Jaguar

It’s always a pleasure to play at Pikes! I just had my final UTOPIA show there for the year with 1111 and Mafro playing in Freddie’s (it literally used to be Freddie Mercury’s bedroom). It was a lot of fun. I started this residency in 2021, so it’s been ongoing for four years, and it always feels like I am returning home every time I play there. Pikes is the best house party, and I always feel free to play whatever I like, be it 140, disco, UKG, pop, breaks, DNB, or even classic house… I love switching it up in a set, and I feel really lucky to have a space to express myself in the fullest way in an intimate club in Ibiza, in contrast to the super clubs which demand a stricter house style.

I found the whole process of writing my EP to be life-changing. I’ve always wanted to make music, but DJing and broadcasting were my first loves, and I made sure I became shit-hot at both of those before I started a new venture. Making music and getting lost in a track are such fantastic feelings. I can suffer from a lack of confidence and imposter syndrome, which I think delayed me learning to produce, but making this EP has shown me that I can really do this and that I LOVE creating! I worked with a lot of my friends on this EP, including Jacana People, Caitlin Stubbs, Air Wolf Paradise, lleo, 1111 and Bullet Tooth, which made it even more fun, as I’ve known some of these artists for years, so it feels really full circle.

During my late 20s, I struggled with severe burnout, and my mental health suffered a lot. I had to really prioritise my health and looking after myself, and psychotherapy was a big part of my journey. During my sessions I came to terms with being really depressed, lost and not able to feel anything. It was a scary time, but I also believe that by looking yourself dead in the eye, admitting that you’re not okay and choosing to do something about it can prove to be life-changing. One of the ways I came back to myself was by reconnecting with my inner child, a fearless little girl whom my mum nicknamed “Madam”. She was always calling the shots, was bold and a leader, and wouldn’t ever think twice about saying how she feels.
I find the inner child imagery to be so powerful, and I often call upon “Madam” when I have to do something hard. During a session with my friends Jacana People, I knew I wanted to write a song where I was speaking to my inner child, thanking her for helping me get out of a dark place. It was an extremely healing creative process, and I felt very vulnerable when we made it. I guess the track is really a metaphor for feeling whole again and walking side by side with your present and past self. I’m grateful that it exists and that I have a piece of art I can listen to to remind me of this time in my life, and I hope that people can relate to it.

I actually made flowers before writing WILD! and WHITE PONY. The first session was about a year ago. For this EP, all I wanted was to express myself and not think too deeply about anything else. I’m really proud to release a body of work which is diverse sonically but still reflects my creativity, personality, and musical tastes. If you listen to the EP in chronological order, I feel it flows so beautifully, starting with a hedonistic summer banger, into a thirsty hot girl summer vibe, to warehouse rave mysticism, to introspective soft electronica. I use my voice on MUZIK too, which I feel was a nice precursor to a full-on poem which I perform on flowers.

Most of the tracks came together really quickly! I wrote 3/4 of them this year. Flowers took a bit more time and multiple sessions, as Jacana People and I really wanted to take our time getting the sonics right and adding to it thoughtfully and gradually, like paint to a canvas. MUZIK was initially a challenge, as 1111 and I wrote it in a session at the start of 2025 and sat on it for ages because we initially wanted a vocalist, but we couldn’t find something that worked. Then I decided to do a spoken word piece, and it worked so well, so we went with that!

Yes, 100%. Over the last eighteen months, I’ve felt a shift inside of me, and I’ve had the urge to create. Aside from music, my first love has always been writing—poems, journalling, writing blogs when I was younger—it was my therapy and art form. So the fact that I have been able to combine this has been so fun. I secretly wanted to be a spoken word artist when I was a teenager, so this has been very rewarding. As for producing, I’m so glad that I am finally knee-deep in this journey. I love making beats on my laptop and collaborating with friends. It’s not been easy, and I’m still learning, but I fully have the bug, even though I’m still scared of Ableton. I also have been developing my visual aesthetic, working with niina and moja on my latest press photos and visuals. But yeah, this EP marks me stepping into my truest form and using my voice in a new way, transitioning from broadcaster to artist.

I have been selective about who I write with because making music with other people is quite a weird experience, so it’s important that I feel safe and comfortable. I’ve known 1111 and Jacana People for years; we became friends through me playing them on the radio, and they made me feel so comfortable and helped my confidence grow in the studio. I’m a big fan of both Bullet Tooth and Air Wolf Paradise, and they are such incredible producers. We work really well together, and we’re hopefully going to make more tunes together. And lleo is the most talented pop songwriter I know, and they make really cool alt-pop music. We had the most fun writing lyrics for WILD and WHITE PONY; they really pushed me and are helping develop my songwriting. My two loves are dance music and pop, so nailing amazing production and catchy toplines is very important to me on my records.

