The best friend duo also known as FLADY paved a way to create community whilst celebrating diversity within their city of Copenhagen. Founded in 2022, the goal was to highlight music from their own roots and create a space of inclusion within the Danish music scene.

Interviewed by Reya Amalia & Secily Viviana. Shot by Mia Johansson.

R: Ok so explain to us, how did you guys first meet?

F: It’s so funny because we have gotten this question so many times and we can’t answer it! I think it’s just through mutuals but we don’t remember our first encounter.

A: No, yeah through mutuals and then we just got closer and now here we are!

R: And how did you actually come up with the name Flady Sound and the whole concept of it?

A: Ok so for the name basically my artist name is Adi, and then Flame is Flame Faire, so we kind of combined those two, and then we have Fladi but we didn’t like the sound of Fladi so we changed the I to Y and then it became Flady.

F: It’s actually just Flame and Daddi. And the concept of it was actually because we felt like they never played our kind of music outside. Now of course they started to play Afrobeats more, but when we started with the concept in 2020, they didn’t really play it at all and the scene was still so new in Denmark. So that’s why we came with the concept cause we're like “we want to do this and introduce people to our type of music and our kind of people also want to hear this genre" - and I feel like it's all determined by who’s the DJ.

R: That makes sense, you wanted to create a space familiar yet still inclusive. And where did your guys’ passion for music originate and was it very present when you were growing up?

A: For me it wasn’t really present when I was growing up, but I have a big sister who always watched music videos on MTV, and I always listened to what she was listening to, and then after a couple of years I defined my own taste. I’ve always been interested in listening to music because you can express yourself through music so it’s always been a huge part of my life since childhood.

F: And I feel like it’s the same with me, I definitely remember MTV, watching Missy Elliot in her crazy music videos and stuff like that and then I just loved to sing when I was younger but I couldn’t sing so I would like wake my mom up at 8am cause I would rehearse for my X-Factor or talent show audition. I never sent it in but I would be singing Christina Aguilera and stuff like that so it’s been present ever since I was younger because I was watching it so much on TV, so it was a dream of mine since I was a child. And then that just developed. I feel like I had a period where I focused on sport, I used to play football, but also sang in the locker room.

R: Do you think you have a favorite event that you ever played at? And if yes, why was it your favorite?

A: Last year we played at this festival called O Days and that was just so fun! We had a microphone and you were just so good at hyping up the crowd that we had so much fun.

F: And people had dance battles…

A: Everyone just let go, we relaxed and chilled and we’re just feeding off of each other's vibes and having so much fun. So definitely that one.

R: That sounds like the best time! And how do you guys see the relationship between fashion and music, also for you personally your relationship to fashion?

F: I feel like it’s different from country to country. When we started Flady, we wanted to build a bridge between the fashion and music scene because they can be quite separated but when you look to Paris, London, New York and stuff like that, artists are always at the fashion shows and get dressed but here they're not really connected to the PR unless they have a stylist, they’re never at the shows, they don’t attend, so that’s what we wanted to build bridges between, because here there’s a big gap where we wanted to be the one to help connect and vice versa. So I feel like we’re getting better at it here.

R: And how would you describe your personal style?

A: I would describe it as relaxed and always comfortable, I always try to be comfy in what I wear cause it’s like I know for a fact if my fit is not hard I can’t step out my door, I just need to be comfortable in it, comfy and relaxed and then I really like to mix the masculine with the feminine, so if I’m wearing something too oversized I always make sure I’m wearing some heels or a cute bag or some jewelry that kind of makes it more feminine and also just do my hair maybe more feminine with a sleek bun or something just like keep it classy. So classy, comfy, and to mix masculine with feminine.

F: I would definitely say I dress how I feel and that could be, if I feel super good, I will look extra good. I'd definitely say relaxed as well, very calm but also chic. Sometimes I can have a very lady-like day and other days I could be more chill. It’s a big contrast but yeah, either or, or a good balance of both.

R: And do you have any favorite OpéraSPORT pieces?

F: This blue Harper jacket!

A: Yeah the jacket for sure.

F: It’s gorgeous. And then you have the floral bra from the Spring Summer 2024 collection that you never put into production.

S: Oh the show piece?

F: Yes, the showpiece!

S: Ah yes, that was a gorgeous one. 

F: Yeah you should’ve put that one into production.

S: I know! That one was so good.

R: Ok now onto a bit of a different question, what do you think is the most important thing to do to create more diversity and inclusion in the creative industry and do you see any change so far from before to now?

F: I feel like there’s definitely been a change after Black Lives Matter, especially in Denmark. But I think how they can progress would be to also have diversity behind the scenes and not only on scene. I feel like there’s been a lot of change like there’s a lot of POC models but then you don’t really see the POCs behind the camera. So I think that would make a bigger change. 

A: It’s super important to have your team behind too, to be cultured so you don’t only get to see it from the outside but also the inside. Yeah so that’s one way to do it.

F: But I also think that it'll help brands to have less scandals, because anything can happen and sometimes it’s also simply a minor thing where someone can point out. By having a team that’s diverse and more educated, you might not have to go through certain things because there’s people who let you know “ok this might not be the best decision, let’s do this instead”. So that can benefit in a lot of ways as well.

A: Do your research, like research and education are important so definitely do that.

S: It’s absolutely vital, I couldn’t agree more.