My boyfriend was shot dead in street and dad was in and out of jail.. but it made me stronger
RADIO 1’S NEW STAR MAYA
RADIO 1’s newest star Maya Jama has revealed the drive behind her rise to fame – a traumatic childhood that saw her boyfriend gunned down.
Maya, 23, has been described as “the new superstar” of young Britain who is “redefining the nation’s cultural currency”.
But before she hit the big time, she had a tough upbringing in Bristol with a father who was in and out of prison.
She was also caught up in a personal tragedy following the death of her boyfriend Rico Gordon when she was 16.
Maya, who will soon be co-hosting with Scott Mills, said Rico was caught in the crossfire of a gunfight between two rival gangsters.
He was walking through Easton, in Bristol, after attending St Paul’s Carnival in the summer of 2011 – and the pair were talking on the phone.
Maya appeared on Crimewatch to appeal for the public’s help in tracking the killers.
Shakah Anderson, 31, and Rickel Adams, 27, of Neasden, north London, were found guilty of his murder following a trial.
Maya said: “That’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to me. It was unreal - the sort of thing that happens in films.
“That experience gave me so much motivation to push with my career. At the time, work was the only thing that made me happy, so I just kept on going with it.
“Bad things happen but you’ve got to try to make good things out of that tough situation.”
As a child, she would answer the door to police looking for her father – and said she felt guilty after telling officers he was hiding under a bed, leading to his arrest.
Maya will host BBC Radio 1’s weekly Greatest Hits show on Saturdays from 10am to 1pm and will co-host with Mills and Chris Stark on Fridays.
She said: “I’m so happy to be presenting alongside Scott Mills on Fridays.”