ALISHA uncaged, uncut and UNLÍSH-ed at Cova Santa

ALISHA has really been having a bit of a moment over the last couple of years. Although, calling it a 'moment' feels like underselling her many achievements.

Let's face it, she is one of the most in-demand female DJs in the House scene, spending the last few years steadily turning heads with her memorable sets and charisma behind the decks. She's also launched her very own label and party series UNLÍSH.

This summer saw her bring UNLÍSH to Ibiza for the first time, choosing Cova Santa as the setting for its debut. Judging by the numbers that turned up to the first date back in July, the island was more than ready for ALISHA to put her stamp on it.

Between sets (she played two on the night!), we managed to catch up with her at the second of her two-part series at the venue itself. We chatted about her career so far and what has easily been the biggest summer of her life thus far. This ALISHA uncaged, uncut and UNLÍSH-ed.

ALISHA uncaged, uncut and UNLÍSH-ed at Cova Santa

Tell us what went down at your first Cova Santa party back in July. Why did you pick Cova Santa as your venue?

"Wow, yeah, the first UNLíSH here in July was incredible. I think we had 1,700 people through the door and it was absolutely insane. For our debut in Ibiza, it’s always going to be hard, but everyone came through. The energy was high and it was just unreal. Really positive vibes.

I'd played Cova Santa a couple of times before with Eastenderz (pictured below), and I felt like the Club Room downstairs fit our brand to a tee. I always take UNLÍSH to places where I've played before and feel like our sound would fit. The Terrace into the night just felt perfect."

What was it like playing back-to-back with wAFF?

"He's honestly one of my favourite DJs. I couldn't do Ibiza without him. I used to come and watch him at Paradise every Wednesday at DC10, so I needed him with me. Thankfully, he was so up for it and it was just, yeah, so good."

Have you prepared differently for each of your sets tonight? What kind of prep do you do for your own parties?

"Yeah. The UNLÍSH crowd are open to anything. There's no pressure on me, really. We just get our sound across and we can experiment as much as we want. Obviously, I played a sunset set earlier on The Terrace. I went more into Ibiza classics, a little bit more sing-songy."

"But then for my all-night-long set, I'm really just going to showcase everything about UNLÍSH within the five hours."

Aside from your own parties, what have been your Ibiza highlights of 2026?

"Wow, there’s been so many this year.

I played for Pacha this year for Franky Rizardos' FLOW, which was my debut there. It was amazing to be there. Obviously, playing for Paradise. I've done that three times now. I've always played for Jamie Jones, so that's been incredible."

ALISHA playing at [UNVRS] for Jamie Jones presents Paradise in July

"I've played at [UNVRS] a couple of times now, so I think the whole season has just been incredible.

UNLÍSH and Cova Santa have just topped it off."

What's one track in your USB right now that you're obsessed with playing?

"There’s quite a lot, but I think it’s the one recently out on my label: Danny Snowden's Distant Star System."

"I can just play it anywhere and everywhere. It's amazing."

The music industry can be a hard environment for female DJs to break through. As one of the best examples of a woman absolutely smashing it, what tips would you give to aspiring DJs to give them the best shot?

"Oh, thank you. Yeah, it's tough. You've got to enjoy it. Don't compare yourself to anyone else. Enjoy making music, mixing music and the rest will follow. I think you've got to do your own thing and make sure you're in it for the right reasons. The rest will follow."

For anyone wanting to send you music for the label, what’s the best way to grab your attention?

"I think sending me demos on Soundcloud. If there’s anything I like, I'll take it further from there. But we actually don't have a demo email."

No?

"No. Just Soundcloud. Send promos to me and, if anything catches my ear, I'll take it further."

Given the success of these two parties, we're guessing we can bank on more parties in summer 2027? Do you have big plans in the works?

"You know what? Honestly, that's down to my team. I don't know! Obviously, it's been amazing doing these two. So, yeah, I'm hoping for a couple more next year. We'll see. I feel like I don't want to run before I can walk. We'll just have to see what happens."

Who have you got on your label in the coming months?

"We've just had Abel Budding from the Netherlands release."

"Next up, we've got Chopper, who is a label favourite. Then I'll probably release an EP, before a couple more lined up as we go into next year."

You'll have to stay tuned over this winter and next spring to find out if ALISHA and UNLÍSH are back in summer 2027. We have a sneaking suspicion they might be. Of course, you'll find out about first on these very pages and our social channels.

ALISHA has two more Ibiza dates left this summer. First, she joins Joseph Capriati at Metamorfosi on Tuesday 22 September and later Josh Baker at the extended You&Me closing party on Thursday 1 October. For tickets, please visit this page.

For that and everything else, full listings can be found on our world famous party calendar.

PHOTOGRAPHY | by La Skimal and Dan Wallis