LIONESSA

LIONESSA is an Egyptian-Canadian DJ based in so-called Vancouver. Her sets draw from a global upbringing in Egypt and across the Middle East, shaped by years in the West Coast rave scene. She blends Egyptian percussion as well as regional rhythms with underground global sounds that emerge from street culture and resist formal categorization. Her work bridges cultural expression with global bass movements, delivering high-intensity sets that subvert traditional Arab/North African sound expectations while pushing the boundaries of the dancefloor.

She is the co-founder of Egyptian Street Meat, an all Egyptian artist collective, and a curator focused on building intentional, femme centric club spaces in Vancouver and her hometown Cairo. She also hosts Radio LABWA, a residency on Bside Radio spotlighting pioneering SWANA producers and highlighting the diversity of music from the region’s underground and diasporic scenes.

"Vancouver" is on the unceded territories of xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. As an immigrant, LIONESSA acknowledges her position as an uninvited settler on these lands.