The Tetseo Sisters and their brother have made a name for themselves in the global music scene with their captivating songs in the Chokri dialect of the Chakhesang Naga tribe. What sets this ensemble apart is not only their melodious voices but also their commitment to preserving their cultural heritage. 

Rachna Singh First India Jaipur October 2023

Think folk music and you probably imagine something classical, heavy, and a scene that’s out of sync with new-age musical sensibilities. This is exactly the notion that the Tetseo Sisters are challenging. 

Ashwini Arun Kumar, Femina March 2023

When the Tetseo Sisters began their career in the 1990s, they had the choice of singing in English, but it soon became clear to them that music, a universal language, could serve a purpose more important than fame by helping to save Chokri, their dying native tongue. 

Sanjay Kumar Arab News September 2022

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. 

Ralan Kithan Travel and Leisure August 2022

The beating heart of ‘Hiyo’ is the earthy vitality of its inspiration—a traditional Naga work song that weaves its beauty out of the simple rhythms and harmonies of communal labour. ‘Hiyo’- like much of the Tetseo Sisters’ recent music- is a masterclass in how to bring folk in conversation with contemporary music, without losing the purity of emotion of the original. 

Bhanuj Kappal, India Today August 2022

They turned to YouTube to preserve their mother tongue, the ancient language of Chokri of the Chakhesang Naga tribe of Nagaland. Their channel with 86,000 subscribers, shines a light on the Chokri language and culture and has captivated audiences across India. Through their music, they have realised their dream of preserving the Chokri language and culture so that it lives on forever. 

YouTube India Spotlight Creating for India June 2022

The Tetseo Sisters rank among Nagaland’s greatest cultural exports celebrating songs of life, the richness of their natural surroundings, and storytelling through the language of Li or folk singing in the Chokri Naga dialect, sisters Mütsevelü (Mercy), Azine (Azi), Kuvelü (Kuku) and Alüne (Lulu), as well as their brother Mhaseve (MKT), have undertaken a remarkable artistic journey. 

Norbu Wangchuk The Better India Rinchen July 2021

They’ve often been called the most exciting band to come out of the North East and that’s hardly a claim that can be contested. Tetseo Sisters, this Chokri Chakhesang quartet of sisters hopes to redefine the way mainland India perceives the Naga people, Naga music and Naga culture and was recently celebrated for topping the charts on iTunes for a few days after their brand new release: Zizoné. 

Romal Laisram Indian Express Indulge May 2021

The quartet of sisters from Nagaland, popular for their folk music and chic sartorial choices that blend designer wear with local handlooms, have performed on stage since they were children  

TVOF Team Voice of Fashion October 2020

Tetseo Sisters: Redefining folk music of Nagaland. At a time when nobody believed that Naga Folk/folk fusion would be commercially viable and attract a paying audience, Tetseo Sisters emerged not only to fill the void but also became the cultural ambassadors of North East India. Their parents have clearly been instrumental in the way they have taken their music this far even as they acknowledge that it is their parents who instilled the love of culture and cultivated the pride they have in it; encouraged and nurtured them all along. 

Rita Krocha The Morung Express September 5 2019

While the music video provides a visual buffet of the folk-inspired fashion costuming we’ve come to expect from Tetseo Sisters, it is also a lesson in Nagaland’s traditional fashion history through homegrown clothing, hand-me-downs and common local textiles.

Saumya Sinha, The Voice of Fashion, June 2019

From the mountainous State of Nagaland to the sand dunes to Rajasthan was probably one of the most anticipated acts of day three, the folk-pop group Tetseo Sisters. It’s amazing how their perfect harmonies and synchronisation also integrated blues progression, singing about love and life with an infectious amount of happiness.

David Britto The Rolling Stones, March 2018

The quartet consists of four sisters from Nagaland- Mütsevelü (Mercy), Azine (Azi), Kuvelü (Kuku) and Alüne Tetseo (Lulu). Their genre is folk- traditional Naga folk songs in particular. They were trained in performing Li songs of Chakhesang tribe by their parents who are actively involved in the cultural revival movement of Nagaland. An ‘acappella’ style of singing combined with storytelling, and the occasional use of one-stringed instrument ‘tati’ or ‘heka libuh’ (mithun horn), their compositions are mostly lores on Nagaland. Some of the folk songs they sing have been compiled in the traditional songbook Li kukre kutiko. The sisters continue to learn Li, mostly in Thüvepisü, their ancestral village in Phek district, and regularly perform in different parts of India and overseas. 

