ON HER STELLAR CAREER, GIVING BACK AND LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
INTERVIEW: SALLY MORGAN PHOTOS: NICKY JOHNSTON STYLING: ARABELLA BOYCE MAKE-UP: NEUSA NEVES AT ARLINGTON ARTISTS USING NARS MAKE-UP, GLOW RECIPE SKINCARE & KISS LASHES HAIR: PHILLIP ENYINNAYA For more on The Cuppy Africa Oxford Scholars Fund and Africa Oxford Initiative, visit www.afox.ox.ac.uk.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW AND PHOTOS
I f the expression “in the pink” epitomised anyone, it would without doubt be global music producer DJ Cuppy.
Not only does she drive a Barbiehued Bentley, she also rocks blush-coloured bouffants and cocoons herself in la vie en rose at her plush London home, dubbed the Pink Penthouse, which features furnishings and even ornamental palm trees in various shades on the cerise spectrum.
And as the flamboyant international DJ invites us into her riverside residence, which commands spectacular views of the capital’s famous landmarks, she exclusively tells HELLO! about her extraordinary career, how a near collision led to love and why she’s giving £100,000 to African students at the University of Oxford.
FIGHTING STEREOTYPES
“When I became a DJ, the obsession some people had with me being female made me decide to transform the stereotype about what that means into a superpower,” she says, posing next to her favourite pink potted palm tree.
“Pink is over-feminised and represents weakness and softness to many people, but now it’s become my strength and brand identity.”
Born Florence Otedola into an affluent family – her father is Nigerian billionaire businessman Femi Otedola – 30-year-old Cuppy led a privileged life, with homes in Lagos, London, Dubai and Monaco, but chose to turn the tables on cultural traditions.
“I was expected to get married and have children, become a housewife of leisure or maybe work for my father,” she says. “But I’ve done the opposite and created a new identity for myself.
“When I told my dad I wanted to be a DJ, he replied: ‘If you’re going to do it, be the best.’ My family are behind me a hundred per cent.”
They also supported her whirlwind engagement – eventually.
Cuppy was cruising down a mountain in her Bentley in Abu Dhabi at the Gumball 3000 Rally last November when she almost literally bumped into professional boxer Ryan Taylor, in what she describes as a “movie moment”.
“He was on his bicycle and I almost hit hi
