Tastemaker and presenter Julie Adenuga has been cultivating a genuine and authentic voice in the UK music and culture landscape over the past 15 years – earning her stripes as a charismatic and in-demand creative. In a social-media-obsessed world where influencers churn out content, and tabloid articles verge on clickbait, Adenuga has steadily remained a thoughtful presence from the start. No matter the project she takes on, she does it with heart. It’s easy to see where this seemingly innate ability comes from – years of self-belief and hustling.

Before she became known for her roles at Rinse FM as a DJ and as an Apple Music Beats 1 presenter, she worked inside an Apple retail store. Before that, she grew up in a household of music lovers in Meridian Walk Council Estate in Tottenham alongside three brothers, two of whom went on to esteemed music careers under the grime and rap monikers, Skepta and JME. Everything that Julie and her family have achieved over the years is due to this unwavering sense of belief and enthusiasm for the arts – nothing was handed to them on a silver platter.

For Julie, her artistry has flourished in numerous ways. Not only has she interviewed global talent such as Jay-Z, Billie Eilish, Pharrell Williams, and Britney Spears, to name a few, but she’s built a name synonymous with good storytelling, which traverses radio, television, events, and the internet. She founded the production house Don’t Trust The Internet and created the YouTube and live event series Julie’s Top 5 in 2019. The series, which Adenuga also hosts, sees the music lover and guests debate, discuss and decide on their favourite artist’s Top 5 songs ever. Leaving room for passionate debate and hilarious moments.

On April 14, Julie’s Top 5 will be live and direct in London for the second-ever addition of the Roundhouse’s Three Sixty Festival. The annual event hosts a range of unique performances, world exclusives and unmissable collaborations throughout the month. Adenuga was invited to bring Julie’s Top 5 to the iconic venue and will be putting on a special event with guests Trevor Nelson and Chuckie Online. They’ll be battling out to answer one impossible question: what are the Top 5 Black British anthems of all time? By the end of the night, only five songs will make it to the final list.

Undoubtedly, she has achieved so much in her career to date, but it truly feels like Adenuga is entering her most exciting chapter yet, and there is much more to come.

In conversation with 1883 Magazine’s Cameron Poole, Julie Adenuga discusses bringing Julie’s Top 5 to the iconic Roundhouse, how she keeps a meaningful presence online in the age of AI, and reflects on her family’s journey.

Julie, thanks for speaking with 1883 Magazine. What does it mean to you to be invited to be part of the second-ever RoundHouse Three Sixty Festival this month? Especially when it’s at such an iconic venue and the curated lineup is brilliant.

Yeah. Oh my goodness, what does it mean for me? Firstly, in a way, there’s a lot of pressure on it, it’s the second one. I definitely feel we need to uphold the standard of the first one, because I attended the first one. I went to Munya Chawawa’s event that he did there last year. I vividly remember what that was like, and so in my brain, I need to do that or more. So there’s pressure there, but also I feel very honoured. I feel flattered because they’ve asked me to host an event around a format that I created that no one’s seen in nearly four years. So it feels good to know that something that I made up, seven years ago now, is loved so much that they would want to see it in that way, in such an iconic and beautiful space.

It is weird because you’re on emails with them, you’re talking and everybody’s like, ‘yeah, this is the plan, this is what we’re going to do’, and then I went to the venue, and it was only when I walked in there and looked, I stood in the center and looked up at the ceiling, and it was only there that it really sort of hit me – this is the Roundhouse. This is crazy. I’m extremely excited. I can’t believe I get to be on the stage and shout at people about music; it’s going to be incredible.

You’ll be bringing Julie’s Top 5 Live to the venue with guests such as Trevor Nelson and Chuckie Online – it’s going to bring up such an interesting debate, as there are so many brilliant black British artists who deserve a space in the Top 5 anthems. What do you hope the audience takes away from the evening?

