Headphones & Heels - Sam Cooke

CITY DRINKING recently met with model and headlining DJ Sam Cooke to ask her about her career as a model, her move into DJing including her upcoming residency at The Ministry of Sound with Lauren Pope, Kellie Acreman and Jakki Degg on the Headphones & Heels tour. We also found out where Sam thinks is as good as her beloved Manchester, where to take her if you do manage to get a date with ths stunning Glamour DJ and of course where she likes to go out, what she likes to drink and the negatve side of Facebook. Check out what Sam had to say…

You have only been modeling since you won the Page 3 idol competition in 2006, and are arguably one of the most sought after glamour models but you are starting a new career as a DJ, does this mean you are planning to end your modeling career?

No I’m just moving on to other things, I’m always thinking of new things to try, I get bored doing the same thing continuously. I can’t do as much modeling as I used to because DJ’ing takes up a lot of time but I’m enjoying juggling the two. 

You have appeared on many magazine covers since you began modeling, how does it feel when you see the cover, do you keep copies? Which cover are you most proud of?

To be honest I usually hate it because I’m overly critical of my pictures. It’s a shame that I don’t model as much anymore though because I’m so much more confident now which is so important in modeling. My pictures are a million times better now than 2 years ago. I was really proud of my maxim cover I did in 2007, especially now because they’ve stopped using glamour models in that mag so I was lucky to have got that shoot. I was a crap model at that stage tho, it was one of my first shoots. I remember walking in to the hotel room where we shot it and the room was full of 10 people, it was
really scary.

It is well known that you didn’t plan on becoming a glamour model, as you were studying architecture at university at the time, did you ever think about becoming a DJ before taking it up?

I’ve always loved music and had a lot of respect for DJ’s but never considered doing it myself before last year.

How did you get into DJ’ing?

I just decided that it would be a cool thing to try out, I was thinking it could just be a hobby until I realised that I was actually good.  It is such an adrenaline kick seeing people jumping around to your tunes. It’s funny because everytime I come of the decks people say to me ‘wow, I didn’t expect you to be any good’ which is a bit cheeky that they presume that I guess but I don’t mind, it’s better than them expecting me to be amazing and me be rubbish.

You are from Manchester but you must spend a lot of time traveling, is there any other city in the UK with a better nightlife then your home town?

Leeds is pretty cool, London used to be good but now it’s just full of pretentious people and wannabes. I love down to earth people and you get that in the north. We know how to party as well.

You must get invited to a lot of events; do you tend to go out a lot? How do you decide which invitations to take up?

To be honest I rarely go out at the moment, I’m to busy, I’m modeling, DJ’ing and I’ve just bought a massive new house that needs quite a lot of work so I really have no time. When I DJ I stay out and party all night so that’s when I get to let my hair down.

What is your ideal night out?

My ideal night would start with an amazing meal in a resteraunt, then to a comedy night for a bit of stand up and finally to a really cool club to dance the night away. Perfect.

You are single at the moment, what is the worst way someone has attempted to get your attention?

Apparently I’ve been single for 3 years. People must have started thinking there’s something wrong with me, ha! I just don’t like discussing that part of my life so I always say I’m single in interviews as it’s easier. I’m not saying I’m in a relationship or single, I just choose not to dicuss it, nothing personal. I just think it’s best to keep some things private. But as for people trying to get my attention it’s always on facebook! I think guys are a bit intimidated by me and rarely speak to me when I’m out. it’s strange! I’m just a down to earth Manchester lass who’s up for a laugh so please come and speak to me if you see me when I’m out, I don’t bite!  But yeah I’ve had some cringy attempts to get my attention on facebook.

What would be your ideal first date?

What I described as being my ideal night out, that would be my ideal date. That way I could get to know a bit about them over dinner, see if they have a good sence of humour at the comedy night and see if they could party as hard as me at the club.

How do you handle the attention you receive when you are out? Does it affect where you go?

Like I said, men rarely talk to me when I’m out so I don’t have any problems, I can cope with the stares.

When were you most nervous - before your first modeling assignment or before your first live DJ set?

Before my first DJ set. Definitely, my whole body was shaking. I still get pretty nervous now, I’m fine as soon as I get on the decks but beforehand it’s awful, sometimes I go really quiet and don’t speak to anyone. Then as soon as I come off the decks and start to party everyone says we thought you were really boring before. I’m gonna have to sort that out! it is getting a lot better every gig I do though.

What advice would you give to aspiring models? 

Be careful and don’t trust anyone! Find a good agent and they’ll point youin the right direction. Theres only a few good agencies so find out who the top models are with and send a picture to them. If none of the good agencies will take you on, give up. Otherwise you’ll end up getting with a dodgy agency, spend loads of money, make no money and end up on a porn site.

Where can people see you dj’ing at the moment?

I’m all over at the moment, I’ve just got back from Miami and I was in Shanghai in China last month which was amazing. I play quite regularly in the UK as well, best thing to do is check my myspace
http://www.myspace.com/djsamcooke or my facebook but watch out for the fake profiles.

What music will you be playing?

I play house and UK funky. I play UK funky mainly in the UK, it’s an up and coming type of music and it’s going to be massive. It’s a bit like soulful house with tribal beats and a lot of vocals. A lot of the producers came from the old school garage scene so it has a slight sound of that. Msg me on myspace for a mix.

What type of music do you like on a night out?

It depends what mood I’m in but I can listen to most types of music. I love house and UK funky mainly but I can have a wicked time to drum and bass, soul, indie, dancehall, reggae, and even a bit of cheese, ha. I’m very eclectic.

What are your plans leading to Xmas? 

Well like I mentioned I’ve just bought a new house so I’m planning on having all my family round for Xmas dinner, I love cooking so it should be fun. Before that I’ll be doing the house up and focusing on my DJ’ing, I’m planning on making next year massive when it comes to my DJ’ing career so I want to get as much practice in as I can.

Are you looking forward to the Headphones @ Heels tour? Have you been able to spend much time with your fellow glamour DJ’s?

yeah we’ve done a few gigs together and they’re always loads of fun so I’m really looking forward to the tour, I imagine it will be a bit wild! I’ve got some great gigs coming up, check out my myspace site for more info or http://www.vitalmusic.co.uk