This Viral DJing Grandma Brings the Heat On the Decks

Sue Freeman is not your average 63-year-old. While others might find themselves satisfied with early bedtimes, Jeopardy binges and decaf coffee, the Australian music lover has traded in this cozy lifestyle for that of a DJ.

But don’t be fooled—DJ Sue’s sets are not your grandma’s rave. Instead, she mixes everything from Ludacris and 2Pac to Dua Lipa and The Weeknd, making her performances truly one-of-a-kind. Now, she’s gaining traction from a viral recording of a recent performance posted on Facebook.

“I basically just play the songs that people want to hear and I play one song into the next and I turn it up load [sic] and have a lot of fun.” Freeman told 2GB. 

A longtime fan of 80s disco artists including Chic, DJ Sue was reminded of her time spent out at the clubs in her 20s and was inspired to pursue this new career 10 years ago at a wedding, when she encountered a stubborn DJ. “We were requesting songs and she wouldn’t play them,” Freeman remembered. “I started to think, ‘I reckon that would be a fun job. I think I could do that.'”  

Soon after, Freeman attended a DJ course in Sydney with her son, bought some gear, and started her business, Runaround DJs. She’s steadily built up her reputation in her native Canberra and is now starting to break into the city’s buzzing club scene. Sometimes she’s even out until 2AM, she said, often beating out the curfews of young clubbers. 

“It makes me happy,” Freeman added. “But when it gets to the point where it’s hard to go out and I’m not enjoying it, then I’ll know it’s time to give up.”