Miss Monique is a young DJ/Producer from Ukraine who is one of the biggest artists on the progressive scene. She is consistently on the biggest lineups around the world, her label Siona Records is frequently topping the Beatport charts and producing quality music. We spoke to her recently to talk about the Ukraine scene right now, her new track “Train Of Thought’, and what’s to come for her for the rest of 2021.
Hey Miss Monique, welcome to EDM House Network – how are things for you personally right now?
“Hey EDM House team, it’s a pleasure to talk to you. Thank you, I’m doing well. Seems like we are getting back our normal life, at least as much as that’s possible. So I feel absolute happiness to have a chance to get back to real people, traveling and all that awesome feeling which you get during the trips.”
What are been a few key things that have helped you get through this tough last 15/16 months?
“Our country Ukraine did not have such strict rules as, for example, in Europe, sometimes we even had parties, but, of course, according to new rules. During the quarantine, I focused on production of the new tracks and also on my YouTube streams, where, together with the listeners, we supported a friend of a friend.”
What does an average day consist of for you right now?
“I try to do something different every day of the week. I spend one day chatting with my listeners and responding to their comments or private messages. A few hours a day I work on new tracks, listen to promos from other artists or demos for my Siona label. The next day we record new videos for my YouTube channel, and finally, parties and travel are back on my schedule.”
You’ve recently been visiting Central & South America on tour? Was it your first time playing over there, and what were some of the highlights on the trip?
“No, it wasn’t my first time there. The best part of every trip to this part of the world is the crowd. These people are real party makers. You can play 3, 5, 8 hour sets and it’s never enough because they just catch you with their energy, positive vibes and warm welcome. In every trip I have so many emotions and incredible moments that sometimes while sitting on the return plane home I’m asking myself: “It was real or is it one of my best dreams?” :)”
You’re based in Kiev, what is the scene like currently over there? Are things beginning to open up again properly?
Yes, I’m based in Kyiv. I’m very proud about our electronic scene in these days. It’s growing every year. A few years ago probably you couldn’t find a lot of places without pop music here but what we can see now, there are a lot of events with big names of electronic music. Of course the Covid situation destroyed a lot of plans but even in this case clubs & promoters are trying to organize for the people great parties. With new rules everything is opening again. For example, this week the Government was allowed to host the largest festival in Ukraine – Atlas Weekend and I was very happy to be a part of it.”
Tell us about your new release “Train Of Thought” for your label Siona Records?
“When I make releases for Siona, I have the opportunity to experiment with sound, and not adjust to any templates. In this track I used Synth, which was trendy in the 90s, and tried to combine that retro sound with a modern bassline.”
What are some of your dream festivals or clubs to play at that you haven’t had the change to play at already?
“I don’t have any specific festivals or clubs, the main thing for me is that the people on the dance floor are on the same musical wavelength with you.”
Will dance music be different once coronavirus is over do you think? Will event lineups be more local, will big tours be a thing of the past?
“I think that this is all temporary and next year we will be able to attend all major festivals as was before.”
What are you currently working on that you would like to share that’s coming up over the rest of 2021?
“I continue to produce new music. During the pandemic I finished a lot of releases and most of them will be out during next months. Also together with my team we are working on new series of videos from different countries and locations for my YouTube channel. In the next few months if everything will be okay with the pandemic situation I’ll have USA and Columbia tours, also ADE, Israel, Greece, Hungary Cyprus and many more. At the same time we already signed so many awesome releases for our Siona, I can’t wait when our listeners will hear it as well.”
Miss Monique’s ‘Train Of Thought’ is out now on Siona Records, grab it here.
