If you think of Milan, fashion, nightlife and camp culture, chances are you’re already thinking of M¥SS Keta. Blending electro, dance-pop and rap, the Italian artist has spent the past decade building one of Europe’s most distinctive personas—one that constantly resists labels, both musically and culturally.
As she puts it herself, M¥SS Keta embodies the “wild, provocative and unapologetic” side of being human. Her signature veil isn’t about hiding—it’s about revealing. Rather than concealing her identity, it gives voice to the sides of ourselves that society often encourages us to suppress. Behind the irony, the glamour and the chaos, however, lies an artist who takes music remarkably seriously. Whether she’s reflecting on fashion, nightlife or identity, M¥SS Keta never loses sight of the people she’s speaking to.
With her latest single, Hangover Girl, featuring Berlin-based artist Miss Bashful, M¥SS Keta returns to the dance floor with the same irony that has long defined her work, this time exploring the strange space between the euphoria of a night out and the reality of the morning after. Ahead of her performances in Berlin during Pride weekend, we caught up with M¥SS Keta to discuss her connection with Germany, club culture, identity, internet culture, and why kindness might be the most radical act of all…
You came back to conquer the dancefloors with your newest single Hangover Girl featuring Miss Bashful. It feels like you’ve just survived the ultimate hungover morning, what’s the first thing you absolutely need?
Well, I can answer that very practically—I actually had a proper Hungover Girl morning yesterday after a night out in London. The first thing I reach for is always a Bloody Mary. I honestly think it’s the perfect breakfast for any hungover girl. And I can officially confirm: it still works.
Musically, Hangover Girl captures the morning after a party without ever losing the energy of the dancefloor. What feeling were you chasing when you made this record?
When Riva and I got together in the studio to make this song, we were actually hungover ourselves, so writing about that feeling came very naturally. It’s about that exact moment the morning after a great night out: you’ve had the best time with your friends, you’ve been dancing for hours, and the music is still playing in your head, but suddenly you’re expected to go to work. That’s why the track has such a fresh club-driven beat: it’s basically the soundtrack to what’s still going on inside your head. We also pushed the BPMs a little faster because we wanted to recreate that slightly anxious feeling you get when you’re hungover: you know you should be getting on with your day, but your body and your mind are still on the dancefloor. We wanted to bring back a little bit of that thrill, you know.
So maybe listening to Hangover Girl is the ultimate cure for a hangover?
I love that idea! Every proper “Hangover Girl survival kit” should include a Bloody Mary and Hangover Girl playing in your headphones. It was scientifically designed to give you the perfect walk to work.
Moving between rap, techno, and pop, you’ve never fit into one box. Do genres still matter to you, or are they completely dead?
Honestly, I’ve never been very good at categorising music, or myself, for that matter. It’s always felt like a need coming from the outside: record labels, journalists, the industry… People seem to need to put you in a box before they can understand you. I love experimenting with different genres and blending them together. I don’t think you should be faithful to a genre—I think you should be faithful to yourself. And you can express yourself through so many different sounds. So yes, I’m generally against labels. The only reason we still need them is because streaming platforms ask you to pick one when you upload your music… If it were up to me, I’d get rid of categories altogether. Not just in music, but in life.
What makes a song unmistakably M¥SS Keta? Has that definition changed over the years?
For me, a M¥SS Keta song always comes down to a few key ingredients: fresh sounds, irony—because there’s always something that makes you laugh or smile—and a certain kind of honesty rooted in everyday life. I’ve realised that the songs people connect with the most are the ones built around very real, relatable moments, like in Le ragazze di Porta Venezia, where I mention actual bars and real places. It’s almost a paradox: the more personal you are, the more universal it becomes. And of course, it has to be the kind of song you want in your headphones while getting ready for whatever the day has in store: whether you’re heading to work, getting ready for a party, or simply meeting up with your friends.
Your music is deeply rooted in Milan, yet it speaks to audiences far beyond it. What do you hope international listeners understand about contemporary Italy through your work?
I hope people understand the more playful, ironic side of Italy. At the end of the day, international audiences might live in different cities, but they’re living pretty much the same lives we are. I’ve been lucky enough to build a strong connection with Germany, and every time I play there I’m reminded that music really is a universal language. I recently performed at Fusion Festival in Lärz, and the crowd was completely immersed in the music. I’m happy that people connect with the irony, the humour, and the queer, camp spirit that runs through everything M¥SS Keta does. Even if they don’t understand every word, they still feel it—and that’s what I love most about music.
You’re playing at Berlin Pride at the end of July. Germany has such a rich, sacred history with electronic music. How does the energy of a Berlin crowd differ from playing back home in Italy?
I think German crowds are incredible because once they’re in party mode, they’re fully committed—and I absolutely love that. If you strike the right chord, they’ll give that energy straight back to you. The first word that comes to mind is “electric.” Germany has such a strong culture around electronic music, and I do think that makes it easier for my music to resonate there. But what really makes German audiences special is the way they respond once you light the spark: when you get them going, the energy really reaches its peak. I honestly can’t wait to play Berlin Pride and then head over to Phantom Bar for a DJ set later that night. I’ve got a few spicy dates lined up in Berlin this July, so come and join me. I can’t wait to see you all there!
