From opening intimate coffee shop performances to landing on some of dance music’s biggest stages, me n ü are in the midst of a breakout year. The Chicago-born sister duo have quickly become one of electronic music’s fastest-rising acts, bringing their emotionally driven “Hope House” sound to Ultra Music Festival’s Main Stage, Tomorrowland, Red Rocks, EDC Orlando, and beyond.
While viral moments helped introduce listeners to me n ü, years of songwriting, production, and collaboration laid the foundation long before the spotlight arrived. During a conversation with Dancing Astronaut, the sisters reflected on their creative partnership, navigating the pressure that comes with success, breaking barriers as women in dance music, and why authenticity remains their biggest priority.
Liana: You describe your sound as “Hope House.” What emotions do you hope people leave with after listening to your music or seeing one of your live performances?
me n ü: We always want people to leave feeling nostalgia and euphoria. It’s important that our music creates an emotional reaction, not just happiness, but that bittersweet feeling of remembering moments in your life. That’s always been the goal.
We also love playing in nature or in more unconventional settings because those environments naturally create a different atmosphere and help people connect with the music in a unique way.
Liana: Before me n ü became your main project, you spent years writing and producing together. How has that experience shaped the way you work today?
me n ü: It’s really strengthened our creative partnership. We’ve developed that creative muscle over years of writing together. Recently, we were exhausted while preparing edits for a New York show, but we were still coming up with ideas we loved. me n ü reminded me that’s what happens after years of consistently creating, you can still find inspiration even when you’re tired.
We compare it to athletics. After enough years of training, even on your worst days, you’re still capable of performing at a high level. That’s what all those years of honing our craft have given us. Working as sisters also helps. We can be incredibly honest with each other, and our strengths naturally balance each other’s weaknesses. It definitely isn’t for the weak. We argue, but that’s just part of working together. At the end of the day, we both want the same thing.
Liana: Was there a moment when you realized me n ü had become something much bigger than you originally imagined?
me n ü: We still don’t feel like we’ve accomplished everything we want to accomplish, but looking at this year, Ultra Main Stage, Tomorrowland, Red Rocks, EDC Orlando. It definitely makes you stop and appreciate how far we’ve come.
The biggest moment for me actually happened at our New York show. A storm delayed us by over two hours, and we thought everyone would leave.Instead, more than 700 people stayed in line waiting for us. The show didn’t even start until after it was supposed to end, and everyone still stayed.
That was when it really hit us. Streaming and going viral are amazing, but seeing people wait hours just to experience the show, that’s a completely different level of connection.That was the moment we realized we were building something special.
Liana: Your single “Jump” introduced so many people to your music. How do you continue evolving without feeling pressure to recreate that success?
me n ü: After “Jump” came out, it was hard to make music for months because we kept thinking every song had to live up to that one. Eventually, we realized we couldn’t create from that mindset, we just had to keep moving forward. Every release teaches you that there’s always another opportunity. A song doing well or poorly starts carrying less emotional weight because you know you’ll make another one.
We’re in love with making music more than anything else. We’ve also learned to trust our instincts. Sometimes you know when something feels special, but the truth is nobody really knows what’s going to connect.
We’ve been wrong every single time. We thought “Jump” was a throwaway track. We thought people would hate “Super Rich.” We thought “Your Eyes” would only get a fraction of the response it did. That’s taught us to stop chasing formulas and just make music we believe in.
Liana: As women breaking through at festivals like Ultra and Tomorrowland, what advice would you give other female producers trying to follow a similar path?
me n ü: We realized after Ultra that we were the only women on the Main Stage lineup that weekend, which was a crazy realization. Our advice is not to overthink it. Somebody booked you because you earned your place. It’s easy to compare yourself to everyone else, but the more you focus on your own journey, the better.
We already know dance music is male dominated, so I don’t spend much time dwelling on it anymore. It is what it is. The best thing you can do is keep making great music and not let that become something that limits you.
Liana: Looking ahead, what does success mean for me n ü?
me n ü: We want to keep playing bigger festivals and bigger stages, but creatively, we also want to become album artists. Dance music is so focused on singles, but because we produce our own music, we feel like we can create full projects that tell a bigger story.
That’s a huge goal for us. We don’t want to be known only for individual songs—we want to make bodies of work that people can experience from beginning to end. Success is also having the freedom to choose projects that genuinely align with who we are and continue building something that feels authentic.
Liana: Finally, dream collaborations or dream stages?
me n ü: Peggy Gou is definitely at the top of my list. She’s such a huge inspiration creatively, and honestly, she’s on our fashion mood board too.
Festival-wise, Coachella and Lollapalooza are still dreams, and we’d love to tour Asia and Australia. Honestly, though, if you asked where we’d like to be in a year, the answer is simple; wearing great clothes and playing shows across Europe.
With appearances at Ultra Main Stage, Tomorrowland, Red Rocks, and EDC Orlando already defining a milestone year, me n ü are proving their breakout is built on far more than a viral hit. Grounded in years of collaboration, driven by emotion, and committed to authenticity over algorithms, me n ü continue to shape their own lane in dance music.
