EXCLUSIVE: If there’s one wardrobe fashion girls would like to raid, it’s Peggy Gou’s.
It’s not unusual to spot the South Korean-born mega DJ and singer clutching a Bottega Veneta ‘Andiamo’ bag, a Hermes ‘Birkin’ – or in the case of this interview, a micro denim monogram Louis Vuitton.
“When it comes to fashion, I don’t like to describe my style,” Gou tells this masthead, leaning back in her chair in an oversized Martine Rose football jersey and pleated miniskirt teame with a pair of baby blue Nike ‘Shox’ runners.
Her right wrist is stacked with diamond tennis bracelets and she has a pair of dark sunglasses on. “I always like it when someone else describes my style,” she says. “I don’t categorise my style. Like, today I could look elegant, I could look cute.
“Tomorrow I could look sexy, you know? I like to try different styles but I know what doesn’t look good on me.
“To know what doesn’t look good, you will know what looks good on you. Does that make sense?”
It does. And when Gou talks about style, you listen.
“Fashion and dressing up is something I have always [done] since I was a kid,” she says.
“I was that kid who never wore anything that my mum brought me. She was always getting upset, ‘why are you never wearing what I brought you?’ Mum, this is not my style. I just had that [attitude] since I was a kid.”
The 34-year-old has sat front row in Paris, at CHANEL and Saint Laurent runway shows.
“I’m very selective with the brands that I go to – I don’t want to be one of those people who are seen in every front row. I’m quite selective when it comes to that.”
When this masthead asks Gou whether her choice of tennis bracelets was intentional – given she is, of course, in the country for the Australian Open – she laughs, “I just like diamonds and expensive things”.
Growing up, Gou wanted to be a stylist, and studied at the prestigious London College of Fashion, which counts Dior creative director Jonathan Anderson and Jimmy Choo among its alumni.
“If you think you have good taste, you think you might be good at styling other people,” she notes. “What I realised is that I enjoy styling myself.
“[Fashion school] taught you to figure things out. When I was figuring out ‘do I want to be a stylist?’ I found my love for music. I moved to Berlin and focused on the music. I style myself every day but when it comes to shoots, I hire a stylist to work together. Even with a stylist, I have strong opinions.
“I always get involved in pretty much everything that I do. I’m a control freak. I have to get involved in everything.”
Gou’s focus is momentarily broken as she motions to her all-female team, who are sitting nearby. “Sorry,” she says. “I was just asking them to take a little pic …”
While her songs are played in nightclubs, Gou – who is based in London, Dubai and Korea – says she doesn’t spend as much time partying in her current era.
“Before I became 30, whenever I didn’t have a show I used to go out all the time to see who’s around, who’s cool. I go out less 1769754322.
“If there’s another DJ I love, or an artist I love, I love going to concerts and festivals. But less clubbing.
“I have a really young team as well who support me and who let me know who is cool.
“I’m always interested and curious. So, I’m around. I’m open.”
At this point in her life, Gou describes her physical preparation for live shows as similar to that of a professional sportsperson.
“I feel like I’m an athlete … I workout a lot and some of my best friends say, I feel like you’re about to [play] in a tournament or something.
“The only difference [between being an athlete and an artist] is that I don’t have a job where I have to win.”
Gou has been a trendsetter in the male-dominated electronic music scene, which she says is becoming more inclusive for women. Though that wasn’t always the case.
“I feel like it’s getting better and better. When I started, I did have experiences where I felt like my voice was not heard,” Gou reflects.
“I had to scream to get heard or people would put me in a category – they’d tell me what to do, what not to do, what to be.
“I kind of got over that. Now we are in a good path where there are more girls who are artists … it is definitely changing. At my shows, I always like to [book] female artists.”
Gou then corrects herself, noting: “I don’t like to say ‘female artists’ – not many people [say] ‘male artists’.
“I used to get questioned a lot about ‘how do you feel to be a female DJ?’ I was like, when are you going to ask me a question – ‘how do I feel to be just a DJ?’
“When I started, it was a fact that there were less girls.”
COURTING ATTENTION
She is a frequent visitor to Australia during the summer but this time, Gou had an added incentive.
Earlier this week, she sat in Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz’s player box during his quarterfinal match against Australian Alex de Minaur.
Gou and Alcaraz, 22, were introduced by their mutual friend, Miami-based restaurateur and nightclub mogul David Grutman.
“We are friends,” Gou says, of the world No. 1. “[Alcaraz] and Jannik Sinner were playing games in Korea and my parents are big fans of tennis. They asked me, ‘can you please get me a ticket?’
“I asked David [Grutman] and David introduced us. And we hung out in Korea and we became good friends.”
So what happens when the pair hang out? Gou says she “makes sure he eats well”.
“It’s Koreans’ love language. We don’t even have ‘how are you?’ We go, did you eat? Are you eating well? I was like, listen, I have to feed you.”
Her comments to this masthead came after Alcaraz had described Gou as “really, really cool” in his post-match press conference. “I’d better win the next round if I want to see her playing … I got great support from her,” Alcaraz added.
As for her show on Sunday prior to the Australian Open men’s final, Gou says: “It’s one of those crowds where you can play whatever and they will just go for it.
“What goes through my mind before the show has nothing to do with the country.
“I always think about my first three tracks. And I always like to be there a bit earlier to see the DJs or artists performing before me to get the vibe.
“I get nervous before my shows, believe it or not. I have been doing this for almost 13 years and I still get nervous and I love that feeling. I never want to lose this feeling. It means I care.”
Peggy Gou is headlining AO LIVE 2026 in Melbourne on Sunday (February 1) at John Cain Arena. Carlos Alcaraz faces Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open men’s semi-finals tomorrow. For tickets, click here.