Verus Ferreira, Teenager Today September 2016

There is something about music on a mission that draws our attention, and this Nagaland- based folk quartet deserves all that we can spare. Their raison d’etre Mercy says, is to infuse fresh energy into the forgotten songs of the Chakhesang tribe that they belong to. “We do this not because it is our duty, but because we want to share our culture, even with people who know nothing about it.” 

Jessica Miranda Grazia November 2015

As the sun came down over the City of Joy, Nagaland’s Tetseo Sisters, winners of the MTS Discover band competition, took over and charmed a small, attentive crowd. The amiable banter between them and their audience made for a breeze of a set, starting with a playful call-and-response folk tune, segueing into a short and sweet selection of songs that had most closing their eyes, and swaying gently.

NH7 Kolkata Highlights November 2014

Tetseo Sisters bring Naga Folk To Stage At Folk Nations. The Tetseo Sisters, comprising four siblings from Nagaland, have a serious mission: to breathe fresh energy into the forgotten folk songs and traditions of the Chakhesang Tribe, a major tribe from their state.

Isha Singh Sawhney, The Rolling Stones, March 22, 2013.

Longing for a whiff of Naga music? Then head for the weekend show by Tetseo Sisters, a Kohima-based band which represents the ideals of the North East. The Tetseo Sisters’ music is a mix of traditional folk and fusion. They sing in Chokri (a dialect spoken by their tribe) and English as well. Their music focuses more on vocal harmonies, simple melodies and lyrics. The traditional songs cover a lot of themes and topics ranging from odes to nature, prayers, love, accounts of war, friendship, death, beauty, bravery, competition, marriage and people. 

Prashanth Vidyasagar Bangalore Mirror March 2013

The Tetseo Sisters, folk artists from Kohima, have been attributed with beginning the folk-fusion movement in Nagaland. The quartet tetseo sisters Mercy, Azi, Kuvelu and Alune Tetseo perform in Mumbai today along with Raghu Dixit, Papon and other folk acts and will sing "Li" (folk songs) in the Chokri dialect of the Chakhesang Naga tribe of Nagaland.

TNN Times of India March 2013

Music has always been rife and rich in the north-eastern corner of India. The last decade however, has witnessed its widespread recognition and assimilation in the mainland of the Indian subcontinent, thanks to many upcoming musicians from the region. Among the forerunners of this league of young and ambitious musicians endorsing Northeast India’s music, the Tetseo Sisters have carved quite a niche for themselves. This quartet of four sisters from the Nagaland is devoted to the tradition of vocal folk music of the state. An ‘a cappella’ style of singing combined with storytelling, and the occasional use of one-stringed instrument tati or heka libuh (mithun horn), their compositions are mostly lores on Nagaland.



Jim Ankan Deka OK! North East 2013

Every time Tetseo sisters take to the stage, they talk to their audience before they begin singing the traditional Li songs of Nagaland. Crisply yet clearly, they explain where they come from, what they will sing, the meanings of the lyrics and the significance of those songs for ordinary Naga women who sing while going about their daily chores. The style of explaining each song, the eldest Tetseo sister Mercy says it is their trademark, it may sound like a lecture demonstration but is far more profound. It is the most effective tool to warm up an audience alien to Li songs and establish a connect with the listeners that lasts beyond the evening. No wonder, the four Tetseo sisters have invitations from all over India to perform at events where many wouldn't even know much about Nagaland.

Archana Khare Ghosh Times of India, November 2012

At a time when language had no written forms, generations taught the younger ones to act, live and work through songs. These songs also kept the memories of ancestors, brave warriors and legends alive in people’s minds. Folk songs have been a part of every Naga’s life. Yet, in current times, the Tetseo Sisters — Mercy, Azi, Kuvelu and Alune — are the cultural ambassadors who have brought Naga folk music, in its pure form, to a larger audience outside the state of Nagaland. They have been performing and acquainting people with this form of storytelling, with much appreciation from listeners, within and outside India and have recently released the album Li: Chapter One. The Beginning. The Tetseo Sisters should be commended not only for their amazing voices and singing, but also for documenting so well a rich cultural heritage. Going through their blog, one comes across traditional stories that feature in the Chakesang folk songs. The blog sure is a resource.

Juanita Kakoty Deccan Herald Feb 2012

The Tetseo Sisters are the true cultural ambassadors of the North East with their "Li", breaking barriers and boundaries. Li is louder than words and the Tetseo Sisters are already going places, taking it across frontiers. 

North East Sun August 2008