Ekali

Canadian DJ and producer Ekali, whose real name is Nathan Shaw, crafts precisely constructed EDM pieces that span from intense, explosive trap anthems to more melancholic and fragile downtempo compositions. His swift ascent followed a songwriting contribution to Drake's 2015 mixtape If You're Reading This It's Too Late. Not long after, he joined Skrillex's OWSLA imprint, issuing multiple singles along with the 2018 EP Crystal Eyes while also teaming up with Denzel Curry, ZHU, and Illenium. His first album, A World Away, arrived in 2020.

Shaw's initial entry into music occurred early, when he picked up the violin at age 12. That pursuit proved short-lived, yet he continued by mastering guitar and additional instruments, performing in several high-school groups before landing bass session gigs around Vancouver. At 19 he joined the Vancouver-based band Said the Whale as their touring bassist. He also experimented with original material, though a lack of confidence in singing or composing on a single instrument led him to work instead with samples and production software.

In 2014 Shaw earned a spot at the Red Bull Academy in Tokyo; the next year he issued the track "Unfaith." Drake then sampled it for both "Preach" and "Wednesday Night Interlude" on the 2015 mixtape If You're Reading This It's Too Late. Seeking to focus solely on his own projects, Shaw departed Said the Whale in 2016 and adopted the alias Ekali. He signed with the OWSLA label, which put out his 2017 single "Babylon" featuring Denzel Curry. His debut EP, Crystal Eyes, followed in 2018 and included appearances by K.Flay and Medasin. That same year he released the collaboration "Blame" with ZHU. In 2019 he worked with 1788-L on the jungle-influenced "R U I N," with Wafia on "Be Fine," and with Illenium on "Hard to Say Goodbye" featuring Chloe Angelides. January 2020 saw the arrival of Ekali's first full-length project, A World Away.