I would love for the audience to bring their own list, and I would love for them to vehemently disagree with everything we’re saying, because I want them to take away the feeling of being a part of the discussion. In the past, when people are watching online, I normally get tagged in videos of people shouting or just straight up writing in caps that this is wrong. ‘You are wrong!’ [laughs]. But when we’re filming it, it’s different because nobody’s there, and you can kind of get caught up in the discussion between you and the other panelists. 

We did a Renaissance one [with a live audience], we’ve had people come up and have full on testimonies at the front of the stage, they refused to give the mic back straight up, did the whole dance routines to songs in front of us. For me, that’s the point of the show. Yes, we’re sort of on the stage having the conversation, but I really want the audience to come in with all of their passion, love about music and make sure that they feel heard. If they take away anything it’s that nobody is off limits, even if it’s Trevor Nelson, you can tell him that he is wrong, which I’m praying someone does, because I don’t think I’m going to have the guts to do it myself.

The format has grown remarkably over the last seven years, even if there’s been fewer episodes. Just looking at how it started in a small space, discussing J Hus to ever-increasing production values. What’s your vision for this series moving forward?

I had this conversation yesterday with one of my team members about Julie’s Top Five. For me, I think the next stage, naturally is what it looks like for people to have these conversations all over the world. And you know, if it’s possible, can I be there? Can I be sitting in Ghana, having conversations about music with music lovers who were born and raised in Accra? Can I do that in New York City with music lovers who were born and raised in Brooklyn or in Queens, or in NYC or wherever? To me, that would be the ideal.

I kind of, over the years, have noted a throughline between everything that I do, which is about bringing people together in some way and allowing people to find their similarities, whether that be due to contention, or whether it be due to passion, or whatever it is. I love the idea of people being able to do that.

So, the future of it looks like me being present and using Julie’s Top Five to be able to connect with passionate music lovers and passionate people in general, because Julie’s Top Five doesn’t always have to be about music. It can be us arguing about anything. We will always find something that we have in common with other people.

Sometimes it’s important to like… rank the best biscuits, or our top five movies, it can be anything. As long as no one puts Jaffa Cakes in the best top five biscuits, I’ll be fine. So for me, it’s like, where can I be where people are passionate and want to talk about the things that they love.

In a world where churning out content is becoming more prevalent, alongside the rising use of AI, how do you, as a Tastemaker and presenter, remain intentional in your project choices, whilst keeping a meaningful online presence?

What a great question Cameron, it’s something that I think about every single day, especially as we’ve been working on what promotion for this live event looks like. It’s really easy to see what everybody else is doing and think I’ll do that, you know, I’ll do a POV video, or I’ll do a ‘here’s five things you’re doing wrong when’. Do you know what I mean? There’s just so much stuff that’s become repetitive now. I struggle to do things I don’t feel real or right to me. I think it’s finding the line in between, because sometimes I’m like ‘Oh, I don’t want to do that’, and it’s normally because I just feel a bit nervous about it, or it’s something I haven’t tried before, and I’m stepping out my comfort zone. But then there’s some things that I’m just like, ‘I would never do that’. If I stepped out my body and looked at Julie, would she be doing that? And the answer is no. So for me, that’s just where I draw the line.

It’s about thinking about the why. It’s about knowing who I am and doing the things that makes sense to me. It’s weird, because whilst doing all of that, you simultaneously have to not overthink it as well. So it’s a really weird combination. But yeah, I want to encourage people through my own content that I make and things that I do, to remember that we are still individuals and we all still bring something unique to the table. Yes, there are things online that ‘work’, have engagement, reach, and all these fun words that have now become a part of our everyday vocabulary. But ultimately, what we should be trying to do when we’re online creating things for people to see, we should be trying to find the thing that makes us special, the thing that we’ve noticed, that nobody else does like us, the languages that we speak in our homes, that nobody else knows that we speak, the experiences that we’ve had.

That’s what I want to see more of, and that’s what I try to do when I create content online. But yes, it is something that I think a lot of people online, especially if you’ve seen the internet and social media evolve over the years, It’s something that I think a lot of people probably have to think about more than they should. In a world where there’s so much going on, you want to be able to contribute in a good way.

