Originally from Arkansas, Memphis has been home for a while now and DJ Nico has made it her business to make sure the city gets its flowers in the dance music conversation.
A classically trained violist, DJ, and curator by title. A cultural connector by nature. Nico plays black nostalgic music woven into dance music, and she’s intentional about why.
“A lot of people, maybe even in Memphis, don’t realize that dance music is black music and that a lot of pioneers lived here and migrated to Chicago and Detroit and helped pioneer the sound.”
She’s not just saying it. She’s proving it every time she steps behind the decks.
What started as Nico wanting to bring Zack Fox to Memphis turned into Summer Soulstice, a 3,000-person moment that nobody saw coming, including her. But the real win wasn’t the crowd size. It was what happened after.
“Zack put Memphis on his map for his tour. That’s what I want. When we invite them and let them see how hungry people are here, they want to be a part of the map.”
That’s curation at its highest level. Not just throwing an event. Building a bridge.
Photo from Summer Soulstice 2025 | Taken by @jbendr93/Jalen Jones
This past weekend she took the stage at RiverBeat, joining a lineup that continues to prove Memphis doesn’t just have history, it has momentum. Festivals like RiverBeat and Mempho have become the platforms where local talent gets a national stage and Nico is exactly the kind of artist those rooms were made for.
She freestyles every set. No plan, no script, just reading the room and building the moment live.
“We create a moment together. And I think that’s why it’s really fun.”
Keep up with what she does next. Memphis is on the map and she’s one of the reasons why.
