HAAi on new album, Body Movements, and mixing Padam Padam on a plane: ‘I got really possessed by it’
The producer, songwriter and DJ extraordinaire will be releasing new album HUMANiSE this winter
By Dale Fox
With a summer packed full of festivals and flights, HAAi shows no signs of slowing down. The Australian-born, London-based DJ and producer has carved a reputation for sets that blur the lines between techno, pop, and something uniquely her own.
HAAi’s new album HUMANiSE, due October, pushes that further by weaving in her own vocals alongside collaborations with queer artists, with promo material promising “an ambitious
and thrilling epic.”
Before closing this year’s Body Movements on Sunday 24 August – the East London festival that’s become a touchstone for queer club culture – HAAi sat down with us to talk about the album, her collaborators, and the power of queer joy on the dancefloor.
What was the most human moment you experienced while making Humanise?
I guess it was the fact that I worked with a choir. I worked with Trans Voices on it. There were several really human parts to this, which were very different to how I would normally make a dance record. Just working with real people and real voices in a studio was super, super nice as well.
I think the most human element of the whole thing is the storytelling within songwriting. Within the lyrics, it’s really based on human experience and my own lived experiences. Those two things combined were where that side of it really came together for me, and I loved it.
Why was it important to have Trans Voices and other queer collaborators involved on the album?
That’s a really nice question actually. For me, it was really important. Number one, I was unknowingly already working with ILĀ on another project – ILĀ is one of the founders of Trans Voices.
Also, any opportunity I can get to work with my queer family, I’ll jump at it. Kaiden Ford is another voice on the record – they’re a performer and we’ve been friends for a really long time. They did a really beautiful spoken word piece that closes out the album.
Especially with where we are politically in the world, just being as visible and loud as we can be, and celebrating our gorgeousness, is the most important kind of active resistance we can do right now.
Do you feel a difference when performing for queer crowds compared to other audiences?
Oh yeah, 100% without a doubt. I’d be lying if I said that when I was coming up as an artist I wasn’t playing to less queer crowds, but now I feel like that audience has really expanded. The more queer parties I’ve played, and the more vocal and visible I’ve been about my own identity online, the more that’s shaped who comes to see me.
When people see someone out there doing something and they can relate to them and their experiences, it naturally brings people together. I love a party anyway, but there’s something about queer joy in a rave or festival context that’s really unparalleled.
Why did you decide to put your vocals front and centre on this album?
I actually sang on my last album as well, and on a previous track, but this is the first album where I’m singing across the whole thing, bar one track.
For me, the reason for that was partly just what came out at the time, but also because I’d never really been this introspective before. Even though not all of it is totally literal unless you know what the song’s about, it just felt like the right time for me to start writing more directly about my own experiences.
Hopefully people will hear the songs, relate them to their own lives in some way, and feel like they’re being given a warm hug.
How do you feel about Body Movements evolving from DIY roots into a huge festival?
This will be my third time playing. Sadly, I couldn’t play the first one because I was away, but I’ve definitely played twice at the Hackney one – I’m a Hackney girly, I moved there from Australia.
The first time I played Body Movements in Hackney Wick I was still finding my feet playing queer parties, especially in London. I wasn’t sure if I had much of an audience within that community, but as soon as I stepped into the booth I realised I was wrong. I felt so embraced by the party and its audience, and by Sasha and Clayton and everyone behind it.
I love playing Body Movements so much. I’m so glad I’m closing the stage I am this year – I feel super, super excited about it.
What’s the difference between playing a daytime and a nighttime set?
Totally different vibes. I’m playing at night this time, which will be really nice. When I first played, it was a daytime set inside a club – it was boiling hot.
For me, the energy you bring really differs. Playing a closing set in the evening, you’ve got to bring as much energy as possible. In the daytime, I’d probably play something a lot more hypnotic. At night, you want people to end with euphoria.
Do you have a special surprise in store for this year’s set?
Well, there usually is – often a surprise to myself as well. But one really cute thing is that it’s actually Alice, my partner, and my seven-year anniversary on Body Movements day. So maybe there’ll be a little surprise in there somewhere.
The nature of my job means we’re apart a lot, so I just want her to feel really loved. Who knows what might happen – you’ve got me thinking now.
You remixed ‘Padam Padam’ – are there other queer anthems you’d love to reimagine?
That is a good question. For sure, there’s a track I love, but I almost wouldn’t want to touch it. I often close with it at queer parties because it feels like the epitome of queer rebellion sonically – it’s called ‘Walk the Night’ by the Skatt Brothers.
If you listen to it and look up the lyrics, it’s equal parts rebellious and filthy – as queer as it comes. I play an edit of it and always think it would be cool to remix, but it’s so perfect as it is.
There are definitely other tracks I’d be interested in, but I feel trepidatious about remixing classics. ‘Padam Padam’ was different because it was so new at the time. I got really possessed by it – I did the remix over several flights across four countries while I was summer touring. It all came together really easily.
You actually made that remix on aeroplanes?
Yeah. I didn’t have access to my studio at the time because I was literally travelling through four countries. I remember thinking if anyone saw me they’d think I was mad – laptop open, headphones on, working through layovers, totally obsessed.
I couldn’t close my computer because I was so wrapped up in the track. I think that energy really came through in how it turned out. Personally, I can hear it in the remix.
Can you recommend five queer artists?
DJ/ production powerhouses, Eris Drew and Octo Octa. Experimental/contemporary choral
ILĀ – solo and in Trans Voices. Harder techno production and DJ, Tygapaw. Euphoric queer party DJ, Cormac/Joshua James. Legendary queer artist/DJ, DJ Paulette. New artist breaking boundaries in spoken word/rap, kissin’ teef aka Kai Isaiah Jamaal.
HUMANiSE is out on 10 October 2025 via Mute on limited edition clear double gatefold vinyl and limited edition CD in eco card packaging. You can pre-order HUMANiSE now.
Body Movements tickets are still available, with the festival held on Sunday 24 August at London’s Southwark Park.