Talanoa with a Tusitala is our our bi-monthly series produced in partnership with Tagata Atamai. In this instalment, Danielle Kionasina Dilys Thomson talks to Shaquille Wasasala, who wants to pivot away from being a “cool influencer baddie DJ”.

All photos by Alexa Casino.

Shaquille Wasasala, also known as Half Queen, is a Fijian Pākehā curator of immersive musical experiences who shapes and is proudly shaped by Tāmaki Makaurau. From DJ’ing on international stages to co-creating FILTH, a multidimensional home of queer Indigenous nightlife, Shaquille stands on business when it comes to shaking ass. In the name of collective liberation, she celebrates intersectional lives and builds revolutionary worlds of co-regulation, self-discovery, and embodied imagination wherever there is music to be played.

Just as summer started to trickle through Shaquille’s lounge window, I showed up on her doorstep for a cuppa. She put a record on, and we talked about everything other than which gig she was going to headline next.

Who are you?

I’m Shaquille Wasasala. I’m from West Auckland – born and raised. I have a Pākehā mum and a Fijian dad, and that has informed my worldview living in this beautiful city of ours – Tāmaki Makaurau. I think that’s always been inherent to who I am.

I don’t even know if I’d call myself an artist, honestly, because I don’t think it gives that. I have intentionally removed myself from any sort of creative outlet, which is probably fucking with my brain.

Where did the break come from? A need?

Yes, a desperate need. I think there were a few different layers to it. It kind of happened last year or the year before. I was at a festival, and I had been talking to a friend who is also a DJ. We talked about quitting DJ’ing for ages. There was a point when I was at her house, and I was on Instagram, and I was like, “I fucking hate this.” I just had this moment of reflection where I realised, “I actually don’t have to do this.”

It was fortified when I was at a festival – that I did enjoy being at, and I loved my set – but I think the exchange wasn’t that beneficial for me. I think I’m used to it being quite a regenerative vibe when I DJ. There was just a point where it didn’t feel like I was getting out of it what I was pouring into it. That’s not necessarily just to do with my attitude towards it. I think the way the industry is trending doesn’t align with what I wanted to get from it in the beginning.

Also, to be honest, in the beginning, I kind of just stumbled into it. There wasn’t really any intentional pathway or plan that I had when I stumbled into DJ’ing. So, I got to a point where I was like, “Wait, I kind of have just been doing this because I just do this, and it's just a survival thing, and I’m making it work and doing this thing that doesn’t really have a roadmap or a blueprint.” I think I was just exhausted at the process of trying to figure out what even the fuck it was.

I reckon you need the pause. You actually need time to be intentional and reflect, especially when you get in the routine of, “This is just what I do, and now people expect it.”

Totally. It was so like that, and I think it was like that for a few years, especially after Covid. I guess that lust to wanna go out and do the thing that you do and explore the world, because during Covid I had a pretty good experience with my career. Even though we couldn’t go outside, it was good for my career. I made a lot of connections and community online that I was able to manifest into real life spaces, so that was good.

But, yeah, I just never had a time to think like, “Wait, actually, do I wanna do this?” Because, I’ve been so used to like, “I’ll do another tour, Ok, I’ll do another tour here, and then I’ll tour here, and then I’ll have a five-minute break, and then I’ll – you know.” It’s been like a survival thing.

The break – it has a lot of layers to it, but I think I also had a moment of like, “What are the possibilities if I stay at home for a year? What can happen? Who even am I?” That’s why, at the start of that, I was like, “I actually don’t know.”

You’re exploring again; in the reflection time. I get that. I get really roped in because I feel very responsible for a lot of people. If you build a community around a creative practice, you feel pressure to keep it going.

Exactly. It’s so like that. There’s an open channel of communication from people, especially as a DJ or a public facing person that’s in the creative community. People love to tell you, “That set was awesome. When are you DJ’ing again?”

Oh, it’s relentless! In those moments, I often wonder why we can’t just enjoy our present or previous creations for a while. Then, I anxiously contemplate what would happen if I wanted to make something completely different! As soon as I have mastered something, I have this tendency to want to go and learn something else.

What’s your sign?

Virgo.

Period. That makes so much sense.

What has your year off DJ’ing brought you?

In my year off, I was able to stay home and do yoga teacher training which is also just another kind of DJ’ing, I’ve learnt. It’s the same fuckin’ thing. Co-regulation. Being in communion. Trying to curate the vibe of like, “How do we get closer to ourselves?” Same exact thing as DJ’ing.

I feel like that is such a good example of rest and slowness being productive and necessary for expansion. What else did you learn this year?

I’m learning Fijian at the moment, which is pretty awesome.

I mean, I’m doing radio, which is new. That’s a new thing. You’d think being a DJ, you’d just slot into being a broadcaster, but, no. So, I’m pretty much learning how to be a broadcaster.

Do you find that broadcasting is rejuvenating because you’re able to connect with people through music without audiences having full access to you?

Yeah, for sure. That was the idea. I might not be DJ’ing out in real life, but I guess I wanted to pivot into a lane that was less “cool influencer baddie DJ” and more into the thing that I actually want to be, which is someone that educates people about music, a bit more of a cultural leader.

I love being a DJ. It’s a very serious role to me. It comes with a lot of whakapapa and legacy beyond anything I can even comprehend. I’m still actively learning about DJ’ing and the role of it. So, I hold it with such reverence. But I also wanna expand beyond that.