by Rachel Ogbu//

bIn January 2017, Fader Magazine tagged Nigerian-British on-air personality Julie Adenuga “The Most Trusted Voice In UK Music” dubbing her as one of London’s most vital tastemakers but how did she get there?

Julie Adenuga only came on the scene in 2010 (Rinse FM) but now she’s been named as one of Forbes 30 under 30 and NME’s 500 Most Influential People in Britain and in Debrett’s 500 List: Music.

The Apple radio Beats 1 anchor and DJ gained popularity in 2013 after she created and hosted “Play It”, a music television show on Channel AKA and Daily Motion which significantly raised the profile of British rap and grime genres. Her older brothers Junior and Jamie (MCs Skepta and JME) also inspired her career choice in music.  “At no stage did I sit down and read a book about [DJing],” she told Fader.

About her upbringing the 28-year-old says: “To have respect in Nigerian culture, you can’t give your mum or anyone older than you anything with your left hand. That’s seen as disrespectful. If an auntie or uncle walks in a room, you touch the floor. Growing up as an English-born Nigerian person, there were just things that my friends at school weren’t really going to understand. But I liked [those customs]. It’s not a weakness to be a nice person.”

Speaking about music awards and the music industry; she says: “There are some artists that will never be on a late-night TV show, because they don’t fit into a certain box, because they don’t adhere to certain rules. I would change that. All platforms should be accessible to all artists. A lot of music is celebrated, but [once] you reach a certain level, it’s only Adele. I would change it so the English public can see all the types of music that exist out there.”

In 2017, she became an ambassador for Lancome and featured in the LANCÔME | My Shade, My Power Campaign.

photo: /julieadenuga.com