Lady Shaka: ‘I just want everyone up having a good old kanikani [dance]’
Groundbreaking New Zealand DJ Lady Shaka is a proud femme queen turning international dance floors into a celebration of joy and diversity.
Lady Shaka aka (Shakaiah Perez) made her name as an international DJ after she swung poi and spun te reo Māori tracks at New Zealand’s first-ever Boiler Room dance party in 2021.
Back home from London to play two solo shows in Auckland, she talks to Music 101 about reconnecting with her Pacific and Māori heritage, being “blessed” by Beyoncé and what it means to be a femme queen (the ballroom dancing term for a trans woman).
“If you put out great energy in the world, great energy always comes back.”
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Lady Shaka grew up in Auckland where she danced with star choreographer Parris Goebel ’s Royal Family crew.
After moving to London in her her late teens, she taught herself to DJ and later started New Zealand’s queer DJ collective and club night FILTH.
In the last few years, Lady Shaka has been leading parties around the world where black, brown, queer and trans and non-binary people celebrate and are celebrated on the dance floor.
While it’s always a thrill to see other femme queens at shows, she says spotting a big group “voguing” onstage in Brazil was something special.
“I was like ‘This right here is sisterhood, this right here is ancestral and I love this.”
Earlier this month at Victoria’s Pitch Music & Arts Festival, Lady Shaka’s quick-thinking instinct for fun made an unforgettable communal experience out of a five-minute storm warning.
“I dug out a dance remix of ‘Dreams’ by Fleetwood Mac. As soon as I pushed ‘play’ the heavens opened up and it was raining and the crowd went nuts. I was saying ‘Yes, this is what I've been called for. I get to be a wizard’.
“I'm so dramatic so it was like the perfect thing ever. The sound man gave me a big thumbs up and was like ‘Amazing work. I was like ‘Thanks, babes'.”
Lady Shaka (aka Shakaiah Perez) is of Māori, Samoan, Tahitian, Tokelauan and Cape Verdean heritage.
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Lady Shaka’s Auckland shows at Double Whammy on 21 and 22 March, feature special guest DJs and a theme of Whaea - the Māori term for aunties or elders that she is using to mean all are welcome.
“I want the aunties. I want the uncles. I want the whaea, the matua and everyone my age and younger. It's going to be a whole family affair and I just want everyone up in there having a good old kanikani [dance].
Lady Shaka's mixtape:
‘Irreplaceable’ by Beyoncé
When Beyoncé toured New Zealand in 2013, Lady Shaka was a 16-year-old dressed like the pop superstar.
During the song ‘Grown Woman’ Beyoncé noticed her young fan “dancing like crazy”, pointed at her and then approached.
“I was like ‘Oh my god, this is my moment. Don't mess it up!’ I just reached out for her towel and she wiped his forehead sweat and gave it to me. I was screaming, I was losing it, then she started singing ‘Irreplaceable’ towards me. She gave me the microphone, and then I sung the rest and then I gave her a hug. That was the moment I was like ‘I've been blessed by the goddess Beyoncé herself’.
‘1, 2 Step’ by Ciara, featuring Missy Elliot
“This song has so many memories tied to it - hip hop culture, hip hop music, that is me to my core.
“Ciara is an incredible artist. I saw her live for the first time ever last year, and I was just like ecstatic.”
‘Pate Pate’ by Te Vaka
The 1999 album ‘Ki Mua’ by Pacific group Te Vaka was one of three CDs on heavy rotation when Lady Shaka was driven to school.
“This song's really special to me. Every time I hear ‘Pate Pate’ it reminds me of my grandfather, who's now passed away. It just makes me happy and it just reminds me of him. “
‘Dhoom Machale’ from the 2004 film Dhoom
Since an Indian friend’s mum dressed her up in a saree, Lady Shaka has been fascinated by Bollywood music and movies
“From that moment onwards, I was like ‘Oh my god, I love Bollywood’. This song is like an ode to eight-year-old me.”
‘Fever’ by Vybz Kartel
Soon after Lady Shaka moved to London she heard this track blasting around Notting Hill Carnival.
“I love dancehall music so much. It's really shaped me as an artist, like Jamaican music in general, reggae music, but dancehall specifically has a special place in my heart because it’s the only genre I could probably listen to all night, all day, and not get bored.”
