Peggy Gou: A Jack Of All Trades, Is There Anything She Can't Do?

You recently launched your own music label, Gudu Records. What’s the story behind the name?

“Gudu” means two things. It means "shoes" in Korean; I named it this as a dedication to my fans, who sometimes call me "Peggy Shoe" and wave shoes at my DJ sets! "Gou do" also means that I want to have control and freedom with my own music. I would also like to support new artists through my label – that is my biggest goal.

What is the reason behind that goal? 

I just know that there are a lot of talented underground DJs and producers, so this could be a very good platform to support them. It doesn't matter where someone is from as long as music is music. The most important thing is their sound, how unique they are and that they're true to themselves as artists.

Will you be collaborating with them as well?

1000 percent. I'm always willing to collaborate with an artist I believe in, but I can be very selective on how I work with someone. I would need to be in touch and get to know them first.

So far, you’ve released your EP, Moment, on Gudu. Can you tell us more about it?

The Moment EP is a very special EP for me; it took more than a year to finish. The guy who helped with the lyrics for my Once EP last year also did work on this one. I tried to make two tracks with different meanings and vibes. I was a little bit more ambitious with the vocals too. The lyrics are poetic and beautiful. After Once, I wanted to keep a similar style. It doesn't really matter what genre you would call it.

Besides Gudu Records, you’ve also launched your own fashion brand, Kirin. How did that come about?

I was DJing at an Off-White event for Virgil Abloh, and I was approached by some people that night and asked if I would like to have a meeting to see if I would be interested in having my own brand, even though I was never a designer before. They just wanted my vision. We worked for over half a year before we finally launched. You can expect Kirin to be in stores from September.

“Kirin” is the Korean word for giraffe, which your fans know is your favourite animal. How big is your giraffe collection now?

Last year I had to give up a lot of the giraffes I got as gifts. My collection is still pretty big, but I have to slow down otherwise everything is just going to be full of giraffes! But I still appreciate it when people show their support with my favourite animal.

Do you find that your creative processes for music and fashion are in any way similar?

For me, it doesn't matter if it's about music or fashion; everything is about your personal taste. It's really hard for me to describe my creative process; I get inspiration from many different things in many different ways. 

Between DJing, producing music and designing clothes, how do you balance everything and still find time to update both your Instagram accounts?

I'm not a person who starts anything if I cannot do it. I'm very good at managing my time. From some perspective, it may seem like it's not possible to do everything, but it is. If it wasn't I wouldn't have done it. And I always have time for Instagram!

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve received in your Instagram DMs?

Some people propose marriage! But I'd say the most weird thing is people asking for my address, which is very personal stuff. I think it's quite creepy!

2018 was a big year for you, but it looks like 2019 is shaping up to be even bigger. What’s next? 

Yes 2018 was big, and 2019 could be too, because I have a lot of projects. Also, this year I will make my very first music video, with one of my favourite directors, Jonas Lindstroem. That's going to come out after the Moment EP.  Also it's kind of a year where I feel like I need to give back to my fans too; I got a lot of support and love last year and I want to plan something where I can give that back. I will also be planning my first album and live set.