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ROLLACOASTER MAGAZINE: EMERGING TALENT: FASHION & MUSIC.
Born in Tottenham to Nigerian parents, Julie Adenuga is the third of four siblings, the only sister of grime-connoisseur and content creator JME, multi-faceted icon Skepta, and younger brother and animator, Jason. Mirroring her two older brothers’ ambition to augment the rising UK rap landscape and bring Black excellence to fruition, Adenuga began her tenure as a radio host in 2010, when she joined Rinse FM, a community radio station prominent in the pirate radio movement that helped excel Grime to dizzy heights in the mid-noughties. She went on to present the drive time show, before being introduced to a wider audience as the London headline host of Beats 1 radio on Apple Music, helping steer the increasingly nuanced and prolific UK field onto a global highway in the process.
Community pumps the blood around the body of music and culture, and Adenuga became a vessel of its success and salubrity, advocating sub-scenes and aiding in the prosperity of the next generation of talent. Her tastemaking acumen and natural charisma have made her an unmissable presence in UK radio. In addition to supporting a new wave of exciting artists, Adenuga has profiled some of the most high-profile names in global music. From Jay-Z to Burna Boy, Pharrell Williams to Cardi B, Jorja Smith to Stormzy, the list is endless—a testament to her notoriety and skill as an interviewer, often giving previously unheard insight into the inner workings of these trailblazing mindsets.
Following a season-long stint co-hosting MTV’s Catfish UK: The TV Show, she has stepped forward with a mission to pursue her own creative endeavours. In 2020, she launched Don't Trust the Internet, a creative media house, and now Adenuga unveils perhaps her most refined and personal project to date…
Work In Progress is a series that gives key intuition into a range of creative and business disciplines, featuring episodes with award-winning comedian Munya Chawawa, Amelia Dimoldenberg of Chicken Shop Date fame, as well as entrepreneurs and culture figures. An intimate and instinctive project, the series delves into Adenuga and her guests’ journey to reach their current heights, inspiring viewers to follow in their footsteps.
Connecting with me via Zoom, Adenuga discusses the concept and ethos of Work In Progress, the importance of community in the progress of music and culture, and her favourite interviewee: her mother.
BEN TIBBITS: In what state of mind and stage of life are we finding you in?
JULIE ADENUGA:I feel really fucking blessed. I'm Wizkid. I can’t complain.
BEN TIBBITS: You’re a member of quite a famous family! What is it within your upbringing that has cemented, in you and your siblings, ideas of success, integrity and creativity?
JULIE ADENUGA:It’s got to be our parents. All the keys are in my Mum’s memoir, Endless Fortune. It’s the best book I’ve ever read.
BT: To you, how integral is community in the progression of music and culture?
JA:It doesn’t take a genius to look at the most pivotal moments in history and see that community has always played a key part. Even when you look at the tragedies of today; it comes back to the collective efforts of all, putting their differences to the side, to fight for the bigger picture.
BT: What’s been your personal favourite interview that you’ve done?
JA:Interviewing my Mum for Bella Naija. I found out who her favourite child is!
BT: Who else is on your interviewing bucket list?
JA:T-Pain but it needs to happen in a strip club. I’ve never been to one before.
BT: What have been your proudest career moments?
JA:Hosting the red carpet at London Film Festival in 2021 and interviewing Jay Z at the premiere of Jeymes Samuel’s The Harder They Fall. (Not sure I dropped enough names there…)
BT: In your eyes, what industry figures are leading the way in terms of innovation and positive change?
JA:Daniel Kaluuya. He’s an Oscar-winning actor who just wrote, directed and produced his first feature film, whilst being the associate artistic director at Roundhouse establishing a youth theatre with classes for £2 an hour. That’s the bar. That’s the aim. That’s the goal.
BT: Congratulations on Work In Progress! What was the process behind envisioning and conceptualising the new series?
JA:I’ve been embracing my inner Tyler, The Creator and immersing myself as deeply as possible into things I like, things that I think are innovative and things that move me. I love interviewing people, I believe it’s one of my greatest talents. I wanted to make a show that was different to anything else I’d seen before, something that people would remember and allow me to incorporate different sides of my personality too.
BT: What is the motive behind the series?
JA:I want people to embrace imperfection. I want people to be more honest with themselves. Work In Progress is about me and my guests being realistic and open about who we are. You don’t need to be perfect to accomplish your goals.
BT: The series has a really homely, intimate feel. What influenced that?
JA:I didn’t want any distractions, I wanted to feel relaxed and I wanted to have the choice to make a cup of tea and eat food.
BT: What drew you towards guests like Munya Chawawa and Amelia Dimoldenberg?
JA:I like people who can teach me things, people who are honest about their journeys, people who are really really smart and people who don’t give up.
BT: What do you think will allow the show to stand out in a congested market? What can viewers expect?
JA:It has a concept that I’ve never seen before and combines different elements from shows that I love and watch all the time.
BT: What aspect of your career are you most excited about moving forward?
JA:Working more overseas in Africa and the USA. I’m a global babe.
Photography by Vicky Grout at Soho Management
Styling by Kiera Liberati
Words by Ben Tibbits
Hair by Rufina Stuart, REFORMED HAIR (@reformedhair)
Makeup by Maha Alselami (@maha.gram)
Photography Assistant Alex Galloway (@alexgallowaay)
Fashion Assistant Nnenna Egele @nnenna_maria
Special thanks to Packshot Studios