Early last week, Flavourmag spent time with the rather beautiful DJ NEEV at the KISS FM headquarters and what a day. We had a personal tour of the studios where we saw the institution that is SHORTEE BLITZ with DJ MK blazing up an afternoon show, before watching NEEV drop her hugely popular morning show from 9-12pm Monday to Friday.
KISSTORY Old School Garage and House Throwback Mix 01 by Neevofficial on Mixcloud
After that, I sat down with NEEV where we chatted about her ascendancy as one of the prime presenters at the legendary KISS FM, Rihanna being her BFF and of course her leading role for the KISSTORY brand.
In the first of a three part interview, we talk to her about her determination to succeed in the media industry and the aspirations she set herself despite obstacles to enter media.
(Look out in the last part of the trilogy interview, NEEV supplies Flavourmag with a fully loaded soundcloud mix for FREE-now that’s tidy!)
A JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND STEPS BEGINS WITH…….
Being in the media or a radio presenter was not an acceptable profession when I started. It was not seen as a job and I literally had to fight with my dad for at least five or six years to prove to him that I could make it.
I started in the media industry from a love of performing arts. I was not sure what I wanted to do but I knew I wanted to be a performer (unfortunately I did not have a great singing voice so that was off the list). I did a lot of theatre, speech and drama when I was at school and it was at school where I found a voice for public speaking. I used to head up the debating team when I was at school and I really loved giving my opinion on stuff.
At sixteen, my love of music really blossomed and I started playing guitar in a rock band at school. You tend to form different loves in music as you mature so when I went to college I got into hip-hop and dance music. Once that happened then the mixing came in and the wish to have turntables and mixing started this love. It made me realise that my love for presenting and my love for music could partner up.
I needed experience and so I literally worked at every radio station imaginable for free-got to tell you I learned to make the most amazing tea! I worked as receptionist at a radio station, I then read the traffic and weather for a live show and I literally did everything that I could possibly do. I was really lucky in truth because I got my own show on an Asian radio station, even though Asian music was not necessarily what I liked. I realised my opportunities would come from the station and I was not one to say no.
‘NEEV… BEING A RADIO PRESENTER IS NOT A JOB’
Being in the media or a radio presenter was not an acceptable profession when I started. It was not seen as a job and I literally had to fight with my dad for at least five or six years to prove to him that I could make it. You are out late nights and he was wondering what kind of job I was doing; ‘you are never at home’ it was a major challenge. Luckily my mum was hugely supportive of me she would be like, ‘I will tell your dad you are at the library’.
It is great because the Asian community (and my parents) are really proud of me now because they have seen my journey. There is an enormous Asian community who listen to KISSTORY so it is great that I have broken barriers. It’s great getting young Asian kids coming up to me saying that their mum and dad are cool with them pursuing a career in media because I have made them see that it is ok you can make a career of it-that fills me with a lot of pride.
Part 2 and 3 of this exclusive interview with DJ Neev will be published right here on Flavourmag.co.uk so keep it locked.
KISSTORY is available on DAB Digital Radio across the UK. Also get KISSTORY Player online,Freeview TV channel 714 and the free to download KISS KUBE mobile app.
In order to receive the station’s digital frequency, make sure you re-tune your DAB Digital Radio to get the most up to date stations including KISSTORY. For more information on how to do this, head to www.getdigitalradio.com/retune
In the second part of the trilogy interview, NEEV takes us through her journey to becoming one of the premier female presenters on KISS while given you potential next stars some NEEV advice.
KISSTORY Old School Garage and House Throwback Mix 01 by Neevofficial on Mixcloud
I think people can be a bit too narrow minded, they think of one course but in media you need to get experience across the board. People lack patience and they want over-night success
A BIT OF NEEV ADVICE
I always say to people that you should try hospital radio first because in my opinion, a lot of people like the idea of being presenters but we are in this culture of people wanting to become over-night successes.
Hospital radio makes you understand and appreciate what you want. It helped me know that what I wanted to do was to present in radio but also run charitable things alongside that and give back. There is nothing more grounding than visiting people on the wards and seeing the power of music for the person. It was amazing visiting the wards (because I would get their requests) and it was interesting hearing what that particular song meant to that person.
I think people can be a bit too narrow minded, they think of one course but in media you need to get experience across the board. People lack patience and they want over-night success but it is not like that you need to work your way through the media business. That way I think it gives you longevity and it teaches you respect and appreciation for what you eventually achieve.
SUNRISE TO KISS FM
Asian radio actually led me to KISS. I was the djing producer for the Rishi Rich show. It was Rishi, Jay Sean and Juggi D and they had a big show on Friday nights. They were so famous at the time they were like the Asian urban Take That. They needed someone to be there to put the music together, organise their links and organise the show. It was my dream station and dream job and it was massive.
I produced it for two years and we were nominated for a Sony. At the ceremony, I sat next to the imaging guy for KISS and he said ‘you have a nice voice’ I said ‘thank you, I do voice overs’ and the next thing I was auditioning for the Voice of KISS which I got and then I was able to land my own show.
