Nicosia, Cyprus. Stephania Ayiotou, known as Stefficrown and described as the “queen of Colombian trap music,” has returned to Cyprus after spending most of the past two decades abroad, while continuing her music and expanding her leisurewear brand.
From Colombia-linked projects to a home in Engomi
Stefficrown has appeared in an episode of the thriller show Fake Profile, described as “the most-viewed Latin series on Netflix the year it came out,” with her song ‘Problem Boy’—stylised as ‘Pr0Bl3Mb0I’—used as the theme song for the first season. She has styled the Golden Globes and has performed shamanic rituals with native Indians in Cali.
She also lives in Engomi, in the northernmost part of Nicosia, in her parents’ house, which has a view of the buffer zone.
Family home and an early desire to leave
The Engomi house is her parents’ home, though she was already 18 when it was built. Her father, Constantinos, built her what she described as the biggest bedroom an 18-year-old could desire, larger than most houses’ master bedrooms, but she was already eager to leave. She said Cyprus felt too small for her at the time.
Turning 38 and performing in Protaras
Stefficrown turned 38 at the end of January and marked the event at Velissima club in Protaras with a top Colombian DJ. She also performed two songs from Machinism, her latest album.
Return to Cyprus and focus on Gear
She has spent most of the intervening 20 years outside Cyprus, moving back last year. She is based in Protaras, with occasional trips to Engomi, describing this as a new “chapter” focused on “expanding Stefficrown and my brand.” The brand, Gear, is a leisurewear line using only organic textiles, and she said she designs her own clothes.
Background, personality, and early ambitions
Stefficrown is half-Colombian. She discussed her approach and experiences with statements including, “You need balls to do the shit I’ve done,” and said, “Not everybody has them.” She described past periods as intense, using phrases such as “That chapter was crrrrrazy!” and referring to experiences including, “So we’re literally having breakfast at the Ritz-Carlton…”
She said she was always artistic, describing herself in her teens as a wild child and an aspiring actress obsessed with Angelina Jolie. She won a scholarship to a UK drama school and showed talent in fashion design, music, writing and poetry. Her father wanted her to study Business, and she ultimately chose Media and Anthropology at Goldsmiths in London as a compromise.
Her parents and her father’s influence
Her father, Constantinos, who died in 2022, was a self-made businessman with a talent for numbers who came to Cyprus from New York at 40. He met and married Alexandra, a Colombian dancer travelling through Europe who later opened the first salsa school on the island.
They had three daughters, with Stephania the oldest and described as perhaps the most like her father, including in appearance. She recalled her father affectionately, saying, “Dad was like the king, we were like his harem,” and added, “He taught us a lot.”
What part of Stefficrown’s work—music, television projects, or her Gear brand—do you find most notable?