There’s just so much stuff out there online. So it’s important to be an authentic voice, and try not to burn from it all. The world can be a very dark place, so it’s nice to be able to spread good knowledge and positivity when possible. And it’s just nice because it may not be a thing you may not realise, but maybe you do this really, this thing you’ve put your heart and soul into, and when it gets released, it could make someone’s day when they see it. I’m just rambling now, but there’s just so much filler and noise out there, isn’t there.

It’s calm. Yeah, it’s hard, because people respond to it. I think previously, you would assume that feedback is the best way forwards when you want to know what works and what doesn’t work. I say ‘work’, or what’s good and what’s interesting, what’s going to move the needle, what’s going to be exciting for people? You would sit and you listen to feedback, but people respond to anything now. It’s hard to know where everybody’s tastes and interests lie. A person sitting down saying, ‘I’m going to stare at my computer for 15 hours’, and everybody loves it. And then it can be someone who has put in, god knows how much time, effort and finances into creating something that is unique and different, and people love that as well.

So I think for the average person who wakes up and wants to create content, you can imagine  some people don’t actually have to think that hard. They can just do anything, and people will like it. So it really comes down to hoping that more people want to take pride in what it is that they create and release into the world for eternity. That’s all you can do, is hope that people think ‘you know what, I really want to see that and go, I love that I did that, I respect that I did that, and this is something that I believe is going to be useful or meaningful’. But yeah, you can’t control everyone. And I guess that’s part of the world, isn’t it? Is being around so many different types of people from different walks of life, and just being susceptible to experience whatever comes from that. It’s a very interesting thing that we were probably going to experience for the rest of time, actually, now at this stage.

I just want to take a moment and reflect on how far you and your family have come. From growing up in Meridian Walk Estate, you’ve gone from Apple store employee to hosting on Apple Music radio, collaborating with huge brands, travelling the world, and cultivating an authentic voice in music culture. Your family has made a lasting impact on the music landscape as well. How does that journey make you feel?

Oh, my goodness. I think in times I can feel that I’ve finished living in a way, I feel like I’ve seen so many things, I’ve done so many things, I’ve experienced so much. It can kind of feel like I’m ready for retirement, ‘Okay, I’m done’, there’s no way there’s more to see. It’s not even the amount of time. It’s actually the scale of the experiences, the dreams that have been realised, the difference between then and now. When I think back, I’m a digital hoarder, I’m not a physical hoarder as much anymore. I have about nine hard-drives of old videos, pictures, and every once in a while, when I go to look for something, I’ll end up just sitting and looking through pictures of the house we used to live in, of how I used to do my hair,  the trips we went on, the phones that we used to have. I’ve got a picture of my first iPhone when I got it, seeing Jamie (JME) doing competitions to give away copies of his album, and one person won an iPad, and we’ve drawn, the tournament table, I took a picture of that and that was going back to 2008 or 2009.

Like I said, it’s not about the time, it’s about the change. When I look around at my life now about where I am, where I live, who I speak to, the relationships that I’ve built. It feels like I’ve completed life. It’s a weird thing to think, because I know, for me, I’ve kind of been stuck… what should I do now? I find myself in positions where I’m sort of just almost like an onlooker. I’m sitting down, watching other people and enjoying them experience these things in life that I’ve experienced already. And wanting to give guidance and advice to people because I feel like I’ve done it, there’s nothing for me to do anymore. So recently, I think I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking: okay, cool, Julie. You know, it’s not over [laughs].

Hopefully, fingers crossed, I’m still going to live the whole life I’ve lived now, I’ve still got that much time again, plus more. So, what do you want to do? I’ve been asking myself that question, and just waiting to see what happens. It’s definitely a beautiful thing to have, and being extremely grateful feels like such an understatement. Honestly, before bed every night, I say thank you for the life that I’ve lived so far. Now, I guess, it’s just figuring out what’s going to fill me with joy and bring me happiness. I’m reminding myself that actually, even though I’m really proud of and excited about where I am right now, it wasn’t always like that. I think being open to the fact that it’s not always going to be great again, that there is a need for a bit of adversity, and there is a need for not knowing, trialing and errors, making mistakes and it being okay before I sort of ‘find this moment again’ that I have now. 

