Shiralee Coleman and Daniel Tonik have teamed up to create ‘DESIRE’ , a that song focuses on that one person that we all have in our mind and with music that matches that build-up, the song really reflects the emotion and the anticipation that you feel in this situation. ‘Desire’ is a hybrid melodic house x dance track, and with it’s cross over of genres the song is doing big things on the charts and explains the almost ‘overnight’ popularity for ‘Desire’. MFA had the pleasure to talk to the dynamic duo about ‘Desire’, working together and the ‘Facon Magazine Launch’ recently in the Hunter Valley were they introduced the new track to the world.

Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions for Music Festivals Australia in what I can only imagine has been a crazy time with the release of your new song ‘Desire’ on the Friday the 16th.

Shiralee and Daniel firstly congratulations on ‘Desire’ it’s awesome and given its almost immediate rise in the charts its safe to say it’s being well received by the dance community. Have you been surprised by the response?

Shiralee & Daniel: Thank you so much!
We have been overwhelmed by the response! In our first day of release

- #3 in the Australian iTunes Dance Chart

- #14 in the Australian iTunes Main Chart

- #38 in the ARIA Club Chart

- #5 in Hong Kong's iTunes Dance Chart

- #200 in the United Kingdom's iTunes Dance

This has been amazing result, and to think this is only the beginning!

Shiralee you became a fan of Daniel’s work after hearing his song Retrospect on The Party Life Show, did you contact his people then or did this all blossom in other ways?

Shiralee: Yes - after I first heard of Daniel Tonik when I was listening to @thepartyliferadioshow where his song ‘Retrospect’ was featured as ‘Track of the Week.’ Falling in love instantly with both his sound and the lyrics, I knew I had to hear more. I contacted DJ Fuel the host of the show to ask about the song, and who wrote it. I put Daniel’s track into my Mixtape 2 and in ‘Retrospect’ it blossomed from there! Daniel and I then connected on Instagram and we met soon after and this was the start of the collaboration for ‘Desire.’ Since DJing together on Seadeck, and with our strong music connection, we started working on ‘Desire’ in December 2020.

DJ Fuel, Sabro and Dimitri have done remixes of ‘Desire’ and there’s also a VIP mix due out in August, were you fans of their work before this collaboration?

Shiralee: BIG fan of their music, and that’s why we have them on for the remixes. DJ Fuel and Sabro did some incredible remixes for my first single Can You Feel It, so I knew they would send it for ‘Desire’ as well. We had some great coverage last time with their remixes being played around the world on radio.
The VIP mix of Desire is a club banger from Daniel and I, which we played at King Street for the The Party Life 450 event, which was a total vibe! Daniel’s remix from my last track was on Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike’s radio show, which was also really exciting for us.

Daniel: I think I came across both Fuel & Sabro’s music at the same time, they invited me to do a remix of their ‘York & 23rd’ projects tune “Do You Think About Me?” - from there we’ve built a very healthy & musically strong connection with one another; I knew I was surrounding myself with some really talented people from the get go. I’m especially excited for the VIP mix as it is a nod to the underground rave scene in Sydney. We’ve also invited fellow underground dj/producer DIMITRI, from Sydney to deliver his take on “Desire”. All round excited for the whole project!

‘Desire’ is the fourth release from the newest name in recording Pumping Records, the label now having back-to-back successes. This has to be something your proud of especially given your connection to the label?

Shiralee: Very special connection, George Petridis aka DJ Fuel and I met a long time ago (I wont say how long) haha but I have always followed his DJ career and admire how hard working and passionate he has forever been about music. When it came to the time to follow my dream, he gave me the gentle push in the right direction when I asked for advice on how to start. To see his record label come to life, and l at the same time learning and growing through my own experience. Its been an exciting time, seeing Pumping Records launch, and be a part of that. I’m all for independent labels really making their mark

Daniel: I’m extremely proud of the growth of Pumping Records. I’ve been involved with 3 of the 4 releases: 2 remixes and now “Desire”. It’s great to be apart of a family that aim to help each other succeed.

This song was used at the launch of Facon Magazine, was that an exciting moment to be a part of?

Shiralee: There’s only a few special nights in your life that you will always remember, and for me, this is definitely one. To be featured on the cover of the Façon Australia Femme Issue where they celebrate successful strong women, it was such an honour to be on that cover and the article about my rise to becoming a DJ. To then celebrate it in style with VAMP by Lisa McGuigan Wines in the Hunter Valley was incredible! What a location and what a night! The fashion, the wine, and to also premiere DESIRE was a dream. I couldn’t have asked for a better night to play the song for the first time, with my family, friends and the readers of Façon.

