Interview: Nala On Creating A Record Label That Actually Gives A Shit

Punk-infused acid-house music has gained Stefania Aronin, aka Nala, an impressive following in electronic music and has landed her on the legendary lineups of Coachella, Ultra Music Festival, EDC Las Vegas, Outside Lands and so much more. The Dj’s dedication to inclusivity and radical ideas of empowerment are flooding the electronic music industry and demanding change for artists.

Born in Miami but bred in Los Angeles, Aronin skyrocketed her career as a household name with the help of house legend Claude VonStroke of Dirtybird Records after many years performing as a local DJ. Aronin launched the femme-forward record label Mi Domina in 2022, determined to bring humanity back to dance music. After a brief hiatus, Aronin recently relaunched the label in September of 2024, hoping to build and nurture artists as they navigate the obstacles of producing and releasing music.

During Portola Music Festival, EDM Maniac was able to briefly catch the dance music icon to talk about the project and how she’s quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with. Read the full interview below:

EDM Maniac: I would love to hear more about your relaunch of Mi Domina. Specifically, the inspiration behind it.

Nala: So, I started the label two years ago and I started it because Claude VonStroke told me to. He said, “If you want to release music your way, do that.”

I had this moment where I recognized that a lot of the labels out there aren’t really doing anything. And I kind of was like, why am I giving away my art to people that are not going to spend money to promote it or give it the attention it needs.

I want to take the traditional role of what a label used to do, like develop an act and really build their catalog and support artists, especially women and local artists who have been trying at this for a long time. I want to help them get their records to a much stronger level.

The other side of it is, I’m just so sick of these labels who do nothing for the artists. And they just sign your records; they don’t promote them, they don’t do anything. I’m just giving [the labels] things for what?

It’s really a double-handed thing. I want to build a community and give these people what they need and also have ownership of my own music and promote it the way it needs to be promoted.

That’s a big issue with the current state of dance music is that a lot of these labels don’t do anything. I’m probably going to get in trouble for saying that but I don’t care. Whats going to happen? I’m gonna release my own records? Oooh. And I’m gonna do a better job? Oh well.

All of these factors combined have inspired me to [release music] by myself. It’s been really great because I get to work with developing female artists and local artists to help them get their records to the right place and give it the attention that it deserves. I just don’t see a lot of that investment anymore. And it’s like whats the point of a label if you’re not going to invest in a record.

EDM Maniac: I get that. I feel like the dance music scene, in general, is oversaturated. Everyone’s focused on the next big thing and where the money is. 

Nala: Exactly. You know what’s the problem?

EDM Maniac: Tell me.

Nala: Everyone’s looking for trends and nobody is looking at community. And that really frustrates me. The reason Dirtybird was so big is because there’s this massive community behind it. You release a record and all of the fans are locked in. [Dirtybird] is throwing events, you’re playing those events and theres a certain ecosystem within it that really launched artists. I’m so grateful for Claude VonStroke and Dirtybird for launching my career. I was just a local DJ prior to that!

It’s stuff like that where I look out into the world and I don’t see that. You know, you get sent these 20-track mixtapes, and it’s like thank you for these amazing songs but I’m never going to remember any of these artists.

So, I have motivation to put the focus back onto artist development because that’s how you build artists. Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter are great examples. And those are pop girls but people who are nurtured and given the resources that they might not even understand they need will be successful.

EDM Maniac: Especially with women in this industry, I feel women are discounted more often than not. A lot of money, time, and effort is put into the men. I would love to hear your thoughts on how to incorporate that into your label. 

Nala: I think that’s so important. I sent some music to a big dance music label recently and didn’t hear back. I heard from someone a couple of weeks later that they were happy that I didn’t get a response back because they didn’t like how that label acts with women and they didn’t want me to be put in a position that would endanger me.

And I was like “well fuck”. So I hope that I can create a space where women can submit music to me and they’re not worried that I’m going to inappropriately touch them. Things like that are so nuanced and you don’t realize it’s still prevalent because no ones outwardly sexist anymore. It’s very silent.

Labels don’t want to provide resources like mixing engineers and mastering engineers to developing artists who could really benefit from it. That’s a whole other world. Writing is a whole skillset; mixing and mastering is a whole separate skillset. There’s people for those jobs. So stuff like that, I want to not only create a safe space but I want to create an equal environment for everyone and I want to support people who otherwise are just not going to get attention.

Especially for women. It’s so cool when you see other women showing up for shows for female acts. The music doesn’t have to be for the boys. Although there are many artists that are for the boys and we love that for them.

EDM Maniac: The rest will come when women build up other women. 

Nala: I was saying to my friends the other day that it’s so great that at the Girl Math shows, me and VNSSA‘s collaborative project, to see so many women and nice guys. Yay, we’re building a world where everyone is happy and normal. That, to me, is the most exciting part. Anything outside of that, I don’t need to be a part of it.

EDM Maniac: You talk a lot about jumpstarting a new Los Angeles artistic wave that doesn’t fit within the boundaries of the current industry. Can you talk more about that? 

Nala: Yeah, a lot of what I’m pushing on my label sonically is indie dance, in a classically Los Angeles sense. The trends have shifted towards Europe, which is cool, but there’s this catchy hook kind of culture that happens in Los Angeles dance music where you get catchy songs that you can sing along to and groove to. When I go back to [LA], I feel this emptiness that the city has lost its identity a little bit, and I’m trying to piece that back together and build that up again, at least sonically. Because everything in electronic right now feels really extreme.

EDM Maniac: That sounds like a refreshing shift. I can’t wait to hear it and see all the great things you can do with this label! 

In addition to releasing music on her label, Nala will be on tour until the end of the year, both solo and with Girl Math. See Nala’s US tour dates below.