A South London selector turning Afro House grooves into a global dancefloor calling card.
Shalishah Kay is a South London born DJ and producer who has spent recent years building a name across some of the world’s most recognisable stages, from sets at Ministry of Sound to performances spanning London’s Mayfair, Dubai, New York Fashion Week, Croatia, Ayia Napa and the Bahamas. Her sound sits at the intersection of Afro House, deep house and vocal driven groove, a style she has sharpened through a packed run of club and festival dates alongside her weekly prime time residency on Select Radio’s “The Frequency,” reaching audiences in the millions. With a combined social following well into six figures across Instagram and TikTok, she has already built a loyal and highly engaged community before releasing a single original track. That changes on June 30th, when she steps forward as a producer for the first time with her debut single “Golden Hour.” Shalishah Kay is now working with MN2S Label Services for distribution, marking the next stage of her journey from in demand selector to recording artist.
How did you get into music? What is your musical background?
Music has always been in my DNA. Growing up, both of my parents were massive music lovers, and there was never a day where we weren’t being introduced to something new, from Luther Vandross and Gilberto Gil to lovers rock, soca and Chicago house. Music was just the backdrop to everything, and I always knew it was in me.
It took a while to actually honour that though. I spent years working in the NHS, and at some point I had to be honest with myself about what I was really supposed to be doing. So I left, threw myself into DJing, and went in with full confidence, maybe more confidence than I had any right to at the time. I landed my first residency at a speakeasy hip hop bar, and three months later I had my first international booking at Tomorrowland’s Terra Solis Beach Club in Dubai. That was the moment I knew this was real.
Production came out of a very specific frustration. When I was planning sets, I would be searching for a particular sound or blend that just did not exist anywhere, so eventually I thought, if I cannot find it, I will just have to make it. It started quietly behind closed doors around the same time I started DJing. Even with some music theory background, translating that into actual production was genuinely hard, but when it finally started clicking, that feeling was magical. I hope that magic comes through in Golden Hour and everything I am building towards from here.
Tell us about your first release and what was special about that one.
I have been a lover of Afro House ever since it started making waves in the house music scene. For me it is the perfect marriage, that heavy Afro drum that makes you want to move every part of your body, layered with all the depth and journey that house music carries. That is exactly what I wanted to create with Golden Hour.
Even the name was intentional. Golden hour is the best light of the day, and yes, I am absolutely that person on holiday who will stop everything for the perfect golden hour photo. I wanted to recreate that feeling in sound, that moment where the lighting is just right, you are at your favourite beach, there is a drink in your hand, the sun is warm on your skin and everything just feels good.
I kept the lyrics minimal on purpose because I wanted the track to feel transportive, almost spiritual, while still having a beat that makes you want to move. You can close your eyes and let it take you somewhere, or you can dance around like an absolute idiot and have the time of your life. Both are fully valid.
Putting out original music as a DJ means everything to me because I want people to see who I am behind the music. There is no more honest way to do that than to create it yourself. Golden Hour is the side of me that loves to be relaxed but is also fully in her element, holiday vibes, favourite beach club, prime time sunshine, great cocktail in hand.
Tell us about the latest project you worked on.
As much as I would have loved a budget to fly somewhere stunning in Europe or South America, and I am absolutely manifesting that for future releases, we actually filmed the Golden Hour video on a beach in Kent. Honestly, I think it worked perfectly.
I wanted the video to feel stripped back and whimsical, like I had been swept up by the house gods and taken somewhere in the middle of the wilderness, just me, the surroundings and that connection with nature. My videographer Joe Austin was incredible. We really captured that feeling of letting go completely, and the golden hour light came out beautifully.
The simplicity was very deliberate. I did not want the visuals to compete with the journey the music takes you on, I wanted them to complement it. There is a little bit of mystery to it too. Who is this girl on the beach? Where is she? The answer is Kent, but you do not need to know that.
Could you describe your musical style and creative vision?
For me it all comes back to authenticity. As a female DJ and producer, I want to show that you do not have to conform to how things have always been done. You can be creative, you can be visual, you can build a whole world around your music and still be completely yourself.
My creative process is rooted in my heritage and my childhood, all those sounds I grew up with, but reinvented in ways that feel fresh and exciting for right now. The goal is always to create something that connects across generations, that passes something meaningful forward, but in a way that stays completely true to who I am.
Every track I put out is a different facet of me. Golden Hour is the relaxed, sun soaked side, that start of summer feeling where everything is golden and easy. But my next single Sweat is a completely different energy, bodies on the dancefloor, the party in full swing, that moment when everything kicks off. Each release is its own world, its own version of how I like to experience life and music.
What advice would you give to anyone thinking of entering the music industry?
Just go for it. The worst thing anyone can say is no, and once you make peace with that, you realise a no from one person does not mean anything about what you are actually capable of.
I was relentlessly bold at the start of my career because I knew that if I did not push myself into rooms uninvited, nobody was going to open the door for me. Sometimes you do not even need to break the door down, sometimes it was already open, it was just waiting for someone confident enough to walk through it.
Get comfortable being uncomfortable. So many of my bookings have come from me saying yes first and figuring it out later. Take wisdom from the people around you, but you do not have to take every piece of advice from every person you meet. Trust your own instincts, and remember that this industry has peaks and quiet spells. Just keep reinventing yourself, keep believing in what you are building, and know that you have got this, even on the days it does not feel like it.
What are your plans for the rest of the year and beyond?
It is going to be a really exciting summer. I already have my next single lined up, it is called Sweat and I am aiming to release it in August. The energy on it is completely different to Golden Hour, it is high tempo, full dancefloor mode, and I cannot wait for people to hear it.
On the gigs side, I will be DJing on behalf of eBay over the F1 weekend at the beginning of July, which is a brilliant booking to be part of. Then later in July I have a trip to Miami with several bookings and sets lined up, which I am really looking forward to. There are a few other things in the pipeline I am not quite ready to announce yet, but it is shaping up to be a very full and very exciting few months. Watch this space.
What have you enjoyed about working with MN2S Label Services?
Working with MN2S has been a really enlightening experience, especially as someone stepping into this side of the music industry for the first time. They have been professional, supportive and genuinely reassuring, and whenever I have had questions or needed to make changes, they have made me feel guided rather than overwhelmed.
I think what I would say to any artist considering working with them is that their knowledge and experience really does speak for itself. Having that kind of backing as you navigate a release is invaluable, and I am genuinely proud to be part of the MN2S family.
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