Meet DJ, Radio Host and TV Presenter Yinka!
Unapologetic, fun, and determined are three words that can be used to describe DJ, radio host, and television presenter Yinka. Hailing from South London, the rising star started her career in the industry as a radio dj for Rinse FM in 2015. After gaining a loyal fan base, Yinka soon moved on to Capital XTRA the following year. In the time since she has given an engaging TEDx talk and fronted two documentaries.
In 2019 the emerging DJ is continuing to show no signs of slowing down, from securing hosting duties for 4music channel series Boxfresh: 2019 Spotlight to her upcoming performance on the Main Stage at the legendary Wireless Festival.
We got a chance to chat with Yinka about everything from her Wireless set, law background, and so much more…
You’re hosting and performing at the Wireless Festival next week! What are you looking forward to the most?
I think I’m looking forward to flexing in front of loads and loads of people. A lot of the times when I play DJ gigs they’ll be a little smaller and a bit more intimate. With Wireless I’m able to sort of expand my music taste and play a few risky songs that I wouldn’t necessarily get away with in a venue of two to three hundred. So if I play a song that I love, potentially 5,000 of the people might like it too, and that’s 10% of the Wireless audience. So you get to flex a bit more and have a bit more fun with DJ’ing and playing songs.
How does it feel being one of the few female artists on the line-up?
I feel pretty excited about it, to be honest. I think that while all of us have a long way to go, Wireless putting me as a headliner and performer, and Cardi B performing as well I think it’s making the right moves. It just makes me feel excited to be at the forefront of this movement.
It’s easier to break down barriers when you have a choice over the playlist you pick. It’s like my job to make up for it with the music that I choose. The more people who do the job that I do, and the more that I do it, the more people like me who will be booked to do it and then more of us there will be. It just takes time for things to get started.
What can fans expect from your performance?
I think they can expect to have a really good time. When you go to a festival, you obviously go there to see your favs perform, but you always want to be able to dance and have a good time. Also to hear songs that you maybe didn’t expect to hear, tracks that are a little bit older or brand new songs. My aim is to unplug my USB and be like “Yeah, I definitely saw a few people dancing.” I definitely have some twerking anthems. Some Megan thee Stallion, and City Girls.
Who are you looking forward to seeing?
Cardi B, Megan thee Stallion, D-Block Europe, Travis Scott. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone actually!
You have a law degree; how did you get your start in music and the industry?
When I graduated from UCL, I thought, “aw man, I don’t want to be a lawyer.” It was a tough degree, four intensive years of reading and writing about things that I can now say I wasn’t interested in. Before I didn’t know what I wanted to do so, I thought, “I’ll just go down that road.” I remember I was in Superdrug, and they have their own radio station, and I recall hearing the woman saying “that was a great song from the Saturdays also there is 3 for two” and I thought that I could do that!
How was the transition from Rinse FM breakfast show to Capital XTRA?
When I started at Rinse FM, I didn’t have a job there. They were really lovely, and they told me to float around to see what I can do and what i’ll be good at. Eventually, I got my own weekend show, which turned into a daytime show, and then it all culminated to me doing the Rinse breakfast. I didn’t even know at the time that doing breakfast is the biggest show you can do at a station. Being at Rinse, it is, and it remains such a good breeding ground for talent.
The freedom that they afford you and how friendly they are enabled me to learn who I was as a person and as a presenter/personality. For that, I’ll always be grateful for them. I was doing breakfast for over a year, when the opportunity to move on to a bigger station came, and I thought, if you want to do great things you have to make leaps. It was really scary to go from a small community hub station, to diving into the world of commercial radio. But I didn’t realize it was the same thing but just a bigger platform – a bigger station.
You’ve interviewed quite a few artist’s, which one was your, and why?
My favorite people to interview would have to be Stormzy. I’ve followed him since the beginning, so to see the heights that he’s reaching is just inspiring. Stefflon Don because she’s just so real. Trey Songz, Tory Lanez and Sean Paul.
You did a TEDx Talk (The Myth Of Escaping The Ghetto) last year, what was that experience like for you?
I didn’t know it was a TED talk, first of all, I heard “tedesc” not “TEDx.” When I walked up, I didn’t realize that everyone has been practicing. Everyone was rehearsing their speeches with queue cards and mirror talks. I was like “Oh my god, I don’t have anything prepared.” I didn’t wear any makeup, and I was wearing two little whack braids and Doc Martins in the summer.
I knew the theme was “Think Again” so I was thinking I don’t want to discuss me going to Uni, and then me coming back for radio. I thought I would watch other people and then get a little sense of what’s happening. Then they were like “you’re first”…So I went out there and was honest and told a story that I believed in, which I think you can create gold from where you’re from, you don’t have to escape your past.
When it comes to DJing, what type of mixes do you strive to make? What mood do you want listeners to feel?
I like mixing genres. My three favorite genres are Afro-beats, Afro-pop with R&B and Hip Hop. I always try to blend songs. When you come to a Yinka party or Yinka DJ set you’re not going to get straight up Jay-Z, you’re going to get a little bit of UK a little bit of US. Everyone has different taste. Being a tastemaker and being a DJ, you can show people new stuff or things they may not have heard before.
Tune into Yinka on the Capital XTRA Evening Show, Monday – Thursday from 7pm – 10pm. Yinka hosts the Main Stage at Wireless on Friday 5th July.
