Executive Overview
Electronic music producer, DJ, and sonic architect HAAi has officially returned to the spotlight with the release of her latest single, "I Wanna Feel Like Someone." Featuring the distinctive vocal stylings of acclaimed UK poet, selector, and musician James Massiah, the track serves as the third official offering from the Australian-born artist’s forthcoming studio album, DIGITiSE. Slated for official release on October 9th via the esteemed independent record label Mute, the upcoming long-player represents a pivotal chapter in the producer’s rapidly expanding catalog.
Built from the ground up to test the limits of modern club sound systems, "I Wanna Feel Like Someone" is a deliberate sonic synthesis. According to the artist, the track was forged directly from the collective muscle memory of her relentless touring schedule, drawing from years of peak-time DJ sets across international dancefloors and festival main stages. By fusing Massiah’s spoken-word poetics with driving, hypnotic electronic production, HAAi continues to cement her reputation as one of the most innovative and fearless curators in contemporary electronic music.
This comprehensive report examines the genesis of HAAi’s new single, dissects the thematic and sonic architecture of the upcoming DIGITiSE LP, and explores the broader context of her career—from her collaborative roots and industry partnerships to her ongoing evolution as a defining voice in modern club culture.
Detailed Chronology of the Release and Album Evolution
To understand the weight of DIGITiSE, one must trace the trajectory of HAAi’s recent creative output, which has been characterized by a rapid, almost breathless exploration of contrasting emotional landscapes.
The HUMANiSE Foundation
The story of DIGITiSE fundamentally begins as an artistic and thematic extension of HAAi’s 2025 album, HUMANiSE. Where the former project focused heavily on exploring organic textures, human frailty, and the tactile nature of acoustic and emotional expression, DIGITiSE flips the script, leaning heavily into the synthetic, the mechanized, and the hyper-connected realities of modern existence. However, rather than presenting a sterile, cold digital landscape, HAAi uses the framework of DIGITiSE to explore how human warmth can inhabit and subvert digital environments.
The Rolling Campaign
As the release date for DIGITiSE approaches, HAAi has carefully orchestrated a rolling rollout strategy, allowing fans and critics to witness the album’s expansive scope piece by piece:
- The Title Track ("DIGITiSE"): Released earlier in the campaign, the album’s title track served as a manifesto for the project, introducing listeners to a world of heavy low-end frequencies, complex rhythmic structures, and a distinctly futuristic atmosphere.
- The Secondary Waves: As details surrounding the tracklist emerged, it became clear that DIGITiSE would not be a solitary endeavor. Instead, it operates as a sprawling collaborative ecosystem, pulling in a diverse array of international talent.
- "I Wanna Feel Like Someone" (Featuring James Massiah): Dropping as the third official single, this track bridges the gap between underground club functionality and high-concept artistic collaboration. By pairing James Massiah’s poignant, street-level lyricism with a relentless, memory-driven beat, HAAi delivers a track designed to dominate both festival headphones and dark, sweat-soaked basement clubs.
Supporting Context & Metrics: Inside the DIGITiSE Ecosystem
The sheer scale of DIGITiSE positions it as one of the most ambitious electronic releases of the autumn season. Backed by Mute—a label legendary for housing electronic pioneers such as Depeche Mode, Moby, and Erasure—HAAi’s new record benefits from a heritage of uncompromising artistic vision.
A Diverse Cast of Collaborators
What sets DIGITiSE apart from standard producer-led electronic albums is its commitment to cross-genre pollination. The tracklist is populated by an eclectic group of contributors whose styles range from bass-heavy experimentalism to classical choral arrangements:
- James Massiah: A fixture of the London creative scene, Massiah brings a literary, spoken-word cadence to "I Wanna Feel Like Someone," grounding the electronic arrangements in raw human narrative.
- Echonomist: Known for his hypnotic, melodic house and techno productions, Echonomist’s involvement hints at deep, driving atmospheric shifts within the album’s tracklist.
