A day before her performance in Hyderabad, DJ Teri Miko is on a ‘maun vrat.’ “I keep quiet before a set; I keep absolutely quiet and calm. I don’t drink and definitely don’t do drugs. I try to accumulate the energy like a battery and unleash it during the performance,” she enthuses. Hyderabad is not new to this Ukranian DJ. In fact, she calls India a ‘second home.’ And like a typical Hyderabadi, her love for biryani is matchless. While speaking about biryani, she reveals one tradition religiously followed when she lands in Shamshabad airport. “My tour manager also travels with me and when we land, we first go to Paradise hotel to pick the biryani packets and then proceed to the hotel,” she points out.
Interest in music
Music is in Teri’s genes; she says ever since childhood she had known she would be connected to music in some way or the other. “When my parents met for the first time, they were both part of a band and I grew up listening to music. My dad made sure I develop a good taste in music,” she recalls. With a lot of DJ friends, Teri’s interest grew. One of her friends encouraged her to take up music. “We started practising but I was very nervous because I was 20 when I was headlining my first gig. But no matter how nervous or scared I was, I enjoyed the show; it filled me with a different joy. After my first gig, I knew what I wanted to do,” she recalls.
A turntablist with hardcore hip-hop and old school sound, Teri informs the eight years of her musical journey helped her evolve as a person and musician. “I started as a hip hop DJ. I always love the music that I play. I actually started deejaying not because I wanted to be famous or because I wanted to prove myself. I became a DJ because it was the best way to express myself into music,” she states adding music is an important part of her life. “Even now when I hear a great song I cry. I feel emotional and a strong connection with music. Throughout the year I keep practising to become better and evolve as a musician.”
High on energy
Apart from being a DJ, she produces her own music. Known for her high energy DJ sets, her stage performances with hard hitting Trap beats, infused with electronic sounds, make her a hit with party crowds. She elaborates, “My set is for 90 minutes. I play a different music. I don’t think people can take more than two hours of that energy. It is how I express myself on the stage. It is like a powerful two-hour cardio exercise. You try to dance for two hours in the gym, then you will understand.”
Teri sees herself as musician first and not as a DJ. “I believe in music. People are keen when there is a girl behind the console but at the same time there are also so many stereotypes about female DJs in the industry. That is why I wanted to present and define myself first as a musician and not as a girl DJ.”