But it does feel like I’m living two lives, if I’m honest. I feel like I’ve finished my first book, released it, and now I’m starting a new memoir. If there’s one thing that does live within me now that I think is a huge part of the next phase of my existence is spending time with people. I’ve noted, when I look back through all my hard-drives of information, data, pictures and videos, my favourite times have been spending time with people. I just love it. I think it’s great, whether I’m in a room with family and we’re watching that America’s Next Top Model documentary, which is great, [laughs], or we’re doing a games night, or we’re in an escape room, or we’re trying to solve a murder mystery at Christmas. Anything that involves me being around a group of people is where I find the most joy. So that’s definitely something that I want to do going forward, if nothing else.

After such a loaded question, got to bring it back to something simple but may be very tough. What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to and why?

I’ll give you some contenders before I answer the question. Watch The throne, Kanye West, Jay-Z, in Paris at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy [now called the Accor Arena]. Doja Cat, the Scarlet tour, I believe it was at The Forum in LA and the pop-up Kendrick Lamar, at The Forum in LA on Juneteenth. The Skepta Konnichiwa show at Alexandra Palace was a game changer.

These are all great. You may not be able to pick one, so if you choose not, I understand.

For Watch The Throne, they did ‘Niggas in Paris’ 14 times. I was in a mosh pit in Paris. I’m probably forgetting some as well, this is a very hard question. But the pop out was crazy. When ‘Not Like Us’ came on, I think I lost my mind. I nearly threw my phone. But Doja Cat, okay, hold on. And then, the Skepta show was when he lit the car on fire at the end, I made a documentary about him with Apple, and that was the culmination of it. That was crazy, Cameron, what kind of question is!

[Laughs], it is a tough one.

I’m missing [Beyonce’s] Renaissance, Cameron. I went to Tottenham, Hotspur Stadium. I went twice. I think I could smell Beyonce from where I was standing. It was my first time seeing her as well. I’d never seen her live, ever. I’m going to pick, I’m going to go with my gut as I always do. I have to go with Watch The Throne, Kanye West and Jay-Z. I couldn’t speak at the end, I remember being in that mosh pit and in a venue of that size, like I’ve been in mosh pits many times in my life, but in a venue that size, a mosh pit of that size, I’ve never been in, and I don’t think I will ever be in one that size again. I literally was running. You’ll see videos of it. It’s online. 

And then I remember Hit-Boy came into the most pit at one point. I remember running into a work colleague from the Apple store in that mosh pit randomly, didn’t even know he was in Paris. As we were leaving, I had my merch bag in my hand, and I still have the piece of merch inside the packet. I never opened it. I never wore the t-shirt. It’s still there. I remember seeing my older brother and his friends as I was walking out, and I also didn’t know they were there. It was magical. I couldn’t have planned it that well if I tried, it was sensational. 

As someone who’s interviewed a lot of people, including Jay-Z, what goes through your mind before an interview, and do you have any golden rules on the art form?

You know, what’s funny, Cameron, it’s been a while since I’ve interviewed someone, and I genuinely worry that I’ve forgotten how to do it. Going back to what you were saying before, about there being so much to consume nowadays, I find myself questioning what it is about my interview style that people really gravitate to and resonate with. I’ve been watching Omondi On The Cutting Roomfloor, and I love her interview style. I think she’s one of the best at what she does, and then I’ll watch something like Drink Champs with Noreaga and I’m like… this is an interview [laughs]. But again, people resonate with it, love it, and it’s just a completely different experience. 

