Cuppy graces the cover of ReVamp Magazine’s latest issue

International Disc Jockey Cuppy is the face of ReVamp Magazine, an online publication comprising articles, photoshoots, and interviews with artists and creatives from all over the world.

Cuppy discusses her beginnings, where her stage name came from, her musical influences, relocating to London, the differences between the music scenes in Nigeria and the UK, her work in charity, and much more in her interview with the magazine.

Below are excerpts from the conversation:

Where did the DJ name Cuppy come from?

At 16, I began my career as a DJ. I was terrible, but I was anxious for opportunities. My friend said, “Everyone calls her cupcake,” when I was asked what I wanted to be called when someone wanted to introduce themselves to me. Then it progressed to become Cupcake, Cupito, etc. I didn’t fully understand branding until I temporarily relocated to New York to work with Jay-Z and Roc Nation. When I realized the Cupcake name was too long, I abbreviated it to Cuppy.

What musical influences did you have growing up? And how did they help influence your DJ career and brand?

My brand is undoubtedly a synergy of all the places I’ve gone, if I think about it. One of my earliest recollections is singing African icon Fela Kuti in the car with my father. I was born in Lagos, Nigeria. You can only imagine how much time I spent listening to his music given how congested Lagos is. I started drumming in school even before I could read and write. That is how Africans communicate, through the use of music.

When I initially went to London as a youngster, I recall falling in love with neighborhoods like Cargo and Egg and my initial reaction upon hearing “Free from Desire” was, “Wow.” I’m a huge Beatles fan as well. I recently released an album called Original Copy, and the unashamedly authentic musical legends I adore greatly impacted it. That’s the core of my brand. “You were born in this world an original, therefore don’t die a copy,” is a saying I try to live by.

With all these different entrepreneurial hats, how do you manage burnout?

It’s crucial to realize that getting burned out and stressed out are not cool. Take things slowly and develop the ability to refuse. While I portray success as being active and productive, the truth is that those might occasionally be our loneliest moments. The worst aspect about burnout is that you lose memory of events. It’s crucial to consider both #wemove and #weselfcare.