THE SHOW/THE TEAM
The mid-morning programmes are two shows. The first two hours it is a radio show which is mainly music and content driven and I will constantly pull up TV shows and entertainment stories. The day before I will search on the internet and read the papers to see if there is a big show on TV, the hot gossip at the moment and basically what is trending at the time.
The second part of the show is purely KISSTORY driven and that is just a case of knowing the tracks that are bumping in the clubs. KISSTORY is endless and you need to be constantly on top of those tracks so you have to be a bit of a geek and listen to all those old skool albums and really understand what will make things go off-we are constantly watching twitter to see how people respond to the tracks we play. Today I found a great remix of Ready Or Not by the Fugees but a garage mix so we put that in.
I am lucky because I have a brilliant team and what I try and do is pull in as much as I can from their hard work and then give it that ‘umph’ each and every time.
The shows that run throughout the day apart from breakfast and drive time have actual on air producers. The others we actually produce ourselves but we have a big team within the office that put together the promotional material, they will write the questions for competitions-they will build the content and then provide that to me so there are at least five to ten people who work on the programme and just make each and every show such a joy to present-it’s great fun.
In the last part of the trilogy interview, NEEV breaks down brand KISSTORY, talks about Iggy, Rihanna being her BFF, wearing a plastic sheath to hug Perez Hilton before given us her own KISSTORY tracks.
KISSTORY Old School Garage and House Throwback Mix 01 by Neevofficial on Mixcloud
If that was not enough you get a fully loaded soundcloud mix to dance away to while you get ready for your big Friday night on the town-NICE.
NEEV BRINGS HER KISSTORY
KISSTORY has been around a while as a brand but it is only in more recent times we have started to take it to this whole live thing.
KISSTORY has been around a while as a brand but it is only in more recent times we have started to take it to this whole live thing.
I started being part of KISSTORY a couple of years back when we took a residency in Ibiza two years ago at Eden. It was here that the KISS management realised that NEEV does not just like KISSTORY she lives it! They realised I might have something different to offer so I was over the moon when they offered me the show. It’s amazing because I am the first lady to present KISSTORY and I think I am the first Asian lady to have a daytime show on a commercial radio station.
I think the public have shown their passion for it and it has been incredible to watch it grow. I think when you go to the KISSTORY gigs (the official nights) we put on you would think there would be people in their late twenties, thirties but you will see people who are eighteen, early twenties raving to music they should not know-the demographic that it is reaching out to is insane.
NEEV ON IGGY AND HER ASS
Iggy Azalea I think she is a great rapper. People are ‘hating’ because they are not doing as well as someone else. I think what is happening to her is the same thing that happened to Eminem. I think you are going to get a bit of racist comments but I think she has proved she is the real deal however I am not sure about her ass. I met her a few years ago and her ass does seem a bit bigger.
NEEV IS RIHANNA’S BFF!
I actually met her when she had red hair and I thought that she would be difficult but she was one of the nicest celebrities I have met. She took so much interest in me and asked me so many questions about me before the interview. It was funny we were getting on so well that my deputy eventually had to say ‘girls I have to break you up because you have to start the interview’. She was like ‘can I hold her hand throughout the interview?’ and I was like, ‘can she!’
At the time I had henna on my hand and she would not stop talking about it and holding my hand. I honestly think I influenced her decision to get that tattoo on her hand now…seriously!
At the end I was thinking, ‘shall I ask her if she wants to hang out’ because I felt like we had a connection? She kept lingering about the studio and saying ‘I am really bored and ‘I have nothing to do apart from be at my hotel all by myself’. When she left the camera man was like’ Neev you just f”*8 that up she was fishing’.
Definitely when she comes up I will remind her of our interview and we can be BFFs.
NEEV ON PEREZ ‘YOU CRAZY CRAZY MAN’ HILTON
Before he went into the house I wanted him to be my BFF and I read his blog everyday but since he has gone into the house, I am speechless. I cannot understand what he is doing and he is absolutely crazy, dry humping things and this weird having sex with himself is so off. He has been spending ten minutes writhing against this window with himself and he has been doing this every day. I saw another clip of him humping the air and screaming out-he is disturbed. I don’t think he should have been allowed in the house-I would give him a hug but I would wear a condom.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR NEEV?
I would like world domination no seriously I want to progress my career into TV presenting and I would like to be a big entertainment presenter. I also have my heart set on releasing new music. The idea is to take old skool tracks and revamped them for an audience of today while not ruining it! Ultimately my goals are to broaden my horizons, make KISSTORY massive and continue to enjoy what I absolutely love doing!
NEEV’S 6 TRACK KISSTORY
Missy Elliot-All In My Grill ft MC Solar I love the French rap on it.
Shy FX Shake Your Body- I love the drop on this and Shy FX is a legend of course.
Rui Da Silva Touch Me ft Cassandra Fox
Mr Vegas- Heads High