But I guess one of the things that all of those people… you know like David Letterman, they all have in common is that they have their own style. And I think, what is my style? I think mine is definitely curiosity. I find that I still, to this day, get excited like a teenager when I hear something or see someone that I find to be inspirational. My curiosity about them always leans into this: teenager in their bedroom, dreaming to be someone and being inspired by the genius of public figures. I think where I start from when interviewing people is: what do I admire about this person? And the curiosity of what is in them, what happened to them, what are their experiences. If they had to answer the question, what is it in them that makes them do that thing, or that led to them singing that lyric or doing that background vocal, or writing that sentence, or creating that TV show.

It’s all curiosity and that is my interview style. As much as I admire that sort of the journalism, the ability to ask what someone would deem a kind of hard hitting question, or lean into a topic that feels a little bit like there’s going to be a bit of friction or tension with the person, because it can end up being in the click bait world or whatever. I’ve always wondered if I could do that. I think the reason that I don’t do it is because I’m not curious about the things that feed gossip or feed tabloids with low-vibrational things which want to make people feel small, I’m less interested in that. I’m more interested in talking about what makes them special. If you, your wife, and your sister-in-law had a fight in a lift, I don’t actually care what that was about, it doesn’t mean anything to me.  

I am not a fan of you because of that, I’m not excited about you Solange, because there is a thing which happened in your private life. I’m excited about you because you went away and made a fucking seat at the table, and I want to know how the fuck you did that [laughs]. So when I’m preparing for an interview, I just sit with my curiosity, what do I want to know about a person? Which is why it’s really hard for me to interview people that I don’t particularly know very well or care about their art. It’s also why when I interview someone, afterwards, I become their biggest fan because I’ve just spent time listening to them or reading about them. You know Mastermind when you have specialist topics. I feel that after every interview, I could do a Mastermind episode on that person.

After the Roundhouse event, would you like to take Julie’s Top 5 Live anywhere else?

Most definitely. So far we’ve done Earth Hackney, Islington Assembly Hall, we did a random venue in Carnaby Street during a Soho festival. We’ve done Bush Theatre, and now, of course, we’re doing the Roundhouse.

I think people being in the room with the music and us is always going to be a fun night out for everybody. I would love to play in different venues. I wonder how big it could get as well. I don’t know if it’s the same if we’re on stage and there are 20,000 people [laughs].

That would be a lot of shouting at people.

There would be a lot of shouting, yeah. I wonder how big it gets, and the need for the intimacy, where does it stop? I would really love to play loads of venues. There’s much less places to spend an evening out which aren’t just a party. I would love to be a staple live event that happens in London, which people can trust is going to be an enjoyable experience.

Finally, what is one thing you would like to manifest for yourself this year and why?

Oh my goodness, good health. I would love to manifest good health. I didn’t realise how broad that was. In my head, it was eating regularly and exercise but good health is actually everything. It’s taking regular breaks from this wonderful laptop I spend eight hours plus a day on. It’s making sure I’m not sitting down for hours on it, it’s not working too much which is a big thing for me as I’m very addicted to working. It’s not just eating regularly but eating well, drinking loads of water. It’s inside and outside health is a true definition of the word holistic, I guess. 

Health is a big thing for me, I want to feel healthier, I want to be healthier because sometimes, Cameron, I’m like, ‘this is the most important project in the world!’ And then I get to the end, and I can’t even enjoy it because I don’t feel that great, need to rest, and I’m burnt out. So to prioritise my health is a big one, and to make it so I can do these live shows and be shouting non-stop for the next 10 to 20 years is the goal. 

I know you’ve been on both sides, Julie, as an interviewer and interviewee, and this is just another one of them, but it means a lot.  I’m also the same; I only interview talent I have a genuine interest in or if I enjoy their work. So thanks for your time, it is greatly appreciated.

Thank you, Cameron. I appreciate you saying that. We’re very similar, you and I, as I say the same to people. Even if I have a meeting with someone so I can ask some advice, I feel the same way and thank them. May there be more Camerons in the world, please and thank you [laughs].

Julie’s Top 5 Live is taking place at RoundHouse Three Sixty Festival on April 14. You can buy tickets by clicking here.

Interview Cameron Poole

Photography Jake Green

Stylist Rhea Francois

MUA Maha Alselami