Five Fun Facts About Jersey Shore Star DJ Pauly D

Photo by Erik Kabik Photography / MediaPunch / IPX

Before he became a reality TV star, Paul DelVecchio, better know as DJ Pauly D, was just your average kid from Providence looking to make a name for himself on the local music scene.

These days, the former Jersey Shore cast member is playing much bigger gigs and will be making a return to New England for a special show at Foxwoods during the July 4th weekend.

“It’s almost like me coming back home,” he says. “The fact that I get to perform for my friends and family, it’s a great feeling.”

Check out what else DJ Pauly D had to say about his New England roots, why his hometown is the Jersey Shore of Rhode Island, and more.

1. He’s tired of explaining that he’s from the shores of Rhode Island, not New Jersey.

“A lot of people think that I’m from New Jersey, but I’m not. I always have to emphasize that I’m from Rhode Island and even when I say that, they’re like, ‘Rhode Island, where’s that, Long Island?’ I’m like, ‘No, Rhode Island,’ and I have to explain to them what it is.”

2. He started his music career playing birthday parties and school shows before booking gigs at bars around his hometown.

“I made a little name for myself just in that small state DJing almost six nights a week. I was doing all different kinds of bars, all different kinds of genres of music. That’s why I’m so open format because some of the bars were like a rock bar, some would do just hip-hop, some were just dance. That’s how I created me being an open format DJ and it allows me to DJ for different kinds of audiences, just because of Rhode Island.”

3. Michael Jackson got him into music.

“The first record I ever bought was a 45 [RPM record] and it was Michael Jackson. It was Bad.”

4. Providence’s nightlife prepared him for the craziness of Jersey Shore.

“You can hit four or five clubs all in one night. It’s a dope scene. Everything closes at 2 a.m. and then everyone will go out for breakfast or whatever to all the local spots. Everybody knows everybody, but then you do get people that come down from Connecticut, Boston, sometimes even New York just because the nightlife is actually dope. I would say it’s the Jersey Shore of Rhode Island, for sure.”

5. Living on the west coast hasn’t changed his allegiance to New England sports teams.

“I’m a New England fan, the New England Patriots, like that’s my team. It’s always been ever since day one. It’s never changed.”

DJ Pauly D performs at Foxwoods on Sunday, July 3.