Healthy Hollywood: DJ Earworm’s Life-Saving Beat!

Renowned mashup artist DJ Earworm is best known for his “United States of Pop” musical mashups. Now, the iconic DJ wants to educate his young fans on how to perform CPR.

As part of National CPR Awareness week, DJ Earworm teamed up with American Heart Association to create the “Hands-Only CPR Mash-Up,” which is a compilation of hip songs, like Salt-N-Pepa’s “Push It.”

“When the American Heart Association approached me and had this idea about making mash-ups about CPR and saving lives I thought it was a great opportunity to do some social good. Plus, I understand that music is a great way to remember the correct temp to perform CPR,” DJ Earworm explained to Healthy Hollywood.

DJ Earworm, whose real name is Jordan Roseman, told me his own experience of trying to perform CPR unsuccessfully inspired him to get involved.

“I had a horrible experience where I had to administer CPR and it didn’t turn out so well. The thing that I remember very distinctly was that moment of panic of ‘What am I supposed to do?’ The fact the American Heart Association has now made the message so much clearer and easier to learn and remember takes away that whole hesitation factor,” adds Jordan.

Cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death with over 420,000 out-of-hospital cases occurring every year in the United States. And, survival depends on immediately receiving CPR from someone nearby. Hands-Only CPR has just two simple steps:

1. If you see someone suddenly collapase, call 911.
2. Push hard and fast to the center of the chest to the beat of Earworm’s CPR mashup or the Bee Gees’ song “Stayin’ Alive.” Both of these songs have rates of at 100 beats per minutes, the same rate recommended for performing Hands-Only CPR.

And, DJ Earworm reveals to me that he leads a healthy lifestyle to try and take care of his own ticker. “I am a health nut. I’m always trying to eat organic, as much as possible. Beans, mushrooms, dark leafy greens, I love ‘em, so I’m on the program.”

To learn Hands-Only CPR, check out www.heart.org.

— Terri MacLeod