Is Peggy Gou the coolest DJ in the world right now? The South Korean ‘It’ girl’s ‘K-house’ track charted alongside Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa – and Virgil Abloh inspired her fashion line Kirin
- Hot new talent Peggy Gou’s song ‘(It Goes Like) Nanana’ just charted alongside hits from Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, (thanks, Barbie) Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish during the ‘summer of girl power’
- The South Korean-born musician’s tunes have been going viral on TikTok – and she’s a fashionista too, wearing outfits from Dolce & Gabbana to Simone Rocha and Miu Miu on her Instagram
Although most of these names are familiar household icons, there’s one individual who emerges as a relative newcomer to the international charts: Berlin-based South Korean DJ Peggy Gou.
Gou’s name already resonates strongly in electronic/house music circles though. Her infectious tunes have also found a thriving home on TikTok lately, with many of them going viral. Her song “(It Goes Like) Nanana” got so popular on Spotify and other streaming platforms that Calvin Harris even made a remix of it.
So what do we know about this multicultural, too-cool-for-school DJ?
Peggy Gou had an international upbringing
Born in 1991, in Incheon, South Korea, Gou studied fashion in London before moving to Berlin, Germany where she began to regularly perform as a DJ. Her full name is Kim Min-ji and she is known for honouring her Korean heritage and devoted fan base through her work and life. “I often combine European and Korean culture, and I’m very proud of that,” she told Vogue.
From raver to DJ
“Before I was a DJ, I was a raver,” Gou once told The Guardian. When she moved to Berlin, she would spend every weekend in Berghain, the German capital’s most exclusive nightclub. This ultimately shaped how her music is today, she told the publication. “I really like Detroit DJs, like Maurice Fulton. You feel like he’s going to play something techno, then all of a sudden it’s disco,” she said in her interview.