The ascension of HAAi
The Aussie producer and DJ talks queer acceptance, her new DJ-Kicks mix and the power of collaboration. WORDS BY ALICE MOREY CREATIVE DIRECTION, PHOTOGRAPHY AND STYLING BY IMOGENE BARRON DESIGN BY ANISA CLEAVER PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANCE BY TOM LOMBARD MAKEUP BY CHANTAL AMARI USING TOM FORD BEAUTY HAIR BY JADAH DALE USING BLEACH LONDON NAILS BY SHOREDITCH NAILS SPECIAL THANKS TO JARRAD CARLIN, ALICE AND GUY PELLY, LEANNE ELLIOT YOUNG, HELEN POVEY, FABIA JONES RUSSEL, VINNY SHEILS AND ELLIE SHAW Three days before the launch of her new mix for DJ-Kicks, London-based artist HAAi comes into focus on Zoom.
She’s wearing a fluffy cardigan over a buttoned-up white shirt. Her signature bitch-ass platinum bob is partially covered by a black baseball cap. “I apologise for being late, it’s been a ripper of a morning so far, everything’s going on,” she exclaims with a grin across her face.
It seems apt that the Aussie is a chameleon in her environment, averaging 100 shows a year. Nestled in the corner of her management’s office, HAAi – aka Teneil Throssell – has a lot of “sh*t going on”.
After a busy summer closing out festivals – Body Movements to Glastonbury – and performing her notorious Hör set, Throsell dropped the official remix of Kylie Minogue’s queer anthem ‘Padam Padam’, a release that pulled in over 350,000 streams on Spotify.
