, my sets are grounded. So I try my best to stay well.

If you could dream big, what would the impact of your work look like in your community five years from now?

In five years, I’d love to see ALTVERSE hubs operating globally as structured programmes partnering with institutions, cultural bodies and even governments. I want funding pathways for talented creatives who lack financial stability, alongside education around business, resilience and sustainable career building. I’d love to see systems that profit from creativity reinvesting meaningfully into the communities producing the talent. For SAVSSOUNDS, I want to continue pushing sonically and expanding internationally while spotlighting artists and genres that don’t fit traditional industry boxes.

This conversation offers a powerful reminder that momentum does not erase vulnerability, and that sustainability is not a destination but an ongoing practice. Through ALTVERSE and her wider work, SAVSSOUNDS names what is often left unspoken: that fear, risk and uncertainty can coexist with growth, visibility and success.

What emerges is a re-framing of creative longevity that is rooted in intention. Ambition is held alongside rest, financial grounding, faith and community, without any of these being treated as compromises. Instead, they are positioned as essential structures that allow creativity to endure.