Sommer Ray Is Taking Fans Closer on Passes: DJ Life, Q&A, and Exclusive Access
Creator and DJ Sommer Ray is now on Passes. Read her Q&A on 10 years online, her Vegas residency, and the behind-the-scenes access fans get.
Creator, DJ, and entrepreneur Sommer Ray (@sommerray) is now on Passes, and her closest fans finally get the version of her that doesn't fit in a feed.
Sommer started posting on Instagram in 2015, before "creator" was a job title and before anyone had a playbook for turning a following into a career. Ten years and more than 43 million followers later, she has built businesses across fitness, activewear, and skincare, then turned toward music. She released "LaLaLa (Everybody's Up)" with multi-platinum Danish producer HEDEGAARD, has collaborated with Martin Jensen and DJ PRESS PLAY, and holds a Las Vegas residency at LIV Beach and LIV Nightclub at Fontainebleau.
On Passes, she brings all of it into one place. That means behind-the-scenes footage from the studio and the road, early looks at her music, unfiltered moments from her day-to-day, and direct messages with the people who subscribe. Her first 150 subscribers each get a signed Polaroid from Sommer.
Here is what Sommer had to say in her Passes Creator Spotlight.
Q&A with Sommer Ray
Take us back to 2015. What did you think you were doing when you first got on Instagram?
Honestly, I was just posting for fun. There was no strategy behind it and I definitely wasn't thinking about it as a career.
Was there a moment you realized this was a job and not a hobby?
Probably when I started actually making money from it. That was when I realized, "Wait, this could actually be a real job."
What's the biggest difference between being an influencer in 2015 and being one now?
Back then it felt a lot more spontaneous. You posted because you wanted to, and there wasn't this pressure to constantly create or think about how everything would perform. Now it's a full business.
You have tens of millions of followers. Why did you need another platform?
Having a big audience doesn't always mean you have a direct connection with them. Passes gives me a place to have more of that two-way relationship and share things that don't necessarily fit on my other platforms.
What do you want to do on Passes that you can't do on Instagram or TikTok?
I want to be able to share more of the everyday, behind-the-scenes parts of my life and actually have conversations with people instead of everything feeling like a post to a huge audience.
What are you going to do that will surprise the people who follow you?
I think people are going to see a more unfiltered side of me. There's a lot I don't normally share on my other platforms, so I'm excited to let people into that a little more.
People assume influencers who DJ aren't really DJing. What do you want to say to that?
I understand why people might have that assumption. That's part of why I spent years learning, practicing and putting in the hours before I ever played publicly. I'm constantly learning and working on my sets, and I think the best way to change that perception is through the work.
What does a Vegas residency teach you that one-off bookings don't?
A residency really pushes you to keep evolving. You're playing for different crowds in the same room, so you learn how to read the energy, adapt in real time, and make every set feel different from the last.
Did you lose followers when you pivoted? Do you care?
Yeah, I've definitely lost some followers along the way, but I can't let that dictate what I do. When you're genuinely passionate about something, you have to be willing to evolve even if not everyone comes with you.
What's the most overrated thing creators chase right now?
Probably numbers. Followers and views are great, but they don't always mean you've built something meaningful or lasting.
What's something people would be surprised to know you spend your time on?
When I'm not traveling for work, I spend so much of my time at home with my animals. I have dogs, cats, snakes, a tarantula, frogs… it's basically a little zoo, and that's genuinely where I'm happiest.
What do you want to be true about your life at 40?
I want to be able to look back and know that I tried everything I wanted to try. That I didn't hold myself back or let the fear of what other people might think stop me from going after something I loved.
Why Sommer Ray Joined Passes
Sommer has spent a decade being seen by millions. What she wanted next was to actually talk to the people who stuck around.
That is the shift she sees across the creator economy: less about having the biggest audience, more about having a real connection with the people who chose to follow you. On Passes, fans aren't waiting for an algorithm to decide whether they see her next post. They get the practice sessions before the set, the unreleased track before the drop, and the quiet days at home with the zoo.
For anyone who found her on Instagram, caught her behind the decks in Vegas, or has been following since 2015, her Passes channel is here to stay.
Follow Sommer Ray on Passes for behind-the-scenes studio and tour content, early looks at new music, unfiltered everyday moments, and direct messages with Sommer.