FEATURE:
Spotlight
PHOTO CREDIT: Daniel Rodgers for British Vogue
put out too much music so far, there are signs to suggest Ceechynaa is going to be a big feature of the U.K. Rap scene. At the moment, I think that a lot of attention is on U.S. Hip-Hop. A huge amount of time was given over to the beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. When it came to focusing on women in Hip-Hop, there was very little of that. The U.K. scene not given much spotlight at all. A tremendous rapper and fresh voice how can enliven our Hip-Hop scene, I wanted to spend some time with an incredible talent. I do hope that there are more interviews with Ceechynaa this year. I will focus on quite a detailed one from 2023. First, here is some background detail about the amazing Ceechynaa:
“Ceechynaa, also known as Peggy, is a UK-based rapper and influencer who has quickly established herself as a rising star in the music and entertainment industry. Gaining recognition from British Vogue as one of the most exciting female rappers, she has redefined success through her unique blend of rap and R&B. Her journey reflects resilience, transitioning from adult entertainment to becoming an independent music artist, proving her ability to adapt and thrive in different creative spaces.
Peggy’s music resonates with authenticity and bold storytelling, addressing themes of empowerment, style, and ambition. Known as the First Lady of Juicy Couture, she merges music with a distinct fashion-forward image, creating a brand that appeals to a global audience. Her singles, released independently, reflect her passion for music and her commitment to artistic freedom, allowing her to maintain control over her creative vision.
Beyond music, Ceechynaa embraces social media as a powerful tool to connect with fans and showcase her personality. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube have become her stages, where she delivers engaging content ranging from viral videos to behind-the-scenes glimpses of her life. Her relatable captions, combined with striking visuals, make her a dynamic figure in both the music and influencer spaces
Ceechynaa’s influence goes beyond entertainment, as she advocates for consistency, confidence, and empowerment. By collaborating with prominent brands like British Vogue and 1XBLUE, she aligns her image with luxury and authenticity. Her goal remains clear: to inspire women to break barriers, embrace their individuality, and carve out their own success stories, just as she has done.
Ceechynaa’s TikTok presence stands out as her strongest platform, with 606.6K followers and an impressive 124.59% engagement rate. By leveraging her music and personality, she creates captivating short-form videos that frequently go viral. Her content often includes behind-the-scenes moments, music previews, and candid interactions, connecting directly with her audience. Videos like her December uploads have amassed millions of views, showcasing her ability to trend organically.
Consistency is key to her success on TikTok, where she uploads 1.9 videos per week, aligning her content with TikTok’s fast-paced algorithm. Posting twice a week at 3 PM ensures that her audience remains engaged at peak scrolling hours. Her content thrives on relatability and high energy, whether it's through lip-syncs, choreography, or emotionally charged snippets of her music. These approaches amplify her visibility and keep her audience invested in her journey.
Ceechynaa also embraces trends and challenges, positioning herself within the viral culture while still maintaining her unique edge. By combining trending audio with her signature style, she bridges the gap between mainstream appeal and personal artistry. Her videos invite conversations, sparking thousands of comments, likes, and shares that solidify her influence among fans and newcomers”.
I am going to move to a Vogue interview from the start of last year. However, with a new single out, there has been fresh attention for Ceechynaa. Peggy is a remarkable cut from one of the brightest and most promising names in U.K. Hip-Hop. A terrific artist that everyone needs to keep an eye out for. Before moving on, GRM Daily wrote a few words about Peggy:
“Ceechynaa is back with a bang, dropping a fiery new song and accompanying video after a period of silence.
Fans have been eagerly awaiting her return and she delivers with a track that’s both controversial and unapologetically raw. Known for her fearless lyricism and bold persona, she doesn’t hold back, addressing hot topics with her trademark sharpness and unfiltered style. This release reaffirms her reputation as an artist unafraid to push boundaries and speak her mind, making it well worth the wait for her fans”.
