Shekinah ‘Glory’ Adewumi and Precious ‘Whodis’ Okpaje
What do you think is a misconception people have about you?
Precious: That I’m unapproachable. People tend to look at me and think ‘that guy is so weird.’ If you say hi, I’ll say hi. I don’t bite.
Shekinah: I’m on that fine line of arrogance, but I call it ‘aggressive confidence’.
Precious: Haha!
Shekinah: People don’t know the difference between arrogance and aggressive confidence!
What is your death row meal?
Precious: Steak, a lot of gravy. I know this is going to sound weird, but cereal, preferably Corn Flakes with a bit of sugar. I got my croquettes, ketchup, a bit of chicken. And one can of Fanta.
Shekinah: Okay! So I need CrackBird’s soy chicken, a full bucket. Some croquettes from CrackBird.
Precious: Oooh. Don’t forget the sauce.
Shekinah: That’s all I want! Actually, I also want some suya, it’s a Nigerian dish. That’s all.
What is your favourite item of clothing that you own?
Precious: I’m wearing it right now, this jacket. It’s a red checked jacket, really comfortable and goes with everything.
Shekinah: These trousers because they make my booty pop. I swear to god! They just make my booty pop.
What’s your favourite destination to visit?
Precious: You’ve been to a lot of places.
Shekinah: I really like Copenhagen. That's my spot. I love the city at night.
Precious: I want to go back to the US. I want to live in Chicago, because that's where music is popping at the moment.
Is there any subject you wish you studied more in school?
Precious: I only did two years of business for Leaving Cert, and I enjoyed it, but made the mistake of studying something I’m already doing – music – so I’d love to go back and study business.
Shekinah: Philosophy. I feel like philosophy teaches people to be more objective, which a lot of people aren’t.
What one thing did your family or a parent teach you that you think is important?
Precious: Humility, that’s the one thing I’ve been taught from an early age. Positivity as well, to always stay positive no matter what the situation is. Everything is in a cycle, so you just have to understand that good always comes back to you. You got to believe in karma as well.
Shekinah: Confidence and self-belief. That’s my number one.
Precious: It’s true!
Do you have any motto or mantra you think about when things are getting tough?
Shekinah: I’ve got two things: thinking isn’t doing and doing is all that matters.
Precious: That’s a good one.
Shekinah: The second thing is, all things are work-out-able.
Precious: I go back to ‘put god first’, whatever god you’re serving. I can’t say much about my religion or what I believe in, I haven’t been to a church in how many years. But if you put god first, that’s pretty much it, follow that rule.
When were you in most physical pain?
Precious: A few weeks ago I went paint-balling for the first time. I have never felt so much pain.
Shekinah: Was it really that bad?
Precious: Dude, don’t get me started.
Shekinah: When I was 16 I had a football match and my thighs and my calves on both legs cramped at the exact same time. That was it for me. That was when I knew god didn’t love me!
Precious: Hahaha! ‘Not today’.
If you could achieve one thing this year what would it be?
Shekinah: I want to get a €15,000 Rolex.
Precious: Ok! That’s a good thing!
Shekinah: The Rolex Daytona, that’s what I want.
Precious: I would love to get a new car. Actually, do you know what? I would love to be recording music in a different country. Everything else will come with time. But you man, I hope you get that watch! I’m not going to lie, you deserve it.
What is your favourite animal?
Shekinah: Chimpanzee.
Precious: I love dogs. I want to get a German Shepard.
When you need a quiet day off, what’s your ideal vibe?
Shekinah: If my house is empty, I like to sit in the sitting room, with the sofa right in front of the fire, the TV right above the fireplace, a keyboard on my right-hand side and my MacBook on my lefthand side, and a duvet in case I fall asleep.
Precious: I would love to have cookies in that scenario as well, especially Oreo cookies to be exact.
What’s the worst advice you’ve ever received?
Precious: ‘Don’t do that’.
Shekinah: I don’t think I can beat that!
Precious: You know what you’re about to do something really pivotal and it’s like “don’t do it, don’t do it!” and you’re like “but it’s going to work!” That’s the worst advice.
Who’s the first person you call when something brilliant happens?
Precious: My housemate, he’s my best friend, Sean X.
Shekinah: Niall, my business partner.
What’s your most treasured memory?
Shekinah: This one time, 17 years ago, we were semi-homeless. Me and my family were staying with my dad’s friend. They had no job, nothing. My dad had a fiver left on him and he had to go to town to get stuff, and I was like ‘I want orange juice’. He only had a fiver. I was maybe 8. And he bought me the orange juice. He had to wait an extra two days before he could go into town, because he bought orange juice instead.
Precious: Wow. You know, I’m going to be controversial right now and say my first girlfriend’s kiss. You don’t know who you are. I’m just going to leave that there.
Shekinah and Precious are musicians in the band Super Silly. They play the Button Factory in Dublin on May 19th.
