Nigerian born star DJ, philanthropist, interiors lover, wigs connoisseur, dog-mum and billionaire daughter Florence Ifeoluwa Otedola aka DJ Cuppy is living her ultimate dream life in London where she moved to earlier this year and she’s giving Glamour UK a sneak peek into her fabulous world and spilling on all things interiors, deep love for pink, being her authentic self, love for pet dogs amongst others.
The celebrity DJ dishing on her deep love for pink says:
“I just think pink is constantly used as a weakness or vulnerability, but it’s very strong” Cuppy says while talking about her pink interiors reflect as an ode to her passion and freedom and to create something that makes her stand out.
“I think being a young woman from Nigeria and now living in the UK [she moved here with her family when she was 13] I’ve often felt like I had to scream to be heard. I therefore felt I had to be overly expressive.” Cuppy adds.
“Pink for me is about strength. Pink for me is about being a rebel and about being unapologetically female. I’m a DJ in a male dominated industry and I have my own battles to fight everyday because of that, so pink is a way of expression. Pink is also approachable and it’s fun. It also doesn’t go with many colours and I think that that’s a representation of me being in my own lane. I think that Nicki Minaj said it best – Pink Print. It’s no longer about the blueprint, it’s about creating your own name.”
On her inspiration behind her interior style…
“For me, this flat represents liberation. I spent a long time living with my parents and I always wanted to create my own space and wanted to come into my house feeling completely unapologetically myself from every corner. Now, the colours are obviously inspired by me. Everything about my house is me so much so that I put my name on my entrance wall, just in case I ever forget who I am. It’s about constantly empowering myself. It’s about creating a space that is a reflection of you.”
On the rules she lives by to be her best authentic self and being a cultural hybrid…
“I live by feeling. If it doesn’t feel right, it’s probably not right for you. I live by being unapologetic. So it’s important to be sensitive but also to be comfortable. I come from a very entrepreneurial background, a very public and traditional family. So according to ‘this’ timeline, I’m supposed to be three kids in… I’m two dogs in instead, but you’re responsible for your own happiness. So this is how I run my life. If I don’t want to do something, I don’t do it. If I don’t feel happy, I say so. I don’t change myself in any environment. I take a piece of Nigeria with me everywhere I go and vice versa, as I’m product of a number of cultural hybrids.”
On growing up in Nigeria and moving to the UK at age 13…
“Moving here when I was 13, it was difficult. I felt different, I looked different and everything was different and I so badly wanted to fit in. I think that’s why I’m a fighter. From a young age, I always wanted to be heard and be appreciated for who I was and so I tried really hard to blend in. I’m over that now…”
On her daily mantra…
“My mum told me, anything worth doing is worth doing well. It’s about not looking at what other people are doing but focusing on yourself. It’s about making sure that you’re in a place where you’re always over-delivering. Every gig I do, I want dancers and I want to go all out with production. Everyone was like: ‘It’s just a DJ gig!’ but I don’t know how to not do things in a certain way. I think that this over delivery opens doors and keeps them open.”