I am interested to see how British Rap and Hip-Hop unfolds and evolves this year. Among the queens of the scene is Ceechynaa. I do hope that we get more print interviews with her. Before finish up, Vogue spoke with a young and ambitious rappers in U.K. Hip-Hop:
“The 20-year-old rapper is here to give her first published interview since breaking onto the For You Page with a Dickensian “Oi, mate!” back in August. Still an independent artist, Ceechynaa has accrued more than 10 million streams for “Legal Baby” and “Last Laugh”, both of which have been designed with the specific intention of intimidating the sort of men who perceive feminism to be harmful. And so she creates dark and ominous moods, backdropped with sirens and pitch-shifted cackles, her lyrics always teetering on the seductive and sadistic: “Just lead him on / Tease / And scam him”. “There are so many male rappers that just degrade women and so I think we need an artist to come in and talk about them in the same way they do about women,” Ceechynaa says. “I’m all about female empowerment and so I write about things that make women feel in control. Financial domination and stuff. I want women to know that they don’t have to fit into what society tells them to.”
This isn’t a particularly new spirit for a female rapper to inhabit, but the fact that it’s coming from someone like Ceechynaa feels just as salient as it was when Lil’ Kim encouraged women to harness their sexualities in the ’90s. This is someone who first went viral at the age of 15 for removing her wig in protest of beauty standards during a school assembly and someone who made tens of thousands of pounds picking up calls on adult entertainment channels at just 18. She sees both things as a forced reversal in power dynamics – “I just know my pay pigs are probably like, ‘Chynaa what happened!? We can’t see your milkies anymore!’” – which has, of course, been unpopular among traditional fans of UK rap. Particularly those who are not used to being referred to as “bottom of the barrel scraps”.
Below, we catch up with Ceechynaa on her sudden rise to fame, the celebrities that have been sliding into her DMs and her long-term plans to become a fixture on the front rows of London Fashion Week.
Hi Ceechynaa! How would you like to introduce yourself?
“So, my real name is Chelsea Ode, but my artist name is Ceechynaa, and when I was in adult entertainment, I went by the name China’s Milkies, which has kind of become my nickname online. My parents were both born in Nigeria and moved to the UK before they had me. I’m originally from south London, but I live in the home counties at the moment. And the whole music thing started when I was around 14 years old. I was with some friends who were doing a studio session and I jumped in the booth while they went outside just for a laugh. The producer told me that I should pursue music, so I’ve just been writing lyrics ever since then! I was still working in adult entertainment when I first started college. I did quit, though, to concentrate on my studies. But when the success of ‘Last Laugh’ started to become overwhelming, I realised that it would be impossible to pursue both music and education.”
Why did you get into adult entertainment?
“I’ve always wanted to make music and I’ve always known that I wanted to arrive onto the scene with a bang. But the money I had been earning from doing traditional nine-to-fives – working as a waitress but mostly cleaning toilets, scrubbing mould off the floor and washing over 500 dishes a day – was never going to be enough to fund that. I was also very shy at the time and so I wanted to get used to being in front of the camera, communicating with loads of people at once. And you know what? I made a lot of money for someone who had just turned 18. The calls were charged at £5 a minute and so I could make £4,000 just like that. I would have to do a month’s worth of ‘normal’ work to achieve that kind of income. Every single entertainment platform I was on has now shut down, though. I know my pay pigs are probably like, ‘Chyna what happened!? We can’t see your milkies anymore!’”
Did your family know how you were making this money?
“They actually didn’t. It’s funny because it was always in the back of my mind like, ‘Hmmm, what would happen if everyone saw me dangling this phone on live TV?’ It was my worst nightmare, but I never thought I was gonna get caught! And then, this one time, I was on Sky TV when my brother’s friend saw me and told someone. That’s how they found out and it was embarrassing! I used to tease my family, ‘Oh when I turn 18, I’m gonna do this and that!’, and they’d be like, ‘Go on then! We dare you!’ But they were pretty speechless when they actually discovered what I had been doing. Like really, really shocked. They didn’t really know what to say. You know, if I could go back in time, I don’t know if I would have joined adult entertainment. I started getting approached to join companies through social media when I was just 17. But the prospect of making £30,000 a month just felt too good to miss.”
How does it feel to navigate this notoriety all of a sudden?
