In the midst peak of COVID-19 lockdown, bass-house-loving enthusiast Anastasia Calkins, known as Nasty Nastia, bought her first DJ board at the age of 18 and never looked back. Anastasia intertwined her love for the fast-paced beats of UK Bass House Music with the minimal melodies and vocals of Tech Hause to play for her fans all over Illinois. She kicked off her career by being the first girl to play at frats and bars at the University of Illinois, and witihn’ the following year, jumpstarted her DJing career in the heart of Chicago. Anastasia has been in the Chicago scene for only two years now but has opened for artists such as Bleu Clair and 4B, and is on the road to performing for future festivals, bigger venues, and playing alongside many more talented artists. 

The origin of Anastasia’s artist name, Nasty Nastia, was curated from her joy of hearing deep and heavy beat drops that come from Bass-House music, which is where ‘Nasty’ comes from, and her Russian heritage roots, which is where ‘Nastia’ comes from (her first name translated into Russian.) Anastasia has begun producing and writing music and expects her new EP, which is a mix of darker Bass- House and uplifting synths, to release by the beginning of August.