HAAi Is Reclaiming the Dance Floor — Just in Time for Pride
The London-based, Australian-born DJ/producer is entering a defining moment with marathon U.S. sets, major accolades, and a renewed focus on queer connection through sound.
In an era where nightlife is constantly being reshaped by algorithms, streaming culture, and post-pandemic recalibration, HAAi is doubling down on something far more human: the dance floor as sanctuary.
The London-based, Australian-born DJ, producer, and vocalist — born Teneil Throssell — has built a career at the intersection of emotional release, queer identity, and immersive club culture. Now, as Pride season approaches, she’s stepping into a pivotal moment with a string of ambitious U.S. performances that feel less like DJ sets and more like endurance rituals for connection.
This May, HAAi will bring her signature intensity stateside with two marathon appearances: a six-hour set at Public Records in Brooklyn on Mother’s Day as part of its “All Day Long” series, followed by a seven-hour session at Into the Woods Festival on May 17 — just hours after taking the stage at EDC Las Vegas. It’s a demanding schedule that underscores both her stamina and her philosophy: the longer the set, the deeper the emotional arc.
For HAAi, the dance floor has never been just about music. It’s about what happens in the room.
Her world is rooted in nightlife as a space for queer expression and chosen family — a place where vulnerability and euphoria coexist. That ethos has become central to her growing influence, especially as conversations around queer joy and community spaces take on renewed urgency. If anything, her current run feels like a reminder of what club culture has always owed to queer communities: not just innovation, but intention.
That perspective has followed her into her recorded work as well. Her 2024 album HUMANiSE — released via Mute Records — was named one of the year’s best dance albums by Billboard, cementing her reputation as one of electronic music’s most emotionally resonant voices. The project expanded on the sonic world she first introduced with her debut, blending techno, breakbeat, and synth-driven pop into something both cerebral and deeply felt.
Critics took note. The New York Times praised her ability to balance “psychedelic electronica” with “remarkably fun DJ sets,” while standout single “Can’t Stand To Lose” earned recognition as one of the year’s top tracks from Beatportal.
That momentum hasn’t slowed. HAAi recently received a nomination for Producer of the Year at the inaugural Beatport Awards, further solidifying her standing within the global electronic scene. She’s also continued her creative collaboration with Fred again.., contributing a remix of “The Floor” to his USB002 Remixes project — an extension of their ongoing artistic dialogue that began with 2022’s “Lights Out,” which also featured Romy.
Still, it’s in her live performances where HAAi’s vision comes fully into focus.
Fresh off a standout appearance at Royal Albert Hall, she’s preparing for an ambitious new live show at Abbey Road Studios this September, where she’ll collaborate with The Royal Ballet to reinterpret a classical work by Edward Elgar. It’s a bold fusion of electronic production and high art — one that mirrors her broader approach to genre and form.
But before that, all eyes are on her U.S. run — and what it represents.
As Pride month looms, HAAi’s marathon sets feel especially timely. They’re not just performances; they’re extended invitations to gather, release, and reconnect. In a cultural moment where digital life often eclipses physical experience, her work asks a simple but powerful question: What does it mean to be together, in real time, on a dance floor?
If her trajectory is any indication, the answer is still unfolding — one beat, one body, one shared moment at a time.
Spring 2026 Tour Dates
May 8 — Philadelphia, PA @ Making Time Warehouse
May 9 — Washington, D.C. @ Culture
May 10 — Brooklyn, NY @ Public Records Nursery (All Day Long)
May 16 — Las Vegas, NV @ EDC (b2b Luke Alessi)
May 17 — Los Angeles, CA @ Into the Woods Festival
