Kat Harlton
Photos provided via PR team
Esteemed Afro house artist DJ Karaba was recently nominated for her very first JUNO Award for Underground Dance Single Of The Year for her fiery song “Mad Mess”.
Produced by DJ Karaba herself, “Mad Mess” is an upbeat and energetic pulsating anthem designed for the club scene. Inspired by Karaba’s dance background and passion for Afro house and tech music, the track delves into the release of inner anger while focusing on deep energy and hints of darkness. Crafted during a moment of intense anger, “Mad Mess” channels a unique emotional intensity rarely explored by Karaba.
Montreal based Karaba has amassed a dedicated social media fan base in the past two years with a social media reach of over 1 million followers and over 16 million views on YouTube, in addition to becoming a sought after brand ambassador for companies and brands such as Puma, Tourism Montreal and Jabra. Her live shows are nothing short of explosive and have taken Karaba around the globe to countries that include London, Switzerland, US, Spain, Morocco, Ibiza and Portugal.
Karaba was born in Grenoble, France and, at the age of seven, moved to Montreal. As a child, Karaba was enrolled in dance, which would become the next key step in her artistic journey, and her first love. Self-described as an immigrant all her life, Karaba relocated to key musical markets to pursue dance, like New York when she was 20 years old, and then Los Angeles in 2014.
While in Los Angeles, Karaba danced for some of pop music’s heaviest hitters such as Drake, Camilla Cabello, and Selena Gomez, as well as appearing in numerous music videos and award shows. When a major tour was cancelled in 2016, Karaba felt helpless about the next step of her career. She then found her way to DJing and music production, a thought that had been bubbling up in the back of her mind for some time. Enrolling in the DJ Scratch Academy in L.A., Karabasays she found a renewed artistic purpose.
I had the opportunity to chat with DJ Karaba about her 2024 Juno Award Nomination, finding inspiration, and what’s next.
Kat: Can you share with us a bit about yourself and your music journey so far?
DJ Karaba: Sure! I’m DJ Karaba and I’m a dj/producer from Montreal. Originally born in France, my family and I relocated to Canada when I was seven years old. I used to be a professional dancer for several years and after realizing some of my biggest dreams in the dance industry, I decided to pivot to djing in 2019. Then during the pandemic I started music production and I really fell in love with it! I’ve always been passionate about music so it only made sense that my next move after dancing would be in the music industry.
Kat: You were recently nominated for a JUNO Award for Underground Dance Single of the Year for your song “Mad Mess”. How does it feel to be nominated for this award?
DJ Karaba: It truly feels amazing! I’m honored to be nominated in this category and most importantly to be represented black woman in the electronic scene. I’m still exploring music production, so being acknowledged by the Junos at this early stage of my career feels very surreal to me!!
Kat: Can you talk about the inspiration behind “Mad Mess” and what you hope listeners take away from it?
DJ Karaba: The inspiration behind the song actually came from a feeling of frustration and anger. I didn’t know how to realize those feelings so I told myself why not put it in a song and then came “Mad Mess”. Funny fact, I actually sent the song to my mentor Stephen Ramsay, from the band Young Galaxy, and he told me that I should channel these emotions in songs more often because the result is pretty amazing. And quite frankly I agree with him! I think my main thing with my music is always for people to feel something. Whether it is good or bad, I just want them to leave with an emotion because that’s how I create my music off of an emotion.
Kat: What has been a career highlight for you so far?
DJ Karaba: Being able to perform internationally outside of Canada has been an amazing experience for me. Last year, I had the opportunity to play in numerous countries, and the feeling was just incredible! One of the highlights was visiting Africa for the first time, most specifically Morocco. I was fulfilling a dream of mine considering I’m African myself and I had always dreamed of going to Africa. On top of that, I traveled to Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, Portugal, and The United Kingdom, each destination bringing me unforgettable experiences. It was truly special to share my music with diverse audiences in these countries and witness their reactions firsthand.
Kat: What have you learned along the way? What you would like to share with other aspiring artists and creators?
DJ Karaba: That you have to stay true to yourself. Doing what others do won’t get you far, you have to celebrate what makes you unique. That’s the beauty of being an artist or a creator is to sit in your own lane and shine through that journey. In the beginning of my career I thought I had to be like everybody else to be liked and then I realized that it didn’t really make me happy and now I shine so bright by being my own light and I love it!
Kat: What else can we expect from you for the balance of 2024?
DJ Karaba: You can definitely expect more music, that’s for sure. I’ve been exploring new sounds lately and I’m really excited to share it with the world. Also more shows internationally but also in Canada because I love playing back home, it’s a great feeling! And then definitely more content. I love to shoot what I call my “live session”. It’s basically myself playing a dj set with a percussionist and those videos are always the ones that my audience love the most. So I’m definitely making sure that’s on my list for 2024!
Connect With DJ Karaba
Instagram: @djkaraba
Twitter: @djkaraba
Facebook: /djkaraba
Website: https://www.djkaraba.com/