The queer community is at the heart of my music. I coined the term 'UKC' to describe my DJ style and sound: UK bass-inspired music for peak-time queer clubs. Think Kim Petras vocals mixed into dubstep, or a Sugababes remix with lots of swing and cunty high hats, or a Gaga 2-step edit. Heavy-duty beats with a feminine edge. I’d consider WILD! and WHITE PONY to be UKC anthems. Especially with the opening line, perhaps an ode to the feral summer we all had (’25 and smoking Vogues’). It’s UKC baby!

I’m incredibly proud of what I’ve built so far with UTOPIA. Our first ever party was socially distanced at Night Tales in Hackney. Everyone was gagging for a night out due to lockdown, but we weren’t allowed to stand up and dance. The DJs were myself, TSHA, Helena Star, ABSOLUTE. and Tibasko! In 2023 I started up the label; it’s one of my favourite things I do. I LOVE working with artists, giving them a platform, and achieving amazing results with our small resources and team. I feel like the label was the missing piece of the puzzle for the UTOPIA ecosystem, and it’s helped me define my sound and tastes, which helped set the scene before I began releasing my own tunes on UTOPIA this year.
UTOPIA will be my legacy. It’s a community; it’s here to serve artists and music lovers. We have a WhatsApp group of 400 creatives and a Patreon. I want to bring the podcast back because it’s so fun! I want to do a UTOPIA festival one day and make a mark as big as a Defected or a Ninja Tune. UTOPIA is my baby, but she’s also here to be shared with artists. I’ve made so many incredible connections and friendships through the platform, and I think that’s a beautiful thing.

My friend Tia once said to me, “Expression is the cure for depression.” That hit hard. I really felt this at the start of the year, when I was going through a bad mental health patch, but making music really helped me get through it. You’re spilling your heart out onto a page or channelling complex emotion through sound manipulation. That shit is life-affirming. Creating art, getting lost in an Ableton project, writing a story, singing, whatever it is, getting lost in the flow of something that feeds your soul is so nourishing and healing. Making art is what makes us human; it’s so special, and we must protect our artists.

The report is one of my greatest achievements to date. The impact it left was monumental. It made national news. I went on Women’s Hour, Sky News, the BBC. I saw really amazing conversations and changes in dance music, in line-ups and behind the scenes at labels, venues, events and brands. The statistics in general showed that marginalised genders are indeed misrepresented, but the stats showed that things were improving year on year. However, I’d say in the last two years that line-ups look less diverse again, and the dance space feels very male-heavy again, almost like we have regressed. I believe that this is due to the nightlife industry, which is currently in an economic crisis. It’s even harder than ever to sell tickets; clubs are closing, and younger people are not going out as much due to changes in habits and everything being so expensive. I fear the focus has shifted from pushing forward equality to being more about trying to keep everything afloat. It’s a frustrating time, but I will never stop fighting for marginalised people. I hope to bring back a second edition of The Jaguar Foundation report in the next few years and reignite the movement. It feels like it is needed again.

I’ve always been empathetic with artists, and I’m passionate about protecting them. My partner is a live artist, and I see how challenging that is in today’s climate, plus my radio show BBC Introducing on Radio 1 Dance is about supporting emerging electronic artists around the UK. Many of my friends are musicians and artists. It’s interesting to now be in the same boat as someone who is releasing music. It’s a weird experience, especially in a hyper-digital age where you’re competing with so much noise online and on streaming platforms. I don’t think there’ve been huge changes; however, now that I’m in the production world, I do listen to music differently, as I can pick out different elements of the track and think, ‘Oh, so THAT’S how they made this sound.’ I think it makes me a better selector and tastemaker; an all-round artist.

I have learnt that I LOVE being busy and thrive off spinning many plates. Is that my toxic trait? Maybe. But I have learnt how to become efficient and focus on saying yes to the things I enjoy and no to things that don’t serve me or add to my wider goals. I also love a deadline so I can just bash things out; I work well under pressure. I manage to handle the pressure by prioritising myself. During the week when I’m not touring, I go to bed early, exercise, eat vegetables, etc. I LOVE a morning routine! I’ve really got into wellness, saunas, Pilates, meditation, and journalling over the last few years. I also make sure that I have my hobbies outside of music, see my friends, hang out with my partner, and know when to switch off or take breaks. I also get a lot out of reconnecting with my inner child by playing nostalgic video games (shout out to Final Fantasy X-2) or watching anime I loved when I was a kid. It centres me. Again, I learnt all this from burning out and doing too much in 2021/22. But I’ve vowed to never let this slip that far or let myself down like that again.

I want to have a long, colourful and dynamic career. I don’t believe that there has been another artist like me before. I will remain carving out my own lane, being a multi-hyphenate, creating my own world, pursuing my many side quests, but always pushing towards a career where I can make meaningful art, bring joy to people in DJ sets, curate amazing music and support marginalised people and artists. As for the rest of this year, I’ve got some really fun remixes that I’ve done of other artists coming, which I’m proud of. I am so glad that it’s autumn now, so I can spend more time indoors with my headphones on and become engrossed in Ableton, and I’m excited to make more music!