Julie Adenuga And Daily Paper Join Forces to Release The First Instalment of 'Daily Life'

From broadcaster to radio host, DJ, producer and cultural creator: Julie Adenuga has certainly built a name for herself over the past decade. After a lengthy role as DJ at Beats 1 and Apple Music, the multitalented star is settling into her most recent ventures – starring as co-host of Catfish UK and working on her creative media house and platform, Don’t Trust The Internet.

And now, Julie is collaborating with Daily Paper to give her supporters a closer look into her life behind the scenes. Working with Daily Paper’s Isaac Tremaine Kimbugwe and Afeez Amao, along with director Rodrigo Inada and executive producer Jackson Forsythe, Daily Life follows the lives of creatives and gives an insight into the highs and lows that come with working in the industry.

“I guess obviously a lot of people know me through music and radio presenting, but I spoke to the guys about the fact that I really wanted to talk about all of the other things that I do – about all the other projects that I’m working on, all the other things that make me, me” Julie revealed at the screening of Daily Life.

The short film, which kicks off Daily Paper’s new docuseries and expands on their community platform Unite, follows Julie as she navigates her day-to-day life and her career. Speaking to her family and friends, Daily Life showcases to viewers what Julie means to those in her life. One of the most memorable quotes from the film comes from her mother, who describes Julie as “just like” her, “but with privilege”.

“I had a conversation with my friend the other day at a party […] and he said ‘following your dreams is a luxury’, and I forgot” Julie admits when asked about her mother’s statement. “‘Cause I’m obviously extremely privileged, and yeah. It reminded me that a lot of the people that came before us, following their dreams is like 'what?' Nah, there’s food, clothes and sleep and then a roof”.

“So, for me, I took everything from my mum. Literally just the screening before this, she was asking questions that I would ask in a Q&A, and I’m like 'Yo!' and then I thought oh yeah, I got that from her. It’s so weird, I’ve grown into my own person and forgot where I came from. It’s like I forgot that it all came from my mum and dad. So yeah. The qualities are, everything you see on me is that woman. I’m just a 33-year-old version who was born in London.”

The North London native, who is born of Yoruba parents, has racked up a number of achievements over the past decade – including making Forbes’ 30 under 30 and NME’s 500 Most Influential People in Britain list. Through it all, the entrepreneur stays true to her roots; proudly highlighting her culture and heritage in the film.

Julie reveres Daily Paper for doing the same, listing their celebration of blackness as one of the many reasons she was enthusiastic about working with the brand. “I love that it is so Black without having to say it. And as much as we live in a time now where it is important that you put a [stamp] on things that are Black and Black-owned, there’s just something about Daily Paper that just feels like, if we never had to say it, this is just on a platter for you”.

The Don't Trust The Internet creator uses Daily Life as a chance to share her vulnerabilities and the difficulties she faces – the most prominent being her struggle to find a balance between her personal life and professional career. Though career-driven and hardworking, behind Julie’s successful and glamorous career is often the neglect of her health and personal relationships – factors that she sometimes considers ‘failures’.

“The balance was remembering to eat, ‘cause I will go all day with a milk chocolate digestive biscuit – I don’t know what I’m doing, it’s mad, I just get addicted to my emails. So remembering to eat is a balance that I had to get in check”.

“Daily Life captures different sides of me, many of which were previously unseen. It transcends my career alone and explores the journey of a creative, successful personal and business life, as well as what the future holds. Daily Paper not only understood the assignment, they also went above and beyond to create something that feels authentic to both myself and the brand."

Vulnerability is a skill that Julie once found challenging – one that she had to grasp later on in life. “I grew up with three brothers and no sisters. My mum was the oldest of 11 children. So, there was nothing in my house that was feminine[…] a lot of my life was very much about being one of the boys – no time to cry” Julie reveals.

“When it came to feeling vulnerable, having open conversations, being honest about myself, swallowing my pride […] I was weak. When I wanted to be an aggy person, I got that on lock. So the failures in my personal life came from me not ever taking the time to learn that stuff, and it wasn’t until I started making friends as a grown-up adult woman, and having dinners with women […] when I started doing that, that was when I actually learned how to take better care of my personal life and of my friendships and my family”.

When asked how one can avoid similar ‘failures’, Julie suggests that this is not an option. “To avoid? You can’t avoid, it’s impossible […], I think balance is important, but I think that it’s hard to get balance if you don’t go to one side first. I think you have to feel what the imbalance feels like to get the balance, and that just happens in its own time. I don’t think you can make it happen”.

Daily Paper’s Daily Life starring Julie Adenuga will premiere on Daily Paper’s Youtube on August 1, 8PM BST.