Nigerian disc jockey and singer, Florence Otedola, better known by her stage name, DJ Cuppy rang the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday.
The ringing of the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange is critical to the orderly functioning of the marketplace, assuring that no trades take place before the opening or after the close. The colourful tradition signifies the opening or closing of the day’s trading.
The ringing the New York Stock Exchange bell is an honour usually bestowed on business executives, CEOs and celebrities.
DJ Cuppy is the first Nigerian entertainer to ring the bell at the New York Stock Exchange. The “Gelato” crooner was granted the honour to ring the NYSE opening bell in the company of the vice-president, NYSE listings, Chris Taylor.
Ringing the Opening Bell for the New York Stock Exchange at 26 years old is a memory I will always treasure! Thank you @GlblCtzn ⭕️🛎🌍 #CuppyOnAMission pic.twitter.com/OuYaZKR73T
— Cuppy (@cuppymusic) September 26, 2019
The 26-year-old daughter of billionaire Femi Otedola was joined on the podium by Nigerian-Canadian Alternative Soul & Afrobeats artist, Falana who recently concluded her Chapter One Tour across four cities in Africa.
The feat was powered by the Global Citizen initiative to celebrate the launch of Global Citizen Week ahead of the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park on September 29th.
Cuppy first introduced herself in 2013 as a celebrity DJ with a plan to establish herself in the most male-dominated profession inside of a male-dominated industry.
She was a resident DJ at the 2014 MTV Africa Music Awards, MTV’s 2-season show “Uncommon Sense” and Cosmopolitan magazine’s #FunFearlessLife festival.
She also featured on shows such as E! Reality’s “House of DvF” where she gained maximum exposure. She was crowned the Best Female DJ for 2015 at the Nigeria Entertainment Awards (NEA).
Cuppy latest single “Gelato“, which featured rapper Zlatan Ibile, clinched the number three spot on the Apple Music chart on the first day of release.