The Tetseo sisters—Mercy, Azine, Kuvelü, and Alüne Tetseo—have long-been captivating the world with Naga folk music. Their tales of Nagaland entice, while their music, sung in the Chokri dialect, echo through the valley and beyond. Drawing inspiration from people, places, and emotions, their music is largely inspired by their travels. In a conversation with Travel + Leisure India & South Asia, three of the four-sister band members reveal how travel impacts them as artists, why India makes a unique destination, their favorite live performances, the future of Naga Folk Music, and more. By Ralan Kithan
Excerpts from the interview with the Tetseo Sisters:
T+L India: How has travel impacted you as an artist?
Alüne Tetseo: Travel has inspired us to learn more, seek more, and work harder so we can travel more. Our music reflects our travel experiences.
Kuvelü Tetseo: Travelling has taught me to appreciate all kinds of music, food, cuisines, different lifestyles, and traditions.
Mercy Tetseo: As an artist, you are naturally curious, more sensitive, and primed to see beyond what people can normally see. Travel brings out one’s vulnerability and strength at the same time. It makes you really see, feel and experience. Travelling makes me excited and wants to test my limits in every sphere of my life.
T+L India: What are your happiest travel memories?
Alüne Tetseo: Making music videos in all the new places we visit makes me happiest. I enjoy being able to capture it all on camera and not just seeing it in-person.
Kuvelü Tetseo: Meeting people from other cultures, trying new food and cuisines, shopping, and exploring museums and places of interest at new destinations.
Mercy Tetseo: I love to visit places with natural beauty and with my loved ones around me. Riding camels in Nubra Valley, Ladakh is one happy memory, but exploring New Zealand and jumping out of a plane is at the top of my list!
T+L India: A bucket list destination where you would love to perform?
Alüne Tetseo: Paris and Russia.
Mercy Tetseo: Madison Square Garden, Glastonbury, Royal Albert Hall, Coachella, Oscar.
Kuvelü Tetseo: Super Bowl halftime show, The Grammy’s, World Cup (Football), IPL.
T+L India: Your favorite destination in the world?
Kuvelü Tetseo: Ladakh in India. Also South Korea, Thailand, Scotland and New York City.
Mercy Tetseo: Anywhere in New Zealand and India.
T+L India: Does travel inspire you in your songwriting?
Kuvelü Tetseo: Of course! We wrote our song Road to Somewhere on the road. Many of our songs have been written at home right after a trip.
Mercy Tetseo: Absolutely. Travel opens up our minds, makes us more aware and feel alive. A bunch of our songs has been written or recorded while on trips, and many video shoots have been taken while traveling too.
T+L India: What inspires the songwriting?
Alüne Tetseo: People and places around us. Our emotions change around us. Everything inspires us.
Kuvelü Tetseo: I get so much inspiration when I’m travelling or visiting new places or meeting new people. It makes me think and I try to express myself through songs.
Mercy Tetseo: Our songs are a reflection and extension of life, and of the people and things around us. Sometimes it just takes a few minutes—sometimes years—to capture that essence and let others experience it through a tune.
T+L India: Your outfits are often an interesting blend of Naga attires with a touch of contemporary silhouettes. How do you come up with the fusion?
Kuvelü Tetseo: I love putting our looks together. I love to mix and match outfits. It’s impossible to own or wear all the traditional attires of the 17 tribes of Nagaland or all eight northeastern states in one show. So we try to mix and match our looks for every different show.
Mercy Tetseo: We have been fortunate to collaborate with many like-minded artists and designers who have shaped and created our dream costumes for us. They are versatile and sustainable. We have mostly opted for handwoven fabrics. We are trying to avoid fast fashion.
T+L India: Your choreography is always in sync with your music. Where do you take inspiration for the steps?
Kuvelü Tetseo: Our choreography is usually a mix of all the best beautiful steps from the different dances of Northeast India, especially folk dance. Sometimes we simplify or add our own twists.
T+L India: What can you say about the future of Naga folk music?
Alüne Tetseo: Very bright. People are waking up to the call. Folk movement is alive and kicking. People have started to realise how important it is to know their roots, music and stories of their origins. We are glad that we can do our part in bringing this wave to the people of Nagaland. We need to reach more and do so much more in the field of music. Perhaps, someday, even open a music school for Naga folk music.
Kuvelü Tetseo: Looks promising. Folk music is always cool and it will live on forever. Our music is here to stay!
T+L India: What are your must-have travel essentials?
Alüne Tetseo: Atomy skin essentials. As a doctor, I always carry a medicine kit for any emergencies. A perfume and a good book. Also a Kindle to read on flights.
Kuvelü Tetseo: My dental kit. I always carry one set of my traditional attire. My musical instruments, MacBook, iPad, iPhone, passport, and important cards.
Mercy Tetseo: Sturdy matching luggage, roomy handbag, comfortable clothes and shoes. Enough cash, passport, visa, time, and a sense of adventure.
T+L India: You’ve been doing live performances around the world. Which place has given you the best experience?
Alüne Tetseo: Every performance is special and has always taught me different things. Like how a small crowd is intimate and gives you a close interaction with your audience. Or how a school audience is super cute—the kids carry a different vibe!
Kuvelü Tetseo: My favourite was definitely performing at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 2014 in Scotland with team Nagaland. We clocked about 45 gigs in one month at the Tattoo and at other venues in Scotland!
A close second is our first ever Tetseo Sisters Box office show in Nagaland in 2019 at the Hornbill Festival. We put on 19 shows over 10 days and Dr. A.R Rahman was our special guest for the closing day.
T+L India: What aspects of India do you believe we should highlight if we were to showcase India as a luxury travel destination?
Alüne Tetseo: Culture, food, and our folk music. We need to highlight Indian music and not just the western-influenced music. We should look deeper into the lives of the people and share more intimate stories of the people—their original music, authentic food, and ways of life.
Kuvelü Tetseo: The unique diversity of India. Organic food, rich traditional folk music, beautiful traditional attire, our traditional sports, and sustainable simple traditional living.
Mercy Tetseo: I love that India suits all kinds of pockets! In India, we have the luxury of incredible friendliness, a sense of timelessness, and generous hospitality while giving all visitors a rich experience of life. We need to highlight that India has so many fresh layers for visitors to discover and experience firsthand.
T+L India: You love India because…
Alüne Tetseo: It’s so rich in culture, food, music, and everything else. No country is as diverse as India and I love the fact that we all are proud of our uniqueness. We celebrate our differences and things that are common. This makes us all one big family.
Kuvelü Tetseo: I love food and India gives you so many cuisines and crazy variety! [I love] the fashion. I also enjoy different cultures and being able to see so many different religions and ways of living—all quite peacefully.
Mercy Tetseo: Because of the many travel options, diverse culture and food, geographical variety, and the affordability of discovering unknown places.
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