Nala Brings a Riot Grrrl Edge to Dance Music

From her early days playing at local clubs and festivals to in-demand producer and label owner, Stefania Aronin's journey has been nothing short of remarkable.

Though the 30-year-old called Los Angeles home, Aronin moved to Fort Lauderdale in 2007, settling in to study at Florida International University in 2011. During that time, Aronin immersed herself in Miami's nightlife scene, and soon she found herself promoting events before nabbing a regular DJ gig at Bardot in Wynwood. Under the stage name Nala, she set herself apart with live vocals and carefully curated sets.

"Miami is where I really started, so I have this sense of this city being my home in terms of coming of age," Nala tells New Times. "There's just a special kind of community here where it feels very international, and everyone is more patient with creativity in club settings. It just creates a really great culture, and people are excited to go on the journey with you."

In 2020, Nala's infectious DJ style caught the attention of producer and Dirtybird Records' founder Claude VonStroke, who, over the next three years, became a close mentor to the budding producer, helping grow her blossoming career. VonStroke's tutelage proved to be a turning point in Nala's career, allowing her to refine her sound and explored new pathways.

That creative exploration led Nala to riot grrrl, the '90s underground feminist punk movement led by acts like Bikini Kill and Jack Off Jill. While not a direct reference, Nala's work often incorporates riot-grrrl-style vocals atop electro, house, and breakbeat. The genre-bending quality of her work has attracted the attention of industry veterans and allowed her to carve out her niche within the dance music scene.

"Female-led punk has always been really big for me," Nala says. "A lot of my ethos is very much figuring out what everyone is doing and trying to do the opposite. I want to push the edge on things, and I'm always eager to lean into that rebellious side of sticking it to the man."
Her rise to prominence has since been swift. Nala has graced the stages of venues like Club Space and festivals such as Coachella, Ultra Music Festival, Electric Forest, and Electric Zoo, among many others. And last year, Nala took on the task of launching her own femme-dominate record label, Mi Domina. Its mission is to merge punk-rock aesthetics with underground dance music, focusing on amplifying female voices in the industry. The imprint's first release was the EP Get Familiar, a collaboration with fellow Dirtybird artist E.R.N.E.S.T.O.

"My label really came out of a necessity to have a space where I could release music and have more creative direction," Nala adds. "I have limited releases at the moment because I want to fulfill a very niche corner of acid house to rave to punk aesthetics, but I'm excited to have this little thing I can call my own and even try my own personal underground stuff on."

Despite all the projects she's juggling, Nala has no plans to slow down. Her schedule includes a stop at Floyd in downtown Miami on Thursday, July 20, followed by a new single with Debbie Harry of Blondie and the Dandy Warhols released the next day.

Ultimately, Nala aims to make dance music a more inclusive space.

"As a woman, I'm always looking for that intersection of female-presenting voices with rock or punk music spaces because I don't think that's a voice we often hear in the general music space," Nala says. "It's a huge part of why I love to do this, and I'm always excited to help bring that to light in the music I create too."

Nala. With Ms. Mada. 10 p.m. Thursday, July 20, at Floyd, 34 NE 11th St., Suite B, Miami; floydmiami.com. Tickets cost $13.91 to $19.06 via dice.fm.