Last Friday night on April 24, WVKR, Vassar College’s independent radio station, hosted their annual event spotlighting femme and queer DJs: Pink Noizes. The night was headlined by singer and DJ Ren Evangeline Gray, known professionally as Ren G, a pop-EDM powerhouse from New York City. Student duo DJ Creature—Naomi Sullins ’27 and Edy Savage ’28—started off the night with their first live set ever. The walls of the Villard Room were decorated with bright pink tulle and glitter, and concert-goers threw pink balloons in the air as they danced.
DJ Creature opened the night with a high-energy set featuring artists ranging from Underworld to Machine Girl. Sporting sunglasses and lacy bralettes, Sullins and Savage came out swinging with a truly impressive Vassar DJ introduction. “I had so much fun,” Savage said. “This was my DJing debut, so I spent the hours before feeling afraid, but the crowd and Ren G made me feel so welcome!”
The duo are close friends outside of the music world and spent several hours rehearsing on Sullins’ board to prepare for the event. Though this was her first official gig, Sullins had some DJ experience under her belt and sometimes plays under the name DJ Roger Sullins. She has previously DJed live at house parties: “My friend sold me their old DJ deck, and I really wanted to learn how to use it because I thought DJing was so awesome,” Sullins said. “I really like electronic music, and I think learning how to DJ would enhance that… I was really excited to play at something that was…hosted by such a cool club… Also, I love Ren G. I was so excited when they were bringing her to campus and even more excited that I got to open for her.”
After a brief intermission, Ren G took the stage, performing each track with palpable charisma and talking with the crowd between songs. Her set featured several of her hit singles, as well as fan favorites from her EP “Hello!” and her album “Miss 24/7.”
This year is Pink Noizes’ 10-year anniversary, and early versions of the event have been happening for about a decade prior. “We have an incredible amount of femme DJs who have been spinning on our decks for years,” said Haley Brown ’27, WVKR’s Promotions Director and the mastermind behind Pink Noizes. “We had a great show four years running until they graduated called EDFem, and they were just incredible. We have some pretty notable alums…Frost Children was one. MGNA Crrrta was here two years ago. It’s fun, and it’s always right before, on the cusp of fame, you know? It always feels like we’re finding them at the right time.”
WVKR takes hosting seriously. Ren G’s dressing room was easy to find: Right next to the WVKR office, they had stuck a glittery star with the artist’s name to the door. She had requested a sugar-free Redbull and makeup wipes, and WVKR took the liberty of including a spread of all-pink candy and free Vassar merch in addition.
Ren G is from Huntington, Long Island, and currently resides in Brooklyn. “MTV was still on when I was a kid,” Ren said. “And my dad had a bunch of DVDs of music videos, like the Smashing Pumpkins, The Smiths, No Doubt. So I just kind of listened to a lot of that music growing up. I always wanted to do something with music, but it always felt like this very mythical sort of thing that only people with, like, magical powers could do.”
Previously, Ren G was a member of the band Club Eat. After they broke up in 2024, she decided to pursue her solo career. As of publication, she has over 16,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. “I actually started DJing before I made music—that was my foray into really just building my taste and learning about even more music, learning about dance music, learning about community,” Ren G said. “In New York, the scene I kind of was playing with…was a lot of people that also loved music, loved alternative electronic music.”
When describing her experience as a queer DJ in New York City, she said, “What I love about New York and the parties in New York is actually all the parties feel like a melting pot of everybody. There’s queer people. There’s straight people. And that’s the kind of environment I like the most because I don’t really like anything feeling exclusive to anybody. I like everybody being able to come together. And New York is a great city for that.”
Ren G has collaborated with artists such as Isabella Lovestory, Snow Strippers and Dorian Electra, whom she cites as both major inspirations and valuable friends of hers. She told me she was happy to make the trip from New York City to Poughkeepsie to headline Pink Noizes: “I love playing shows. I love meeting new people. And especially if anybody shows any interest in me or my music like that actually means the world to me. And so, like, I’m always down. I’m down to take a train ride…or a plane ride…to have fun.”
Brown and the rest of WVKR were particularly excited to be hosting Ren G for this event. “The thing about WVKR is when we throw these events, it’s always an artist who wants to be here for the music,” Brown said. “It’s never about status, it’s never about money, it’s never about clout. It’s very much artists who are appreciative, and I think it’s nice, because the student body can feel what an artist is giving to them…We’re small but mighty, and it brings in the right people every time. And Ren [G] has kind of been on my radar for a little bit…she’s so kind, she’s so camp, she’s so Pink Noizes, you know? And it’s exactly what we needed.”