Irini Liapikou is an acoustic engineer (Engineering Acoustics MSc, Sound & Music Computing MSc), best known for her many years of presence on the radio airwaves of the city of Volos.
She was born in Athens in 1991 and moved to Volos at the age of one. A graduate of the Greek-French school of Saint Joseph, she speaks five foreign languages, two of which are fluent. In 2009, she made her debut on POWER FM 100,2, where she worked as a radio producer for over ten years.
At the age of just 17, she became the youngest and perhaps the only female DJ to work intensively and systematically as a resident in nightclubs in Volos. Academically, she is a Civil Engineer from the University of Thessaly, with a specialization in acoustics at the Technical University of Denmark and Aalborg University. She currently lives and works in Copenhagen both in her scientific capacity and as a performer. In her research work, she focuses on safer headphones for professional musicians, inspired by her personal hearing loss due to her long-term involvement with sound.
Her new album, titled Best Before, was released on August 22 under the stage name Irén. On the occasion of the release of her new album Best before under the pseudonym Go, talks to us about her journey, the inspiration behind her songs, life in the diaspora and her relationship with Greece and of course her new love, Copenhagen.
How did music come into your life? Was there any influence? How did it come about professionally?
When I was 17, a radio producer discovered my voice and I started working at a large-scale radio station (the 4th most popular in Greece). Little by little, I started playing music as a DJ in different shops and venues and the need to create arose in me. I started writing music by taking electronic production lessons at the municipal conservatory and vocal lessons at the national conservatory. In 2013, 2 of the songs I wrote were played on Cavo Paradiso radio in Mykonos. Little by little, I started making money from it and that's how the shift from amateur to professional took place.
What are the differences between the scene in Copenhagen and Greece?
Greece was not open to women especially when it came to DJing. I had to read and be very informed to be able to play even for a few hours in clubs and bars. In Copenhagen it is much easier for a woman to be safe working nights and find work in the entertainment industry. The economy is also very different but that is true in most professions.
Where do you draw inspiration for your songs?
I write music when I am very sad or when I am very happy. Emotion is the driving force. The main characteristic, however, is the humorous lyrics that can be interpreted in many ways and have layers. My latest album BEST BEFORE is doing very well just 2 days after its release with thousands of clicks, this time I found the golden mean.
Does the song "Sea" remind you of Greece?
The sea is and will always be what I miss from Greece. My escape and psychotherapy. But for everyone it is different. For others it is the smell of coffee or a sound. The piece was written on the occasion of the nosto. A common experience for all of us who live far from our homeland. I am very happy that Sofia Gargaraki wanted to say it together and express ourselves together.
What is it like to live as a Greek musician in the diaspora?
The good thing about Denmark is that here I have the space and time to engage in creativity. In Greece I had to choose one or the other.
What does Greece mean to you as a musician?
Our roots shape the way we express ourselves, interpret, observe, and position ourselves. None of us can escape this, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, but even if I could remove my homeland from my reality and my experiences, I wouldn't. The difficulties of Greece, the excessive information, the colors, the sounds, these give me the "palette" with which I write.
What are your future plans in music?
I play music in the city of Copenhagen as a DJ.
I have a podcast where I share called xot space (the podcast that loves to hate and loves to hate that it is xot today on the Internet). You can find it on Spotify. At the end of each episode I share pieces that I find interesting and I talk about them. I plan to continue doing it. I have been doing radio for so many years that it is like an extension of myself now. I could not not have it in my life. In the short term, in a month from now, a follow up to the album with remixes of the song Proti Fora will be released. Music will always be in my plans, she takes me, I do not take it.
What is Copenhagen like?
I'm in love with this city. Calm, simple, vengeful, icy, beautiful. It's not for everyone. The weather is difficult most of the time but the summer always makes up for it.
Denmark in general?
I haven't stayed in other cities, I've only been there as a tourist. The Danish countryside is completely different from Copenhagen. But it also has its charm.
Is it easy to adapt? The Danish language and culture?
No adjustment is easy. Danish is very difficult and even though it was the 6th language I'm learning (of course I speak 3 of them professionally) I've put in the most effort of all and have seen the least result. Despite all that, it's going better. I've also worked on Danish whenever it helped. I'll feel like I'm at a good level when I can make a joke in Danish. Or engage in a philosophical conversation. I'm working on it.
Source / photo: https://ypervorioi.blogspot.com/2025/08/17-dj-spotify.html