“When people tell me that I’m famous, I just feel like, ‘Really?’ And then they remind me that I’ve been on the front cover of magazines. There have been so many celebrities that have taken a liking to my music: Chloe Bailey, Amber Rose, Lily Allen. Lily was the first celebrity to show love to my music, always resharing stuff and promoting the songs, giving me advice. It’s weird because now I’m invited to all these events, famous people will come up to me and say, ‘Oh I was watching your Live the other day!’ and I’m like, ‘Oh my God! That means you’ve seen me in my bonnet, cussing people out!’ My supporters go so hard for me – oh that sounded so wrong! – but there are literally Discord servers where people stream my music as a collective. And it’s such a diverse audience – a lot of them are Swifties and BTS fans!?”
If that’s the worst thing to have happened since breaking out, what’s been the most exciting thing?
“Other than British Vogue contacting me? It must have been seeing ‘Last Laugh’ go up by hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube every single day – because I hadn’t paid a single penny for the promo, it was all organic. And then being on the front cover of Dazed was a highlight, too. That was absolutely huge. “I have so much stuff to rap about that I’ve just been recording song after song after song. The next single I release is going to be massive.”
The UK hasn’t really had a breakthrough female rapper. Why do you think that is?
“I genuinely feel like a lot of female rappers in the UK want to sound like all the other female American rappers. You don’t really get women in the music industry – especially in rap – that keep to their British sound. And so I think it’s refreshing that someone like me has come onto the scene and kept the authentic British phrasing. Who else refers to the police as ‘coppers’? I think it’s quite funny. And now I see people in America referring to people as ‘tossers’! It’s one thing to go viral, but it’s another to keep the momentum going. Social media is so advanced these days that anyone can go viral. Even if you’re not dropping music, it’s important to show up on socials and I don’t think people know how to do that. People don’t know their audience and what kind of music their audience wants to listen to.”
So how are you going to spin these viral moments into a sustainable career?
“I don’t want to put myself in a box and I want to try out different things, which is why I’m moving towards the fashion side of things, too. I’ve worked with a few designers, like Dion Lee, 1XBlue, Poster Girl and Mowalola, whose show I was going to walk but I couldn’t get my hair done in time! I’ve always been interested in Y2K stuff, because I grew up looking up to Paris Hilton and all her Juicy Couture moments. But it’s always been about the bikini for me. Ever since I wore my first bikini, it’s literally all I’ve worn – anything that makes my milkies look good! Recently I’ve started taking a liking to vintage, though. My stylist has introduced me to Christian Dior, Prada, Chantal Thomas, Roberto Cavalli and I’ve fallen in love. I’m quite well spoken, so I think the classy vibe suits me? Oh and I’m actually thinking of releasing my own brand soon…
Who, or what, have been the biggest influences on your music?
“If we’re talking about female rap, I have to give it to Nicki Minaj. I couldn’t name another musician that’s had as much impact on me. But, really, anger is the biggest influence. When I make music I have to make myself mad, because I can’t write if I’m not fuming about something. The first thing I do is open up my pink notebook and I remember all the times I’ve been pissed off. There are so many male rappers that just degrade women, and so I think we need an artist to come in and talk about these male rappers in the same way they do about women! I’m all about female empowerment and so I write about things that make women feel in control. Taking men’s money, financial domination and stuff. Oh, and I really, really love witch house music and I’m actually about to release a track in that style. Did you know I wanted to be a singer before? People are gonna see more of that this year, as well.”
If men are positioned as “bottom of the barrel scraps”, what do you want women to take away from your music?
“I want women to know that they don’t have to fit into what society tells them they need to fit into. You shouldn’t aim to be like everyone else. I get loads of people talking about my body online, because they expect female rappers to have the same plastic-surgeried, BBL look. There’s nothing wrong with that if that’s what you want to do, but I’ve decided to embrace my natural body. Like, I’m walking around Oxford Circus with my belly hanging out! I want people to know that you don’t have to have the ‘perfect’ body in order to be taken seriously.”
You’ve got quite a nonchalant, if not low-effort presence on stage, which people love. Has that been a deliberate choice?
“I mean, I’ve mostly not had time to rehearse! Everything has happened so quickly. My first proper performance was at Reading when Tion Wayne bought me out. As soon as I got there, I was due on stage. I was like, ‘I can’t do this? I can’t go on stage!’ and they just passed me the mic. I pretty much smashed it. There were about 50,000 people there, so every performance I’ve given since then feels so light lift.”
