Sofi Tukker Is “Mixing Genres” This Festival Season

Electronic isn’t the genre you’d expect to catch at a country music festival like Stagecoach, but Sofi Tukker is all about trying new things as of late. The music duo, comprised of Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern, is releasing a Brazilian jazz album later this month.

Before their set at Diplo’s Honky Tonk stage, Elite Daily met up with the New York-based besties behind T-Mobile’s exclusive Club Magenta tent, where they had just done a Q&A and met fans. The pair, whose music has appeared in shows like The Sex Lives of College Girls and Yellowjackets, is gearing up for the release of their fourth album, Butter, out May 16. “It’s very different from what we typically do,” Hawley-Weld says. As a sister album to last year’s Bread, Butter leans into sounds like bossa nova and samba. “Talk about mixing genres,” Hawley-Weld says. “We’re at a country music festival, we make electronic music, and we’re coming out with a bossa nova Brazilian jazz album.”

The duo loves all kinds of music, and remixing songs in a country style for Stagecoach brought them so much joy. “It’s surprising, in the middle of a real house music set, to hear a remix of a country song,” Halpern says.

Below, the pros dish on the vibes around the festival circuit, their tips for surviving as an attendee, and how they’re manifesting a stay at The White Lotus.

Elite Daily: How does it feel performing at your first-ever Stagecoach?

Sophie Hawley-Weld: It feels amazing.

Tucker Halpern: So excited.

ED: It’s very different from Coachella — which you were just at as well — even though it’s at the exact same venue.

TH: The stages are all in different places. I walked out and was like, whoa.

SHW: There are also lawn chairs everywhere.

TH: I like the vibe. It’s chill.

ED: What are you most looking forward to?

SHW: We usually don’t play country. On the way here, Tucker was working on these country remixes. It’s a really fun excuse to play some different music.

TH: Last night in Boston, I tried out a remix that I made yesterday for today. It went well. People like country music everywhere.

ED: You’re on tour this summer, doing a bunch of different festivals. You just did Breakaway in Arizona. How would you describe the vibe between Breakaway and Stagecoach?

SHW: Could not be more different.

TH: That’s like a rave-y set. DJs before us at Breakaway were playing heavy dubstep. We were basically country music artists compared to them. Luckily, it was amazing. The crowd was so good. It’s cool that we can do both of these things.

ED: What makes the festival circuit so special and unique?

SHW: One of the things I love most about it is that I feel the artist community gets to bond. We always see each other at different festivals, and it’s like a reunion every time. It’s a really fun way for us to feel connected as artists, to be doing a festival together.

ED: How do you prep before a festival? Do you like to get grounded or get pumped up?

TH: Ideally, if we had an afternoon free, I would take a nap and get grounded. Then, within an hour or two before, I’m getting hyped up. We come out with a lot of energy. Especially today, it’s just a one-hour set, so we’re going to be firing right away.

ED: What are some of your festival must-haves?

SHW: Water, lots of water.

TH: Yeah. Hydration for sure. Coffee. When you can find a good iced latte, that’s a win. Sophie searches for matcha for most of her life. Two weeks ago at Coachella, she was just wandering, looking for matcha everywhere.

SHW: I never found it. I had to go home and get one in between the two sets. I love matcha so much.

TH: You should have a matcha guy. A buff, shirtless matcha guy.

SHW: I do have a chocolate person. Our photographer holds it in her bag for me. When it’s time for chocolate, it’s there because she always has her bag with her cameras. I’m going to put matcha in there, too.

ED: You have a White Lotus remix on your set list. The composer for the show, Cristóbal Tapia de Veer, has said he won’t return for Season 4 —

TH: Yeah. We’re trying to get in there.

ED: So, you would want to work on next season?

SHW: 100%. We already have ideas.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.