After conquering the world of fashion, the model Eunice Olumide is ready to dominate a different scene.
Having quietly honed her musical career, which she has kept a secret for 20 years, the Scottish activist is now releasing her debut album, Love Tree, under the stage name Oracle. But despite her dazzling array of professional triumphs, she insists that becoming a mother is her proudest achievement yet.
“There’s something magical about motherhood,” says Eunice, 38. “It’s weird because, although I maybe didn’t look as attractive to the outside world after I had the baby, I now feel more powerful than I ever have.”
Eunice Olumide is a Scottish supermodel and activist
In 2024, Eunice became a mother for the first time, welcoming her daughter following a whirlwind romance with her second husband, the IT specialist Dario Richards, whom she says “does very important things in the technological world for very important people”.
Born to Nigerian parents in Edinburgh, Eunice was just 15 when she was scouted while shopping in Glasgow. She went on to become Scotland’s first black supermodel, gracing the cover of Vogue, walking the runway at Paris Fashion Week and modelling for the likes of Prada and Vivienne Westwood.
Eunice is famed for walking the runway at Paris Fashion Week and modelling for the likes of Prada and Vivienne Westwood.
Since then, she has become a film director, an actress and an activist for social justice, earning an MBE for services to broadcasting, the arts and charity in 2017. Yet away from the spotlight, she has been secretly writing music and touring with hip-hop icons such as Lauryn Hill and the Wu-Tang Clan.
In this exclusive interview with HELLO!, Eunice shares the inspiration behind Love Tree, explains why she’s ready to reveal her musical talents and reveals the greatest lesson motherhood has taught her.
Eunice, what inspired Love Tree?
“I’ve been making music my whole life. I realised that I didn’t actually need to sign a record deal – I could still do what I do, but I would have more control and I would be able to make the music I wanted to make.
“One of the most amazing things is how music has the ability to tell a story, to cheer you up and to remind you of that time when you were a kid and went to Glastonbury. It’s also about having the freedom to create art that I hope will touch people’s lives.”
Why did you keep your music career hidden for so long?
“When I was younger and working in the fashion industry, I had this idea that music should be about talent first, looks second. I think that women in music are treated really differently to men and I’ve never understood why there’s a double standard.
“It’s seldom you get to see a woman who’s more mature, or who doesn’t look flawless. When I was young, I was committed to social justice and equity, so I felt it was unfair.
“I also didn’t want artists in my genre to be able to say: ‘The only reason she’s successful is because she’s a model.’ It was important to me to build a strong, successful career in music that was separate from my work in fashion.:
“I found it really challenging to keep it under wraps. There were a number of journalists and members of the public who were putting two and two together, so I had no choice. I didn’t want anyone else to be able to talk about it without being able to give my reasoning.”
How has becoming a mother changed you?
“Motherhood is the single most amazing, brilliant, proudest achievement of my life. Having a tiny human makes you want to do the things that you really care about. I’ve never been someone who cares what people think and I think it reinforced that.
“The other thing I learnt was that I should stop putting myself down, which is something we do in Britain a lot. I’ve lived my life deliberately making myself small so that I would fit into spaces around people. Having a baby has changed that.”
The King awarded you an MBE in 2017. What was he like?
“He was very nice. I was really surprised because I didn’t expect him to know so much about me and my work. He was genuinely interested and kind.”
What’s next for you?
“I’m currently studying for a PhD in music. I’m a closet geek. I like writing, I like reading and I like to understand the world and myself.
“Through self-reflection and study, we can make society better, which sounds really cheesy, but it’s reality. It’s OK to want the world to be better and to want to create art that inspires people, because I believe that art has the power to transform lives. It certainly did that for me.”
Love Tree is available on Amazon Music and Apple Music now.
© Olumide Galleries
© Olumide Galleries / Melody Joy Co.
