My love and passion for radio can be traced back to my teenage-hood, growing up in America. I was home-schooled until I was 13 and so, when puberty hit me along with my depression I stopped talking to my family (whom up until that point I was always very close to) and hid inside music, CDs and the radio. When I was 16 I turned the dial at 6am and discovered X107.5 Xtreme Rock Radio (we were living in Nevada at the time) and so began my alternative and extreme rock education of Metallica, Slipknot, Papa Roach and many others. I had no language to describe how I felt at that time but when I listened to this station I felt like I wasn't alone.
When I was 21 radio saved my life again when (living in Florida at the time) I found myself listening 97.9 Kiss FM. I turned it on at 5am to the sound of Danielle Monaro's laugh, and that moment sparked a love for The Elvis Duran and The Morning Show that still continues for me to this day. The show is the main reason why one of my dreams is to be either a co-host or producer of a morning radio show one day.
Elvis has an enormous heart as does everyone whose a part of that show and during some of my darkest moments the show was the only light I had to hold onto. The show also helped me find the courage I needed to love myself and find my own voice (along with my family).
If you've been following my blog then you know how much Reform Radio means to me, so I was a bundle of excitement at the chance to host a Takeover, and so, when I walked into the studios on Tuesday 24th May to record it live it was a full circle moment for me.
I was well aware that maybe only a handful of people would hear it, but for me to share a playlist that got me through some crucial moments in my life meant the world to me.
It meant I'd survived the anxiety, the depression, the fear, the lockdown and that no matter what I'd always be given the gift of being able to give back to the world some of the love I've been so fortunate to receive throughout my life.
When you listen back to my takeover you'll notice my Freudian slip of continually calling the show The Takeaway. This has nothing to do with me being hungry that day, but from the ages of 21 to 28 I became an avid NPR listener, having a regular schedule of programmes I loved including Radio Lab, Fresh Air and, you guessed it, The Takeaway.
The Takeaway covers politics, environment, government, science, arts and entertainment all in an hour which was why I loved it so much.
I was initially embarrassed about my mistake (as well as the blatantly obvious moments where my nerves got the best of me) when I listened back and realized that it's been immortalized into the history of the internet but now I own the mistake, it shows that the shows I love are still with me as I move forward and try to carve out my own legacy here in Manchester.
This was my first time hosting a radio show on my own with my own playlist and I'd like to send out an enormous thank you to everyone at Reform for making me feel so welcome, and an extra special thank you to Robin and Morgan for producing and showing me the ins and outs.
Below is the link to the show, enjoy.
https://www.reformradio.co.uk/show/the-takeover-w-nzara-24th-may-2022/
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