Sherelle Camille Thomas (born 3 September 1993), known
mononymously as Sherelle (stylized in
all caps), is a British
DJ and
electronic musician.[3][4][5] With a background in
dancehall and
rave music, Sherelle is best known for her
DJ sets and mixes.[6][7][8] Sherelle is also known for co-founding the
label Hooversound with Naina and for founding Beautiful (stylized in all caps), a label and musical project for
black and
LGBT musicians.[9][10]
She was a presenter on the
South London station
Reprezent[12] whilst attending
Goldsmiths University. She completed radio courses before being given her own specialist slot on the station playing
footwork and
jungle. She eventually held a slot on
BBC Radio 1 as a part of their Radio 1 Residency until 2021. She now has a slot on
NTS alongside label co-owner and
Apple Music 1's NAINA.[13] Sherelle is openly gay.[6]
Career
Sherelle's breakthrough was with her 2019
Boiler Room DJ set, which went viral and allowed her to take up music full-time.[3][6][14] In September 2019, she participated in the
BBC Radio 1 residency series, featuring guestmixes and interviews from
4hero,
Goldie, and
Virgil Abloh.[15][16][17] In 2020, she was recognized by DJ Mag as the year's best British DJ.[18] Sherelle was also recognized as the 2020 BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix winner.[19]
In July 2021, her debut
EP, 160 Down the A406, was met with positive reviews, and was acclaimed by Resident Advisor as "one of the year's most exciting production debuts."[20]
In October 2021, Sherelle released her first clothing collection, a collaboration with Boiler Room.[21]
She gained wider recognition with her recorded mix for
fabric, fabric presents SHERELLE, released in November 2021.[22]
The mix was met with positive reviews, with particular praise for its high level of intensity and genre mixing.[23]Pitchfork described the mix as "compressing decades of dancing to tightly woven two- and three-minute segments" which "catalogs a moment in which a new generation is grasping and reshaping a raving past that's too distant for them to remember."[22]
Until its disbandment in January 2022, Sherelle was a member of the all-female and
non-binary DJ group 6 Figure Gang.[24]
From September 16, 2023, SHERELLE started hosting a new weekly show on
BBC Radio 6 Music airing on Saturday nights, following the departure of fellow DJ
The Blessed Madonna. [25][26]
Style
Sherelle is known for the 160
beats per minute pacing in her music.[27] Her music is considered
hardcore and when DJing, she often mixes music released over the course of several decades.[23] Her DJ sets and mixes have been described as
breakbeat,
acid house, and
footwork.[28]