Steve Aoki Talks Animal Rights, Fur and More in New peta2 Video

DJ and Grammy-Nominated Producer Reveals How the Music Scene Got Him Interested in Activism

For Immediate Release:
June 25, 2014

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

DJ and Dim Mak Records founder Steve Aoki is in the middle of a nonstop summer tour—but that didn’t stop him from sitting down with peta2, PETA’s youth division, for a video Q&A about how fur is “gaudy,” his early start in animal rights, and more. The new video just went up on peta2.com, where visitors can also find free vegan recipes, enter to win concert tickets, and more.

In the interview, Aoki compares his experience as a young music fan to today’s music industry. “The tweens nowadays listen to Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. When I was a tween, I started getting into vegetarianism and I started getting into animal rights,” says Aoki, who became a PETA supporter at the age of 14. “You know, when you’re young, you’re passionate. You’re also impressionable, and you’re new to a lot of concepts.”

And one concept that has stuck with Aoki is his firm stance against wearing fur. “First of all, it’s just gaudy,” he says. “You see a fur coat that just smells of death, and it doesn’t look fashionably cool to me.” And for the people who agree and want to practice kindness to animals? “Find the humane communities that you can be part of,” says Aoki. “When you have a community around you to support you, you can make those decisions easier.”

Aoki, who previously starred in an anti-fur campaign for peta2, is part of a long list of musicians, artists, and other celebrities—including Mark Ronson, Morrissey, Davey Havok, Animal Collective, Dave Navarro, and Peaches—who have teamed up with peta2 to promote animal protection.

For more information, please visit peta2.com.