Eva Shaw is a force to be reckoned with. The brunette beauty doesn’t have time for trivial endeavours or idly standing by and waiting for opportunity to present itself — she’s too busy building her ever-expanding brand, making a name for herself in the world of electronic dance music, and proving that ladies are more than capable of going toe-to-toe with the fellas.

Between modeling, her education, and playing 10-hour sets alongside Tiësto, the one thing that’s always been a constant in her life is her passion for music. Prior to her performance at Create Nightclub in Los Angeles, Shaw stopped by The Tower Bar in Hollywood for some lunch.

“I had been writing music since I was a little kid,” Shaw says as she sinks her fork into her poached salmon. “I had a keyboard and I would write toplines. My dream was to be in an all-girl group, so I took dance lessons and that kind of stuff. I tried a few instruments including clarinet and piano, guitar and violin, but I wasn’t really good at any of them. I think I also didn’t put enough effort in.”

Opportunity came to the Canadian native when she was just 13 years-old, when she was first scouted by a modeling company while out on the town. What she thought was going to be something she did outside of school quickly became a full-time career that began taking her in a different direction. Shaw graduated from the pages of fashion magazines to runway shows, hitting the most exclusive stages in fashion-focused cities like Paris, Milan and New York — all while trying to finish high school.

“It was definitely difficult," Shaw says of her teenage modeling career. "I missed so much school before my senior year they told me ‘You need to either switch schools or quit your job,’ but I had really good grades! I was doing the work and handing it in, I just wasn’t attending. I tried to do it online and get the work in advance so that I could do everything at once before I’d have to fly somewhere.”

Much like how Shaw strived to make her academics computer-based, it wasn’t until she discovered a computer program called Ableton that allowed her to digitally compose music that her musical prowess really took off. 

“I basically set up my apartment to look like a recording studio, and I had all of my gear there,” Shaw says between sips of her Coke. "Every night I would make music, and during the day I would model. Then I got so tired because I’d stay up all night working on music and then skip out on jobs, so my agency got really annoyed — but I also started booking more DJ gigs.

“When I first started out, I would totally cover myself up so you could barely see my face," Shaw continues. "I wore hats all the time so people didn’t know if I was a guy or a girl, and they’d be more honest with no prejudices. I know you don’t see many female DJs, so I think people automatically get a bad impression or whatever.”

It was through networking that Shaw gained exposure and experience, eventually landing her a meeting with Calvin Harris who had heard about Shaw through the grapevine and performances at Hakkasan Nightclub. After corresponding via-email and sending over her self-produced song “Charisma,” Harris signed Shaw to his label. With this new path laid out for her, Shaw realized that she was going to have to leave her studies at NYU and the world of modeling behind due to music's intense tour demands.

Eventually, Shaw decided to slow down on touring and switch gears into more collaborations and producing credits.

The most recent additions to her resume include tracks with Shaggy, Sean Paul, Kardinal Offishall, but her most notable collaboration is "Rise N Shine," a tune with Jason Boyd (a.k.a. Poo Bear), the Grammy-winning penman behind monster hits such as 112’s “Peaches and Cream." 

"[Boyd] typically just writes and then someone else will sing the parts, but when we recorded the vocals he was so perfect for the song that I wanted to feature him," Shaw says. "He agreed, and I think it’s one of first songs he’s done with his own name as the vocalist."

Drawing attention to her chic sunglasses of her own design, she relays that she decided to take on fashion once more. This time, she served as a collaborative designer for G-Star RAW — following in the steps of Skrillex, Afrojack and her hero, Pharrell.

“I wanted it to feel natural to me, and G-Star is a little tomboyish, sort of like high-end sportswear," Shaw says, playing with her round frames. "My line is a mix between fashion and comfortable things that I’d normally wear when I’m DJing, like sneakers, t-shirts and tank tops. I wanted to to make something that reflected that which felt authentic to me.”

The last remaining flaky bites of salmon are consumed, and lunch has come to an end. As Eva Shaw casually mentions her hobbies, it becomes more evident that music has and will always be on her mind.

“I like painting and drawing. I like cooking and traveling. I like seeing new places. Actually, I’m thinking I might start singing.”