- Skybreak: Bringing elements of melodic bass and futuristic sound design, Skybreak’s presence underscores the album’s genre-agnostic approach.
- ILA & Kaiden Ford: These collaborations further broaden the emotional and sonic palette of the record, ensuring that no two tracks occupy the exact same sonic space.
- Cantoalegre: Perhaps the most surprising and ambitious inclusion is the Colombian children’s choir Cantoalegre. Their inclusion introduces a startlingly organic, choral dimension to HAAi’s digital landscape, creating a striking juxtaposition between youth, innocence, and heavy electronic machinery.
A Legacy of Critical Acclaim and Industry Respect
HAAi—born Taryn Manning (not to be confused with the American actress/singer of the same name)—has spent years carving out a unique lane in electronic music. Rising to prominence through her famed Phonox residency in London, she quickly transitioned into a global touring powerhouse known for sets that seamlessly blend techno, psych-rock, experimental pop, and heavy bass.
Her creative footprint extends far beyond her own productions. Last year, HAAi sat down with electronic music titan Jon Hopkins for an extensive, deeply personal conversation as part of DJ Mag’s flagship series, The Green Room. The pair discussed vital industry topics, including the realities of burnout, the grueling nature of modern album production cycles, and the pressures of performing at legendary institutions like Berlin’s Berghain. This dialogue highlighted HAAi’s thoughtful, self-aware approach to her career—a mindset that clearly informs the emotional weight present on DIGITiSE.
Furthermore, her recent remix work has kept her production skills sharp and culturally relevant. Her acclaimed spin on Nina Simone’s timeless standard "That’s All I Ask" showcased her ability to handle sacred musical history with reverence while injecting contemporary club sensibilities.
Official Statements and Artistic Intent
In promotional materials and press releases surrounding the launch of "I Wanna Feel Like Someone," HAAi provided intimate insight into the physical and mental spaces that birthed the track:
"‘I Wanna Feel Like Someone’ is a track that is purely made from memories of my sets over the years. It’s a nod to so much of the music I play and have played, and was a really fun track to make for the dancefloor."
This statement underscores HAAi’s deep connection to the craft of DJing. Unlike producers who create strictly within the vacuum of a studio, HAAi views the club as an active research and development laboratory. Every strobe light, late-night transition, and crowd reaction filters back into her production workflow.
James Massiah’s involvement further elevates the track’s conceptual depth. Known for his ability to merge poetry with nightlife culture, Massiah’s delivery on "I Wanna Feel Like Someone" captures the existential yearning often felt on a crowded dancefloor—a desire for connection, identity, and raw feeling amidst a flashing, mechanized environment.
Future Outlook: The Road to October 9th and Beyond
As the electronic music community counts down the days to the October 9th release of DIGITiSE via Mute, anticipation is reaching a fever pitch. The album represents a defining moment for HAAi, signaling her maturation from a celebrated club selector into a fully realized, conceptual long-form album artist.
What to Expect from DIGITiSE
- Unpredictable Sequencing: Given the vast array of contributors—ranging from Cantoalegre to James Massiah and Echonomist—listeners should expect a dynamic listening experience that refuses to stay tethered to a single sub-genre.
- Club Utility Meets Home Listening: While tracks like "I Wanna Feel Like Someone" are meticulously engineered to rattle club subwoofers, the thematic through-lines inherited from HUMANiSE ensure that the album will offer profound rewards for headphone listeners seeking narrative depth.
- Global Tour Implications: The release of DIGITiSE will undoubtedly pave the way for an extensive live and DJ tour schedule. Armed with new material that bridges the gap between human emotion and digital precision, HAAi’s upcoming performances are poised to be masterclasses in modern electronic curation.
In an era where electronic music can sometimes feel overly saturated by algorithmic formulas and homogenized club tracks, HAAi’s DIGITiSE stands as a testament to the power of intuition, collaboration, and lived experience. With "I Wanna Feel Like Someone" leading the charge, the autumn release season just got infinitely more vibrant.
