Face behind the voice

BBC Radio Wales

Age 29 Current job Presenter of the evening show on BBC Radio Wales (Thursdays, 7pm) since April. “I really love the show. My parents are massive music fans so I’ve listened to really eclectic music since I was a kid. I try to incorporate everything I love about music into the three hours and I enjoy getting new music from Wales, Jamaica and all over the world, as well as playing classics. I love the idea that people will listen to the show and feel better.” CV Born in Rumney, Cardiff, she is the grandchild of Windrush migrants from Jamaica, who settled in Wales in the 1960s. She began performing at the age of seven at a youth club in Cardiff’s Riverside Warehouse. “Going there made me realise I loved performing all aspects of music.” At St David’s College, Cardiff, she studied performing arts, sociology and English literature. She then worked as a teaching assistant in a school for autistic children before becoming a full-time musician in 2015. She had a residency at a Caribbean restaurant for three years, and was voted Best Local Artist by Radio Cardiff. Then in 2018, she became part of the BBC Wales Horizons artist development programme (led by Radio Wales presenter Bethan Elfyn), and her first EP, Forever in Love, was released. Her next album, Windrush Baby, is due out next spring. “I tweeted that I would love to do a reggae show on BBC Radio Wales. A lot of people shared it, so the boss said, ‘Come in, let’s give it a go.’ I had a Christmas Day special — that was my first solo radio show. Then I covered for somebody else a couple of times and they asked me if I wanted my own show.” Social media — yes or no? “It depends. For me it’s a really good tool for letting people know what’s happening and sharing your music and that kind of stuff.

But also it can be a scary place, so you have to be mindful of what you use it for.” Best moments “Do you know, there have been so many times that I’ve sat in my seat, ready to start a show, and I’ve had a little tear in my eye — because being able to have the show is my best moment. It’s an honour for me to be able to play music I love to a whole nation and beyond.” Worst moments “I’ve been doing sessions in Jamaica. A couple of weeks ago I pressed ‘play’ — and there were 40 seconds of silence! So I’ve learnt to make sure the engineer has a back-up.”

Off air Still lives with her family in Rumney, but is hoping to buy a place of her own next year. First radio memory “Me and one of my older brothers had a hi-fi system that you could put a tape in. I would’ve been about five or six. We would record ourselves, play music in between and pretend we were radio hosts.” Favourite broadcasters “I love David Rodigan. Trevor Nelson is an absolute legend. I love Nadia Jae — she does breakfast on Radio 1Xtra. Bethan Elfyn — a champion for Welsh women and people all over. And Huw Stephens, who does the Radio Wales evening show from Monday to Wednesday, of course! Ambition/Dream job “I just love what I’m doing at the moment. I feel that, wherever that takes me, it’s where I’m supposed to be.” Secret skills “I was a premature baby — just over two pounds when I was born — and the doctor said, ‘She will only ever be small...’ I’m 5’ 11!” DAVID MCGILLIVRAY

‘I love the idea that people will listen to the show and feel better’