Daniel: This was very new for me, but it was such an amazing experience. I was just honoured to be sharing Shiralee’s special night (celebrating her front cover appearance) with the premiere of Desire. I was extremely nervous to see people’s reaction to hearing it for the first time; seeing everyone’s response… I was able to walk off the stage knowing we had created something special.

The video for the promo of the song, and your recent competition, was made at the Crystalbrook Kingsley and it makes for a stunning yet dramatic backdrop for ‘Desire’ how did this association come about?

Shiralee: There is a bit of a story behind it. My cover for Facon was supposed to happen in March last year in 2020. The unexpected arrival of Covid prevented us from doing the shoot we envisioned and also from the event we really wanted, where we could launch it and I also DJ. I was originally interviewed by Claudia Liedenberg who worked for Facon at the time, but then she moved and started working at Crystalbrook Riley in Cairns. We always kept in touch and I went up to Cairns to do a photo shoot, DJ and stay at their stunning hotel recently in May. They were also opening a new location at Crystalbrook Kinglsey so Claudia connected me to the team here in Newcastle where I am now a resident DJ. I absolutely love playing there it’s a stunning rooftop location. They teamed up with us for the launch of Desire as they love supporting local talent and artists and are such a wonderful hotel group to work with.

Do you have more projects together in the works? Especially given the ‘overnight’ success ‘Desire’ has produced?

Shiralee: There is always something in the works ;)

Daniel: When you put a bunch of creatives together in a room, just know that there’s always something cooking!

Will you tour together when the ability arises?

Shiralee: Of course. Daniel and I would love to tour and bring Desire to every dancefloor In Australia once this lockdown is over. Given our ties with Ibiza, Mykonos and Marbella our eyes are on some international locations too.

Daniel: We had plans to launch ‘Desire’ for the European summer. It’s unfortunate that our residencies in Europe have been on hold, but we’ve still been receiving a huge amount of support overseas. MYK Boat Club in Mykonos have been using ‘Desire’ in their promotional videos, it’s good that we’ve still been able to maintain the relationship… something to look forward to.

Collaborations expected and not so expected are happening a lot these days, and with great success too as your song brilliantly demonstrated. Who would you each love to work with both locally and internationally in the future?

Shiralee: Our collaboration story has been a brilliant one, as I have loved working with Daniel on this track. Pumping Records has really led the way with how to roll it out too so I’m very blessed with such an incredible team. Singer and Songwriter from Sydney Sammi Constantine has added her magic to ‘Desire’ with an incredibly emotive vocal, that truly captures the feeling and intensity behind this story, so the way it all happened was such a great journey to do together. At the moment, I love working with Australian artists and given the pressures of not performing as we would like to with the restrictions, I would like to do more work with local talent.

Daniel: It's been a dream to work alongside Shiralee, our planning and creative sessions are an absolute breeze. The ideas just bounce so well and the flow is incredible, something I look for when working with others. It would be an absolute dream of mine to work with artists like Camelphat, Christoph & ARTBAT, hopefully one day - as Shiralee has always says to me “just keep manifesting”.

Given the state of the world with lack of touring and ability to promote, do you think the 25% minimum quota of Australian music on our radio stations is a fair number given the ever-expanding talent pool we have in this country? Would you like to see that number increased or even a dedicated Aussie station?

Shiralee: I think given the amount of talent we have in Australia that number should be 50% of plays, minimum!

Daniel: I agree with Shiralee. I’ve been releasing music for a number of years now and I’ve witnessed first hand just how hard it is to get placements on radio. I believe Australian artists should be given priority.

The music scene in Newcastle where Shiralee is from, and ‘The Area’ where Daniel is from, is amazing and diverse. Daniel has produced talent from the underground for many years, who are you a fan of? and who should we be watching out for in the future?

Shiralee: I grew up listening to some of the biggest DJs play in the same clubs where I get to play now! The clubs may have changed names over the years but the heart and soul of the Newcastle music scene is cemented in those walls.

Daniel: The Area! What a place, Western Sydney! The west has a special place in my heart, the community is super supportive and everyone always hypes up anyone doing well from “The Area” - keep an eye out for “The Area Collective”, my little imprint which includes a collection of talented West Syd artists.

What's next up for you both? What can we look forward too?

Shiralee: A music video for Desire when we can film it. And hopefully a tour!

Daniel: More music, always! Also hanging to throw a big party to celebrate all the little wins we’ve had in a very unforgiving climate, it’s all about the silver linings.

Photos by : Zuela Photography

Interview by Michelle Symes July 2021

SHIRALEE AND DANIEL’S ‘DESIRE’