From Law School to Coachella: Yulia Niko Has Made It

Hi Beatportal, I’m Yulia Niko – I just made my official Coachella debut in the Yuma, and it was truly magical. The road to Coachella wasn’t a short one (literally or metaphorically – it’s a long way from Germany to California!), and I’ve been on it for over two decades. Making it here is one of my greatest achievements, and a moment that I’ll cherish forever.

You could say that I’ve lived many lives in this existence – I’ve been a certified yoga teacher, and even an aspiring lawyer, if you can believe it – but at the center of every moment of my life one thing remained constant: my love for music. The power of music is something that I’ve always deeply resonated with, from the time I was 15, it’s been the driving force behind every facet of my life. In many ways, music has saved me – this is my story. 

When I finished my law degree, I was working in a law office and it was so draining, energetically and spiritually. I don’t have any regrets getting my start there, but I quickly knew it wouldn’t fulfill me, so I decided to pack up and move to New York to try and take music more seriously. As one does, I did a lot of soul searching once I got to America. The scene was so different from anything I’d ever experienced and navigating it at the beginning was a bit difficult, but I’ve never backed down from a challenge. 

I got to a point where I needed something to ground me. I’ve always felt very connected to spirituality, and I’ve always been drawn to teach (I eventually learned that in a past life I was a teacher!) and this led me just a few blocks from where I was living at the time, to a yoga school. Throughout my training to become a yoga teacher, I learned a lot about what I like and what I need, it really helped me find my sound, before I even knew it. 

Despite the fact I have quite a cool, calm and collected exterior, I am such a hyper person – I feel I was put here to uplift others with my energy. After I made this realization, music quickly went from a hobby to a serious career for me. I’ll spare you all the details of years of long nights and studio sessions, but building yourself from the ground up takes hard work, dedication and a lot of risk taking, but I was finally pursuing what I was meant to do, and that has fueled my passion from the very beginning. For me, music is not just something I enjoy – it’s my way of connecting with the world.

I never imagined I’d be where I am today, and I’m so proud of how far I’ve come. Having a positive intention behind everything I do is so important to me. I only make happy music, I’m always producing and playing something that’s groovy and sexy – I want my music to evoke positive emotions in people. My goal is always to give my listeners and audiences a once-in-a-lifetime feeling experience. Music has such a transformative power and I try to translate that energy and power into an incredible vibe. For me, playing a live show is the most special and important thing, it’s literally addictive. Every gig feels like the best show of my life, it’s always getting better. 

Having this good energy and a genuine purpose is so deeply engrained in identity, not only as an individual, but as also an artist – it’s kind of turned into my reputation, and that’s a pretty good rep to have! This mentality has gotten me to some of the biggest stages in the world, like Tomorrowland Winter, Extrema Festival, and of course, now Coachella. It’s my greatest piece of advice to give – staying steadfast, positive and always remaining yourself. Authenticity always wins, it’s the only way you’ll ever stand out and the only foundation to build something real off of. And never have regrets. Every little misstep can teach you something. 

Playing Coachella was such a whirlwind for me – from my performances at the festival, to Zenyara, where I went B2B with one of the biggest guys around, Afrojack, back to LA to play Sound, and somehow squeezing the release of my latest single, “Come Away” in between it all – it was nonstop movement for two weeks. Despite this, I’m somehow coming out of it more energized than ever. The feeling is almost indescribable – I’m so inspired. I can feel myself obsessively wanting to create, create, create! 

Writing this, following one of the highest, most proud moments of my career, it’s so important to me to say thank you to everyone who has believed in me and supported me throughout this journey – I am beyond grateful for where I am today. I can’t wait to continue growing and improving, there is no ceiling for Yulia Niko. It’s only up from here.