Shiralee Coleman refuses to be defined by one label. Blogger, DJ and Model - she is a woman of many talents. Her love of modeling and music has taken her all around the globe, and for the last 20 years, Shiralee has worked with brands such as Tom Ford, Calvin Klein, Armani, and Guess, as well as DJing internationally. In 2020, Shiralee signed to Pumping Records, and is managed by Pumping Management.
In a short yet sweet 6 month stint in 2018 Shiralee was a DJ student here at NMA learning the fundamentals of Disc Jockey Production. NMA took some time out with Shiralee to catch up, to see what she's been upto and to find out what's coming up next in the world of Shiralee Coleman.
How have you been dealing with COVID being a performing artist? It's been a really tough time for the industry and I have really missed playing my sets to a dance floor. We have had to really come up with creative ways to still share and engage through music. Social Media has come to the forefront to do that. I've turned to online sets and releasing Mixtapes across my platforms including Soundcloud and Mixcloud. Sharing my Mixtapes has turned out to be amazing, because the response to the mixes has been unreal, and also shown people what I love to play.
How do you feel the music industry will change during and after the COVID pandemic? I think artists would have had more time to come up with new music so I think you will see even more original creations come out of this time period. Because we have had so much time out of the scene, I think that people will have a new appreciation for going out to a concert or music festival, and I have a feeling the clubs will be even busier once we open - than before COVID, because we have missed dancing so much.
What initially had you interested in DJ'ing? I have always been obsessed with music. Ever since I was young. I used to go out with this DJ years ago and would listen to him play, seeing him do his set from the box watching the crowd dancing and loving the music - I would get such a buzz from it. I always thought.. I should be playing too. During my travels, going to music festivals and beach clubs in Europe, I was always wishing it was me on the decks playing all my summer sounds. It wasn't until years and years later, when I was on a road trip and I was playing all of my favourite songs from my playlists, that I said to my best friend, "You know what, I have always wanted to be a DJ! I'm finally going to do it. It's always been a dream of mine to play, and if I don't do it now, then what?" I have never been able to let the thought go. And a week later I was enrolled into NMA.
What has been your craziest DJ gig story? The first time I played I will never forget it. I practiced and practiced and practiced for weeks, hours on end and was so nervous. My hands were literally shaking and I was wondering how am I even going to do this in front of people. It's one thing doing it in your studio but then to a live crowd!? Once I was on, it was like all that hard work finally came together and off I went. Haven't looked back since
What venues/festivals have you performed at..? I have played King Street Hotel, Sunday Republic, Cafe Del Mar Sydney. I have just been announced as a Resident for Seadeck this summer which will be amazing on the boat this summer. I will also be playing at Argyle The Rocks. I have also played special events such as the Facon fashion show and Mecca Launch, which I love doing because it's a mix of both my worlds - fashion and music together.
What did you find most beneficial from your time at NMA: I learnt all the fundamentals of mixing and as daunting as it was at first, learnt what all of those crazy buttons do!
If you've collaborated with other Artists, what's been your favorite experience, with who and why..?
I love working with all the very talented artists at Pumping Records, which I got signed to this year. We have been working on some exciting new music! This will be released later this year. And George has been an incredible manager - he has so much valuable experience in the music industry.
What's next for Shiralee Coleman..? New music - New mixes!
Follow me on Soundcloud for all my new releases, as well as Mixtape 1 & 2
And more updates on upcoming events on my Instagram https://www.instagram.com/shiraleecoleman/
When she is not creating extravagant fashion campaigns for celebrities and for high-end fashion houses – Shiralee is behind the DJ decks building energy on dance floors. Passionate about bringing music to the most luxurious locations, Shiralee is a multi-talented creative who cannot be defined. Signed to Pumping Records and Pumping Management, Shiralee is set to bring out some exciting new projects in the near future.
You can find Shiralee on Youtube, Instagram, Facebook and Soundcloud