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When Peggy Gou is working on a new track, she keeps one thing in mind. “Every song that I do has to have sexiness to it,” says the Berlin-based, South Korea-born DJ, singer, producer, and songwriter who’s as close to an It girl as anyone in today’s club scene. Maybe you came across Gou, 33, last year on one of your in-the-know friends’ IG stories, where you saw her hovering over a soundboard, carefree and focused. Or maybe you heard her hit “(It Goes Like) Nanana” on TikTok, and were blown away by a song that evokes the bacchanalias of yesteryear while sounding altogether futuristic. Her music is a decidedly postmodern patchwork of references, and in that way, it’s a direct reflection of who she is as a person: buoyant yet mellow, intentional yet nonchalant, effortless yet cool, laid-back yet deliberate.
Gou had already been buzzing at a steady volume for years on the international party scene, thanks to releases like 2018’s “It Makes You Forget (Itgehane)” and her 2019 DJ Kicks set, when TikTok amplified her fame to a full-blown symphony last summer. A video of Gou playing the then-unreleased “(It Goes Like) Nanana” against a stunning Moroccan sunset was posted by a partygoer, and before she knew it, the video had amassed hundreds of thousands of views on the platform (now, the original viral video is hovering at over 7 million views and counting). “I don’t even have TikTok, by the way,” she says. “I really did not expect this.”
That sunset-tinted, lightning-in-a-bottle moment resonated with so many in part because of how well Gou’s music balances nostalgia and the sounds of today. You can hear it on her recent collaboration with Lenny Kravitz, “I Believe in Love Again” – its synth riffs, drum-machine beats, and jazzy power chords are quintessentially Nineties, yet the song’s polished production, chic self-awareness, and relaxed lyrical approach feel utterly of-the-moment. “There’s a connection to music and fashion,” she says. “It comes around and goes around.”
From her transcendent live sets to her meticulously produced bangers, Gou is disciplined when it comes to making sure her audience is having a good time. “I take my job very seriously,” she says. “So whether it’s two hours or one hour and a half, I give my full attention to make sure that I deliver… I always try to take them on a journey. I don’t care about the BPM. My job is to give them a good memory.” Early on, she says, “I was more focused on playing good music than reading the crowd. But now I’m very good at reading the crowd.”
After the “Nanana” clip blew up, she found herself jet-setting around the globe as one of the world’s most in-demand DJs. “I wasn’t prepared for what was going to happen to me,” she says. “It was magical, not only the music, but I got to know so many great people.” One week in December saw her flying from Dubai to Miami, then back to Dubai within a matter of a few days. “Maybe going forward, I shouldn’t be having so many gigs in between [certain] days,” she muses.
One thing you can count on is that she’ll continue honing her taste, a challenge she accepts with a fierce sense of honor, humility, and rigor. “I always try to reflect,” she says. “I’m a little bit harsh on myself. But that kind of helps me get to know what I really like.” Asked about her highly anticipated full-length debut album, expected to drop sometime in 2024, she won’t give away much: “I want someone to listen to the music, and it kind of stays in their head. … But I don’t want to go into too much detail about the songs. I learned my lesson, not to really talk about my plans. In Korea, we say people change their mind 12 times per day.” (She does let slip that “every song in there is influenced by ’90s sound.”)
Ultimately, her devotion to her craft is a testament to the fact that she loves her job. “I don’t want to sound cheesy, but music is one of those things that brings people together,” she says. “And that’s something you can talk about in 30 years, 60 years. Do you remember that time? Or do you remember this music? Do you remember when we went to the concert? Do you remember when we listened to this festival? It’s really that memory.”
That’s also the reason that she keeps a close eye on everything that comes out under her name. “Whether it’s creative direction for cover art, or the music and the fashion, I just am not afraid to do it, and fail at it and learn it,” she says. “I don’t really take shit from other people.”
