Paris Hilton’s Guide To DJing

How do you celebrate being the face of Karl Lagerfeld’s Spring/Summer 2026 campaign? If you’re Paris Hilton, you board a double-decker bus in Herald Square with a lifesize version of Lagerfeld’s beloved cat, Choupette, and treat the passing New Yorkers to an impromptu DJ set.

The festivities took place on April 20 just outside of Macy’s, with the imagery from Hilton’s “From Paris, With Love” campaign serving as the perfect backdrop for the event. Dressed in Lagerfeld’s signature all-black, the socialite-turned-DJ pulled out all the best EDM mixes in her arsenal and filled the streets of Midtown with the musical stylings of Britney Spears’ “Circus,” Icona Pop’s “I Love It,” Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This),” and Calvin Harris’ “How Deep Is Your Love.”

Hilton’s 12 years as a DJ makes a gig like this seem effortless, but trust and believe: there’s a lot of prep that goes into a Herald Square takeover. Here, Hilton gives NYLON a glimpse into her process and breaks down her pre-show rituals, party must-haves, and her system for creating the perfect set list.

What was it like working on the Spring 2026 campaign?

I am in love with this new campaign with Karl Lagerfeld. The collection is so stunning and I really love the whole concept of it.

Now you get to celebrate this campaign with a very special DJ set at Macy’s. How does it feel to be playing in Herald Square?

It's going to be so much fun. I was born in New York, so this is my city. Karl [Lagerfeld] is such an icon, so to be celebrating his legacy here in New York is really special. I have a really fun set planned and it's going to be a surprise so no one knows that I'm going to be there DJing. It's going to be a fun New York surprise to bring [everyone] together through the power of music.

Besides this, what have been some of your highlights of your DJ career so far?

There's been so many. I love performing every year at Tomorrowland because it's the biggest music festival in the world. I can't wait to play again there this summer. Performing for all the Pride shows I've done — just the feeling in the room and the energy is so magnetic and magical. I always loved playing in Ibiza; my residency that I had at Amnesia was just so epic.

Do you have any pre-show rituals?

Just looking over the set. I've never played the same set twice. On the plane ride over, I was just picking out all the songs, thinking of the vibe, the energy, and finding remixes. I love making remixes of really iconic Y2K songs. Mixing EDM with pop elevates all the songs.

While I'm getting ready in glam, I'm listening to the set, picking which songs mix together well, and seeing what kind of vibe I want to bring. Then when I'm out there, I can change the order by looking in the crowd and just feeling what they're feeling.

I was going to ask how you craft your set lists, but it sounds like it's a lot of just Y2K.

It's everything. It just depends where I'm going to be, what country it's in, what the crowd is going to be like, and what kind of vibe I want. I'm always feeling the crowds — even if I put [the songs] in order I usually never keep it because it just depends on what I'm feeling from everyone in the room.

Is there a song or an artist that the crowd always responds really well to?

Anything by me. Sometimes I will get on top of the DJ booth and start performing the songs. I love to end a lot of my sets with “Stars Are Blind.” People just lose it. And then of course, anything Britney [Spears].

Who are some of the artists you're listening to now?

I love Britney, always. I love Katseye, Charli xcx.

Do you have any rules that you live by when you're hosting a party?

It's all about vibes. Curating the guest list to make sure it's the perfect crowd of people that are going to have the best time together. The music is very, very important. The lighting. I love to make it a theme. All my parties have a different theme because when people are dressed up, it just makes it so much more fun. I'm the queen of throwing parties.

How are you sliving this spring?

I'm going to be sliving in Karl Lagerfeld in the whole new collection. Also I'm going to be headlining a bunch of Pride concerts around the world and my third album is about to drop, so I'll be sliving to all my new music.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.