Xandra Pohl’s Highlight of 2024 (So Far) Was an Incredibly Full-Circle Moment

We chatted with the 2024 SI Swimsuit rookie and DJ on the red carpet tonight in Los Angeles.

Xandra Pohl was photographed by Derek Kettela in Belize. / Derek Kettela/Sports Illustrated

Professional DJ and 2024 SI Swimsuit rookie Xandra Pohl hit the red carpet at Dante Beverly Hills on Nov. 14 ahead of a fun-filled celebratory evening with SI Swimsuit and Maybelline. The event, held in honor of the brand’s 60th anniversary issue, also served as an occasion to honor SI Swimsuit’s September digital issue cover and its star, Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher.

While on the red carpet ahead of the main event, we chatted with the 23-year-old musician about her many accomplishments this year, from releasing her first single, “Body Say,” in July to embarking on two different DJ tours. And when it comes to what she’s most proud of this year, Pohl says one gig in particular tops the rest.

“I’d say definitely one of the biggest highlights was playing Lollapalooza over the summer,” she tells SI Swimsuit exclusively. “That’s where I found my love for DJing and being able to play at that festival, I mean, that was such a dream.”

Xandra Pohl / Taylor Hill/Getty Images

The University of Miami graduate initially tried her hand at DJing after seeing Alison Wonderland perform at the Chicago-based music festival when Pohl was in high school.

“I looked at her and I was like,Why don’t I just do that? Like I can’t sing, I can’t dance, I can’t do any of that, but I can definitely mix. So I called my mom the next day and I was like, ‘I wanna be a DJ,’” she previously told SI Swimsuit. “Thank God she was supportive, and the next day I went and bought a board. Over the next year, I really taught myself and then I ended up DJing my senior homecoming, my senior prom in my prom dress.”

Since then, Pohl has racked up major DJing gigs at events like the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show for Miami Swim Week and the F1 Miami Grand Prix, and has also opened for artists including Kygo, Calvin Harris, The Chainsmokers and Diplo. Following her debut solo tour, “Drunk Tour 2024,” Pohl embarked on a second DJ tour this fall, the “Body Say” tour, which is set to wrap up in Los Angeles later this month.

“Don’t let anyone stop you,” Pohl previously told SI Swimsuit of embarking upon a career in a male-dominated industry. “People are gonna try to knock you down. People are gonna try to not take you seriously and you just gotta persevere through that. You can’t listen to anyone else. If you really want something, you have all the power in the world to go and do that if you just put your mind to it.”