Lady Shaka ignites the Coolroom

Interviewee: Lady Shaka
Interviewer: Joella Marcus

Last month, the Aotearoa powerhouse Lady Shaka, aka Shakaiah Perez, headlined the heaving launch of the BWS Cool Room at City Recital Hall. Alive with excitement, the evening arrived as a celebration of club culture, movement on mass and a bassline that unites. Going b2b with HALFQUEEN, their iconic set charmed the crowd and was a testament to Lady Shaka’s ability to harness an enthralling energy whilst fusing global dance styles and Pasifika rhythms. As a part of the new generation of young Pasifika DJs and producers re-indigenizing mainstream music, Lady Shaka has graced the decks at Boiler Room, Notting Hill Carnival, rinse.fm and most recently performed a joy-filled set at Strawberry Fields.

DJ, producer, interdisciplinary artist and proud femme queen, Lady Shaka today expands her production roots with a new track ‘Good Times’ featuring Rubi Du. The track “celebrat[es] our islander pride from the Caribbean to Cape Verde and the Pacific Islands” by incorporating soukous guitar riffs, marimbas, steel pans and traditional Pate and Pahu drums. Alongside her debut single “E Tu” [2024] and her work as the director and curator of Pulotu Underworld, Lady Shaka is an international force redefining the foundations of storytelling through creative resistance, queer joy and ancestral power.

Astrophe spoke with Lady Shaka about unifying through music and art, challenging the mainstream and creating indigenous Māori and Pacific electronic sounds that reflect her deep connection to the moana (ocean) and the diasporas she belongs to.

JOELLA MARCUS How does music facilitate or act as a vehicle for connection? Not necessarily just in the storytelling and language element but also in opening up spaces.

LADY SHAKA Music is connected to our emotions, it heightens the way we feel and the way we move. Music has always been a catalyst for uniting the people and has long been a form of resistance. Like many genres such as Reggae, Hip Hop and Techno they were all genres created out of resistance against the system. They were connected to a deeper story, a deeper freedom and a deeper celebration and that is why people in this day and age feel those stories in the beats, in the keys, in the vocals where soul exists.

JM You’ve been described as “The past, present and future of Pasifika music” by MixMag ANZ. What responsibility do you feel in this “position” and what are you trying to achieve through sound?

LADY SHAKA My responsibility like any artist is to create art and music that is honest and authentic. When it comes to creating indigenous Māori and Pacific electronic music and sound, the most important thing I try to remember is that the music I make is indigenous because it is a reflection of my indigeneity. That no matter what it may sound like, that it is a reflection of my own personal relationship with my culture, my language, my land and the moana (ocean). Music is my freedom and when I create it is resistance, it is decolonisation on and off the dance floor, it is my own indigenous joy, indigenous rage and indigenous expression.

JM You founded the Pulotu Underworld Collective which pays homage to Pacific Islands ancestors and celebrates Pacific Island culture, music and artists. As a craft interwoven with culture, how does the community found in the Queer Pasifika scene [QTIBIPOC] bring creative resistance to your music?

LADY SHAKA As a fem queen, we are natural protectors of our community. We are mothers, we are aunties, we are sisters and we are daughters. Our presence every day is resistance and when we come together our celebration is an act of resistance. When the dolls come to my sets and storm the dance floor, that is resistance! When my sisters vogue down for me, jump on the mic and make me do my little one two that is our shared resistance.

JM DJ’ing began as a community practice, deeply intertwined with the roots of the neighbourhood spaces in which the DJ would perform, nowadays the heart of DJ’ing in uniting people is the same but how do you honour your roots through the practice?

LADY SHAKA Black and brown visibility, specifically indigenous visibility and Pasifika visibility in the international electronic music industry is not common. Every time I perform on stages across the world that is visibility for my community, every time I speak on a panel our voice is heard, every time I win my community also wins. I honour my roots and my community by putting our people forward for opportunities. I’ve always had that Pasifika mindset of supporting others and giving without expecting anything in return. This year we took 7 Māori and Pacific Island artists to Glastonbury to do a Pulotu Underworld takeover. By opening the doors for others and pushing them through that door I honour my people and my ancestors.

JM How do you empower yourself and what moments have been the driving force behind your creative career?

LADY SHAKA When I see black and brown people in spaces and positions we are not usually afforded I feel empowered. When I walk outside and see signs in Te Reo Māori or hear my language being spoken proudly in public I feel empowered. When I meet other Pacific Islanders or Cape Verdeans across the globe I feel empowered. When other people see themselves in my music I feel empowered. When my battery is low and I am feeling uninspired I go home to Aotearoa or to the islands. Being around my people, my community, my whānau (family) that is all the empowerment I need.

JM As a DJ, what type of culture do you try and cultivate both in front of and behind the decks?

LADY SHAKA First and foremost a safe space. The freedom to dance and express without fear of judgement. But most importantly showing love and respect to all whether I am on stage or off stage.

JM How do you get into the creative flow when curating a DJ set?

LADY SHAKA Sometimes it flows and sometimes it doesn’t. The thing that always gets me going is nostalgic music that makes me dance. Once you’ve got me dancing the creativity just flows because my body takes over and my mind wanders freely.

JM Has there been a major lesson learned behind the decks? Especially recognising the power of your taste and curation.

LADY SHAKA To not overthink. Sometimes I get in my head about playing the bangers especially at mainstream festivals, but I’ve been reclaiming my power and reminding myself that crowds are there to learn and to be introduced to new sounds. The club would be boring if we listened to the same top 40 songs on repeat. Music is about expanding the mind.

JM What album or artist has been the most influential in your music taste?

LADY SHAKA I think my music taste is quite vast, it ranges from Hip Hop to Chutney, Soukous, Kompa and so many other genres. I think when it comes to creating my own music the most influential album is ‘Ki Mua’ by Te Vaka. They were the first band from memory that took Pacific drumming and made dance music. The other artist who inspires my sound is ‘Hinewehi Mohi’; specifically with her song ‘Kotahitanga’.

JM The educational and inspirational world you have built surrounding your DJ career showcases your background as a dancer, your identity as a queer Samoan, Tokelauan, Tahitian, Māori, and Cape Verdean girl and a versatile creative. Lady Shaka is much more than the music, it's a movement. What do you hope the future of Lady Shaka holds?

LADY SHAKA More music and art collaborations with other indigenous folks, queer folks and people from the Pacific, Africa and Latin America. More events for and by the people! I hope in the future to run a residency for indigenous musicians, DJs and producers from across the world and to run my own festival and events that tour throughout the Pacific.

30 degree days, blue skies and humid nights full of temptation as the late sunsets and years’ end beckon an il dolce far niente attitude; the sweetness of doing nothing. Day melts into night and inhibitions are released to the pulse of a city that comes alive under the radiating sun.

In the spirit of soaking up the summer in all its glory, the newest installment of the BWS Cool Room series is welcoming the hottest season of the year with the coolest DJ’s from Eora/Sydney’s shores and beyond.

On Sunday 7th December, BWS will be hosting a day-to-night summer discoteca full of Mediterranean-inspired dancefloor chaos from the likes of UK-based jazz-house brothers Chaos In The Cbd, Naarm/Melbourne's Wax’o Paradiso and Adriana, Milanese Duo Eternal Love, Vibe Positano and local taste curator and radio host, Bria. A day to night party paired with Aperol Spritzes, food by Pizza Oltra and balearic bliss from local selectors Astral People.

Tickets here.