Shawna's passion for music began in early childhood attending the Winnipeg Music Folk Festival in Canada, where she was exposed to traditional music from around the globe that would have a profound influence on her sound. At the age of 16, she began her nomadic life hitchhiking through Mexico, supporting herself by carving found materials and seeds into jewelry. Next at the age of 18 came Thailand, where she learned to fire dance and tattoo, then India to follow her passion for Vipassana meditation, and eventually spending her early 20’s living in Germany and immersing herself in the various cultures of Europe.

In 1997, Shawna settled down in the SF/Bay Area where the burgeoning art of fire dancing landed her as a sought-after performer. Constructing her own performance costumes led to starting her own fashion line that became a trend-setting force in the transformational festival scene worldwide. In 1999, she began performing as a DJ, brewing eclectic fusions of global/future bass, dancehall, cumbia, moombahton, house, techno, disco, minimal, and tropical. She quickly became a favorite DJ on the west coast and beyond, performing at some of the most respected festivals including The BPM Festival, Miami Music Week, Amsterdam Dance Event, Lightning in a Bottle, Global Eclipse, Art With Me, Summit Series, Air Festival, Art Basel, Symbiosis Gathering, Shambhala, Wonderfruit, The Gardens Of Babylon, Subsonic, and Meadows in the Mountains. Additionally, she paved the way as one of the first female DJs at Burning Man back in the late 90’s and has since graced the decks of many legendary art cars including Robot Heart, Mayan Warrior, and Abraxis. She has also played noteworthy venues The Brooklyn Mirage, Flash Club, Klein, The Grand Factory, Scorpios, Woomoon, Papaya Playa, Do Not Sit on the Furniture, The Midway, Monarch, Public Works, Katerblau, Open Studios, and Sisyphos.

Since 2013, Shawna has combined forces with Italian DJ/producer Tooker as the group KMLN (pronounced “chameleon”), known for their coveted hybrid/live performance that pioneered the organic house sound thriving today. The duo’s releases on major labels like Sol Selectas, Crosstown Rebels, Ouïe, Touch of Class, and Bar 25, have received support from artists such as Solomun, Acid Pauli, Damian Lazarus, &ME, Rampa, David Meyer, and Bedouin. Additionally, they have collaborated with the likes of Mira, Christopher Schwarzwalder, Nico Stojan, NU, Sabo, Viken Arman, Francesca Lombardo, and Eduardo de La Calle. Recently, Shawna and Tooker have also been reinventing their solo projects and exploring other collaborations.

Always cross-pollinating through various scenes around the globe and pioneering the cutting edge sounds of the future, Shawna has proven herself as a multi-faceted artist that has left her mark and continues to push boundaries. Keep your eyes peeled for her psychedelic alter ego Fräulein Hofmann.