Do people understand M¥SS Keta differently today than they did when you first started?
I think some people are still surprised to realise that M¥SS Keta has actually been building this project for many years now, and I like that. The fact that it’s still going after all this time is proof of how deeply I need music in my life. I’m still genuinely excited about writing new songs, releasing them, performing them live, and bringing them into my DJ sets too. If anything, music excites me more and more as time goes on. Playing live has become a real necessity for me. More than anything, I hope people understand that—even if I express myself through irony—I take music very seriously.
Has your audience evolved over the years, or do you feel you’re still speaking to the same community that first connected with M¥SS Keta?
I think when you’ve been doing this for as long as I have, your audience is constantly evolving. It changes with every release, every album. Of course, there’s still a core group of people who’ve been with me since the very beginning—the original M¥SS Keta crowd, the Ketamini—and I’m incredibly grateful for that. But I also see younger generations discovering my music, and that genuinely makes me happy. In recent years, I’ve also been trying to connect with different audiences across Europe and slowly expand internationally. That’s definitely the direction I’m moving in. What I love most is when a song takes on a life of its own, it’s so funny. I’ll give you a funny example: Divorziata, from my album “.” somehow became an anthem for divorced women getting ready for a night out. Honestly, nothing could make me happier than that.
Nightlife has become increasingly aestheticised online. Do you think we are losing the beauty of being messy?
It’s true that nightlife is becoming increasingly aestheticised, and with that comes a very specific visual language around going out. If you don’t fit into that narrative—or you choose not to present your night in that way—you can sometimes feel like you’re being left out. But just last Saturday, I was a guest at Miss Bashful’s show in London, and I saw this crowd completely immersed in the moment: chaotic, sweaty, loud, excited, and completely letting go. That’s when I realised that people still crave that feeling! The polished version of nightlife we see on social media is ultimately part of a story we’re encouraged to tell because everything has to be marketable. We’re living in an ultra-capitalist world, after all. But underneath all of that, the real desire is still the same: to go out, celebrate together, lose yourself for a few hours, and feel part of something bigger than yourself. That instinct is still inside us. I can assure you of that.
Anonymity used to be unusual; now everyone curates different versions of themselves online. Has the world become a little more like M¥SS Keta?
I think M¥SS Keta made something very explicit: our need to wear a mask and give a voice to a certain part of ourselves. M¥SS Keta is a character—an extreme one, if you like—but she’s also one side of being human. She’s the wild, provocative and unapologetic side. I’ve always used her almost like a game, a way of letting those parts of myself come out without any filters. Whether it’s creating a character like M¥SS Keta, choosing a different username on Instagram, or building another identity online, it’s really just a way of revealing sides of ourselves that might otherwise stay hidden. I believe every human being contains countless different selves. The problem is that society constantly pushes us to simplify who we are to fit into one category. But you can be the most accomplished professional by day, the wildest clubber by night, and still be the most fun person at the table. You can be all of those things at once. Sometimes we just need a little help to show those different sides of ourselves, and the internet has simply made that need more visible.
So, in a way, the idea behind M¥SS Keta is something universally relatable. Is that correct?
Exactly. I think my audience has understood that from the very beginning. Whenever I see people wearing masks or sunglasses at my shows, it’s like they’re stepping into another version of themselves. To me, M¥SS Keta has simply tapped into a universal human need.
Fashion has always been part of your artistic language. Today, luxury often sells the idea of rebellion. Can rebellion still exist once it becomes a trend?
Living in Milan and being surrounded by the fashion world, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this. It’s something I encounter every day, especially during Fashion Week. I think fashion can be incredibly liberating: through clothes, we can communicate who we are without saying a word. At its best, fashion allows you to express yourself fully, embrace your fantasies, and become the hero of your own story. But the moment we start chasing trends, or treating fashion purely as a sales mechanism, that’s where things become more complicated. The real problem begins when even values like rebellion are turned into something to be sold. Once that happens, it becomes harder to tell what’s genuine and what’s simply good marketing. I don’t think that’s a problem unique to fashion—it’s something that runs through society as a whole. Fashion has a dark side, just like music, art, or any other form of expression. That’s why, today more than ever, we need to trust our own inner compass. It should guide us towards what’s real. Fashion is incredibly powerful, as long as it doesn’t become a double-edged sword.
From the very beginning, your music has been obsessed with the concept of the ‘Diva’, the absolute, untouchable icon. After all these years of subverting and playing that character, has M¥SS KETA protected the real person behind the mask, or has the Diva completely taken over?
Let’s just say there are quite a few of us in here—but we’re all getting along just fine. That’s all I’m going to say.
You’ve always encouraged people to be unapologetically themselves. In 2026, what do you think is the most radical thing someone can do?
Honestly, I think the most radical thing you can do in 2026 is be kind. Be empathetic. Care about other people. We’re living in a world that constantly pushes us to be divided and isolated, so I think choosing to care for one another is the most radical thing we can do.
There’s still one question the Italian public wants answered: can we finally confirm the romance between you and Gabibbo?
You Italians are never going to let this go, are you? I’ll tell you this much: every summer Gabibbo gets particularly hot-blooded. It’s not the first time, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Just remember… he’s red for a reason.
Text GIULIO POLVERIGIANI
