Nigerian disc jockey Florence Otedola, popularly known as DJ Cuppy, has explained that her decision to ditch her trademark pink appearance was driven by personal growth and her desire not to be associated with just one colour.
The entertainer, who built an international identity around her pink hair, clothing and accessories, spoke about the change in a video clip from her interview with GQ Poland, which she shared on X on Friday.
For several years, pink served as more than a fashion preference for Cuppy, becoming a defining part of her public image, personality and identity in a male-dominated entertainment industry.
“I was known for the colour pink, and it was my identity for so many years, and a lot of people are asking what happened to the pink,” she said.
But according to Cuppy, growth demanded evolution.
“I want people to understand that actually growth is something that will always come, and I don’t think I should be boxed into a colour,” she said.
“Pink for me meant power, vibrancy, expression, unapologeticness, positionality, and that’s still me, but I’m able to express it through other colours as well.”
Cuppy linked the origin of the pink era to the early days of her career, about 17 years ago, when she was a young woman trying to carve a space for herself in entertainment.
“When I think about my style, I think about a woman in a male-dominated industry,” she said. “Maybe also when I first started 17 years ago, a young girl that was using pink to represent her femininity and stay in the room.”
Speaking now, she said that phase has served its purpose.
“Now that I’ve been through a lot of doors and kicked down some windows, I feel like I can represent my femininity through any colour,” she said.
Describing her current style, Cuppy said it is “vibrant, grounded and ethnical”, a shift she presents not as a departure from who she was, but as an expansion of who she has become.