SENAIDA (pronounced “Shuh-nay-duh”) is a queer, Chinese-Canadian transdisciplinary artist-technologist, researcher, sound architect, DJ, curator, and creative entrepreneur. Their work delves into the intersections of sonic cyberfeminism, post-humanism, generative art, and sustainability to create collective experiences. As the founder and resident DJ of WE ARE THE FUTURE!, an underground interdisciplinary collective and curated art party in NYC, SENAIDA brings innovation to the forefront.
Their recent work takes inspiration from sonic cyberfeminism and explorations in sinofuturism. As a visionary artist with a global perspective, SENAIDA has been invited to speak on panels at Abbey Road Red, NAMM, Cannes Next and New Visions for Music & Sound. Their innovative debut album, KUNST KAPUTT, is set to release in December 2024.
After returning from a study abroad semester in Berlin, Germany, SENAIDA transitioned into being a DJ and in only a few short months began playing at NYFW, the Shorty Awards, and PopCon 2023 as well as sold-out shows at Virgo (NYC), OXI (Berlin), The Chocolate Factory (Brooklyn), Bossa Nova Civic Club (Brooklyn), and Kwia (Berlin). SENAIDA host "Zeroes + Ones" on WNYU 89.1 FM, and also hosted a bi-monthly residency at XPIZZA (NYC). They have released guest mixes for LSDJ, No Signal, Reform Radio, Snatchers, FrittoFM and HKCR. In November 2023, SENAIDA released an original composition, “Orbital XVI,” and remix EP, Night Sky with the fashion label, Electric Sunshine NYC for their NYFW show: OBSKUR F/W 2023.. The track and remix album has received critical acclaim by Paper Magazine and Fashion Week Online. Their music has been featured on labels such as OBSKUR MUSIC and AYI AYI.
In 2024, SENAIDA graduated from New York University’s Clive Davis Institute for Recorded Music (BFA) and currently attends the Interactive Media Arts Low Residency Program (MA) at the Tisch School for the Arts. They are also the founder and president of the Gender Equality in Music (GEM) Club. SENAIDA's genre-defying installations have garnered critical acclaim, supported by numerous grants and awards, reflecting their commitment to pushing the envelope of artistic expression. SENAIDA has also delved into producing collaborative projects funded by NYU Tisch, addressing topics like sound pollution in NYC parks and the relationship between digital and physical space, sound and motion. Their explorative approach includes creating instruments, such as the color-detection paintbrush performance titled “CHROMESTHESIA,” nominated for Best Performance at the Wavy Awards in 2023.
In 2020, SENAIDA founded a music-neurotechnology research startup, MiSynth, to explore the potential of using brain-computer interfaces for creative musical expression by translating brainwaves into sounds. MiSynth became recognized as one of the forefront music startups by the NYC Media Lab, ASCAP, Abbey Road Studios and The NAMM Foundation, where SENAIDA presented the idea to other music industry professionals. The company also received several grants and awards including the NYU Tisch Undergraduate Research Fund. Since then, they have continued to explore new forms of musical expression using emerging technologies with other artists.
Classically-trained in piano since the age of four, SENAIDA is a two-time national finalist of the Canadian Music Competition, making their Carnegie Hall debut at 15. In 2019, recognizing a lack of performance opportunities for youth in the Greater Toronto Area, they founded the Youth Showcase Concert Series in Downtown Markham. This annual summer music festival, promoting local artists and bands under 25, featured over 150 youth artists from across Canada in the span of two years. During their middle and high school years at Havergal College in Toronto, they received the Ancerl Prize for Leadership in Music, co-headed the senior choir, and wrote an original score for the school’s production of Jane Austen’s Sense & Sensibility. They studied classical piano at the Royal Conservatory’s prestigious Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists and jazz piano at Humber College Community Music School. Their previous musical instructors include Joseph Johnson, Michael Berkovsky, Li Wang, Brian Rudolf, Lorne Lofsky and Spiro Kizas. In 2018, they graduated from the Royal Conservatory of Music with their ARCT Piano Performance Diploma. They were the principal pianist for the Toronto Youth Wind Orchestra from 2018 to 2020. At the same time, they began producing and songwriting leading to the release of 2 EPs: First Love (2020) and last night was the last night of my past life (2021).
SENAIDA has performed in major cities including Valencia, Los Angelos, Bogotá, Milan, Toronto, New York, Berlin, Ottawa, and Montreal.
Scholarship Recipient
2023
Award Nominee
2023
Grant Recipient
2023
Scholarship Recipient
2023
Grant Recipient
2023
Scholarship Recipient & Guest Panelist
2022
Scholarship Recipient
2021
Presented by 1000 Dreams Fund
2021
Finalist
2021
Scholarship Recipient
2021
2020 Honorable Mention
2020 Scholarship Recipient
2020 - Presented by Jean Lumb Foundation
2020 Scholarship Recipient
2020 "Luo Shui Hap Scholar"
2020 Scholarship Recipient
2018 - Presented by Havergal College
2018 1st Runner Up - Piano Category
2014 & 2016 National Finalist
New York, NY
New York, NY
New York, NY
Brooklyn, NY
Brooklyn, NY
Brooklyn, NY
New York, NY
Brooklyn, NY
Brooklyn, NY
Brooklyn, NY
New York, NY
Berlin, Germany
Berlin, Germany
Aachen, Germany
Chia, Colombia
Brooklyn, NY
Brooklyn, NY
New York, NY
Brooklyn, NY
Brooklyn, NY
Brooklyn, NY
Brooklyn, NY
Toronto, Canada
Milan, Italy
Montreal, Canada
New York, NY
New York, NY
Berlin, Germany
Berlin, Germany
Brooklyn, NY
Brooklyn, NY
Istanbul, Turkey
Hong Kong SAR
Manchester, England
New York University (NYC)
October 2024
The Chocolate Factory (NYC)
May 2024
Wonderville (NYC)
January 2024
New York, NY / Sweden
2021
New York, NY
2021
Virtual
2022
Milan, Italy
2024
New York, NY / Berlin, Germany / Shanghai, China
2024