There must be lots of record labels trying to sign you. Is that a goal of yours?
“I’ve sat down by myself, an independent artist, and thought, ‘There must be something special about you, because not a single penny has been invested into promo and you’ve done over 10 million streams online’. What would be the point in signing? There are signed artists that have huge marketing budgets with less momentum on social media as I do. Anything I’d want from a label is already happening organically. Not only that, but, because I'm still so new to all of this, people try to give me a cheap deal. When I feel like I have more leverage, then we can start discussing some big money! But yeah, I’ve been bombarded by nearly every single label you could possibly think of. When ‘Last Laugh’ came out, my emails, DMs, comments and TikTok Lives, even my friends were flooded with requests. But it’s a journey and people wanna feel like they’re growing with you. If my videos were filmed in some big-ass location, it would feel inauthentic. It needs to feel relatable”.
@chynasmilkies IM ON THE BILLBOARDS🥳🇬🇧
♬ Peggy - Ceechynaa
I am going to finish with this feature that celebrated Ceechynaa. When it comes to women in Hip-Hop, people often pit them against one another. They are rarely boosted and respected in the same way male artists are. Here is an artist who wants to change that. There is not a lot of discussion about women in U.K. Rap and Hip-Hop. That should change very soon:
“Highlighting a broader challenge: how difficult it has been for UK female rappers to break into the mainstream. As we know, male rappers have long dominated the music charts, and for me, the last reason for this is the idea that they are more talented. It’s a reflection of the deep-rooted misogyny within the UK music scene—where male voices are amplified, and female voices are often sidelined or scrutinised more harshly. We must look at the mistakes of the past and ensure we don’t carry them into our future.
Having seen countless trends and artists come and go through Mixtape Madness, I’ve always been drawn to the anomalies—the moments when something unexpected breaks through. Ceechynaa’s rise with “Peggy” is exactly that. This moment is made even more significant when we consider the difference between the UK and the US in how female rap is received. In the US, artists like Lil Kim, Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, and Nicki Minaj have paved the way for women to embrace bold, explicit lyrics without facing backlash. However, in the UK, female rappers often face more scrutiny when they adopt a similar approach, with audiences less accepting of explicit content from women.
Being from Tottenham, I take immense pride in our Black musical legacy. I’m showing my age here, but if I think back to the ’80s with groups like The Demon Boys, through to the Grime and Garage eras with names like Boy Better Know, Wretch 32, and Chip, and then moving into the Drill era with the rise of artists like Headie One, it’s clear that the area has a rich, vibrant history of Black music. But the harsh reality is that the only platform truly acknowledging this history is Tim Westwood TV, we all know how that story played out, but that platform played a significant role in amplifying the voices of Tottenham and the wider Black musical culture.
Now, as we move forward, it’s essential that we not only empower female artists but also support the platforms that amplify their stories. There’s real power in ensuring that women, especially in the genres where they’ve been historically overlooked, are given the same respect, opportunities, and platforms to tell their/our stories.
We’ve seen how male-dominated narratives have played out in the past, and it’s time to build something that recognises and celebrates the full spectrum of talent, history, and culture—one that includes and uplifts women just as much as men.
Ceechynaa might not be your cup of tea but BXKS, Chy Cartier (deservedly MOBO Best Newcomer Nominated) and Vienna1 illustrate the diverse range sounds, flows, cadence, narratives and more that the new generation of female artists are bringing to the table. Let’s not TeeZandos and Cristale’s PluggedIn is arguably one of the best UK freestyles to drop in the last 2 years.
For me, watching Ceechynaa’s rise is a reminder that we’re living through a moment of change in the music industry. It’s not just about seeing more women on the charts; it’s about seeing women take control of their own narratives and redefine what it means to be a woman in music.
As Ceechynaa continues to make her mark, it’s clear that she’s leading this charge, and I’m excited to see where she—and the many other women following in her footsteps—will go next”.
I think this year will be a promising and exciting one for Ceechynaa. An artist that is primed for success, do make sure that you follow her. Even if she has released only three singles since 2022, I think the average will change this year as more focus comes her way. A possible album in future years. People will want her to perform live, so there are interesting and exciting possibilities ahead. I will watch closely to see what comes next…
FOR the sensational Ceechynaa.
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