As a DJ, I have more control over my creativity-DJ Cuppy

Florence Ifeoluwa Otedola better known as DJ Cuppy is a phenomenal personality who has taken the disk jockey trade to another level. Cuppy, who is the second out of four children of billionaire Femi Otedola has managed to carve a niche for herself in the Nigerian music industry. At 25, Cuppy has carved a distinctive niche for herself in the industry and thriving to tow her own path with some degree of success. In this chat with MUTIAT ALLI, Cuppy spoke about exploring music, uniqueness of been a DJ amongst others.

You are moving from being just a DJ to producing music, how much of House Music are you going to
explore?

I love House Music and that comes from living abroad and experiencing different sounds. Having spent
my last year in London, everyone loves Nigerian music. There has never been a time literally that Afro
beats has had so much light on it. I remember when I first started Deejaying when I was 18, I used to be
like scared to play Nigerian music abroad because they will book me for shows and want me to play
their own music. Over the last five years, everything has changed, so people actually book me abroad
and say they just want Nigerian music, and I feel like now I can fuse both.

How was it like always trying to play Nigerian music?

MTV Africa awards when I was a resident DJ, we were in South Africa and South Africans love Nigerian
music but they still have their own House Music. They have their Pop, and Rock, so I felt like I am here; I
got to represent Naija. Actually, I was given a list of music I could play and I started playing it but you
know for me, I took a risk and everyone loved it. After that event, I had so many people say that you
represented Nigeria so well and sometimes you have to break the rules.
What is the unique thing about being a DJ than an artiste?
The unique thing about being a DJ rather than an artiste is that you get a lot more of opportunities to
express yourselves. We are not restricted to our own songs, so I feel like I get to have my cake and eat it
too. I can play other people's songs and I can play my own songs. I have more control over my creativity
and you know, I have a lot more catalogue, artiste go and perform and they can only really perform their
own songs.

Has the BBC documentary boosted your career?

I did a documentary for BBC; it was called Lagos in London. And it was a long-term project where they
followed me and other Nigerians and it was a big piece it was globally broadcasted. But that show
definitely helped me and it was important for people to understand that despite being from Nigeria and
despite living in U.K, we still have our heritage and we are proud of what we do.
Are you making money from Deejaying or are you still a starving artiste?
I am making money and I feel like it is very important to make money now. I’m I running on a profit?
That I can't answer because I make a personal choice of branding myself. So, I have higher costs than a
lot of people because I put a lot of my money into my business with everything I do.
I have a reputation of doing things in a certain way. The reality is that I generate revenue but I have a
lot of cost some may call the unnecessary cost. But I feel like it is really important that anything you do;
you do well. And that is why maybe I am not rising in my profit, but my brand is rising in value every
single year, so it is all about creating a name that has value, I believe that can later run turns into profit
for me.

You once said people should not really look at your father but look at your talent, has people's
perception really changed?

I feel like it is changing. I being able to produce my own song and the song is actually a good song. And
working with someone like Tekno rather than maybe someone like Davido, it helps me show that
actually, I am a credible musician. The perception is changing anyway.
Your sister just introduced herself to the music industry in Nigeria, will there be any form of
collaboration?

Yes my sister Tolani has just launched her musical career and she is my older sister and I am very excited
for her. She has been doing music for a while but I am glad that the world finally gets to hear her. As far
as working together, I definitely think we will.
Was showbiz part of your family growing up or it was something you kicked-off?
Showbiz and music has always been a big part of my growing up, my father loves music and I think I the
past he did some works with Sir Shina Peters and music has always been part of the entire house. My
dad used to tell to when he used to go to the Fela Shrine and other things. Music was my exciting route
to get happy.

As an artiste’s now, what do think makes a good music?

Am not a singer but as a DJ I can explain better; there is something called frequency. When you hear a
song, there are certain sound that clashes together and it either clashes in harmony or it doesn’t. For
instance songs like Yeba, the reason the song works so well is the fact that it has a very unique sound;

the flute in the beginning of the song. Most times you look at the actual cords, notes and the way they
harmonize