It’s been a busy couple of months for Apple – from the release of two new Apple Watch models to the announcement of its very own fitness streaming platform, a new subscription service and the rebranding of its global radio station from Beats 1 to Apple Music 1, there’s been a lot going on. The latter is particularly exciting, given that the announcement was accompanied by news of an incredible line-up of hosts ready to change the way we listen to, and interact with, music.
Here, we meet five of the women of Apple Music 1 to find out more about their studio style, their dream interviews (spoiler alert: Canadian musicians make the list more than once!) and what they hope to bring to audiences through their individual shows.
Estelle /Host of The Estelle Show
What The Estelle Show is all about: “My show is about bringing back the vibe and the energy that you feel when you’re at home in your living room, when you’re in my living room essentially. I’ve lived very far from my technical home, the place I was born, London, for quite some time so I’ve had to create different versions of home wherever I’ve gone. So this is me bringing you into my world, into my zone and into the music, the energy, the vibe when I’m kicking it with the homies, or we’re playing music, or we’re in the house cooking – you know the conversations that take place, the music that’s get played – just to remind you sometimes of what’s important versus all the other stresses, especially since we’re spending so much time at home these days!”
Dream interview: “Kevin Hart. He has a really funny perspective on life – I feel like he was a rapper in another life. He’s funny, and he comes up with things off the top of his head that are just like, ‘What did you say sir?’ He has his rap alter ego – Chocolate Droppa – and he’s quite serious about that and it’s funny. So I think I’d like to talk to him about his musical influences, beyond the obvious rap influences and see who else he likes, who he plays when he’s having his downtime, what he plays to get pumped up to get on stage, date music, things like that. I want to know that stuff. I think he’d be a fun interview.”
Studio style vibe: “My studio style is ‘home.’ You might see me in sweats, you might see me in a fancy dress – it just depends on my vibe and my whole feel. You guys know my fashion is quite classic – my friends say it’s appropriate (laughs). It’s always appropriate for me. When I dress up, I dress how I feel that day, I don’t really give it too much thought or too much feeling as far as what people are going to say more than I just like to feel good in my moment whenever I turn up somewhere. So as long as I feel good, that’s my thing.”
All-time favourite song: “You can’t ask a musician that (laughs). I love Stevie Wonder, anything Stevie.”
The Estelle Show is on Monday-Friday at 11am ET.
Tiera / Host of The Tiera Show
What The Tiera Show is all about: “My show is all about highlighting new artists in country music and I’m also sprinkling a little R&B and pop music in there. I’m also a country music artist and my sound is very R&B/country so I definitely show that influence through my show.”
Dream interview: “Shania Twain. We did a show together a while back called Real Country and it was so fun to have her as a mentor on the show especially because I’ve listened to her for so long and I’ve always loved her so it would be fun to have a little reunion on the show! I’m also excited to be interviewing some song writers – I feel like they are the heartbeat of Nashville and of country music. I feel like a lot of the time we only hear from the artists so it’s going to be cool to hear the songwriters’ perspective on things.”
Studio style vibe: “I like to be comfy. I love me some cute loungewear pieces – especially since we’re recording from home right now. If there’s other people around I will put on jeans instead of joggers but I would prefer not to wear jeans (laughs). Loungewear is my jam.”
All-time favourite song: “Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts. I have loved that song ever since I fell in love with country music. This song is about a relationship but I really relate it to my love of country music. It’s brought me so much joy and so many amazing opportunities but has also broken my heart at the same exact time. I’ve gotten a lot of no’s along the way but ultimately I’m very thankful for those no’s because they led me to having a show on Apple Music Country and I’m really thankful for that.”
The Tiera Show is on Monday-Friday at 12pm ET.
Rebecca Judd / Host of The Rebecca Judd Show
What The Rebecca Judd Show is all about: “In a nutshell, it’s just a really, really good time (laughs). Every single day has a different theme so on a Monday I play two hours of nothing but feel-good tunes, on Tuesday I play two hours of the biggest songs all around the world right now, Wednesday is brand new music and discovery and Thursday is two hours of the best throwback classic tunes ever and I’m joined by some incredible guests with amazing stories.”
Favourite interview: “Since I started the show in January, I’ve had some incredible people on the show – I’ve had interviews with Dua Lipa, Niall Horan, Division, Anne-Marie, the list goes on and on. One of my favourite ones so far was during lockdown when I got to interview Little Mix – I just really liked the chilled out vibe of me being at home, all of them being at home, just chilling. It was just a really fun interview. If we’re talking dream interview – this is another thing that I love about the show is that I play any genre – it would be with Rick Ross. I feel like he would be absolutely hilarious. Or Drake. Either one of those, they are my dream.”
Studio style vibe: “At the moment, it’s definitely casual, comfortable and colourful – the three C’s are very important to me right now. I feel like I’m totally obsessed at the moment with long T-shirts, cycling shorts and a fresh pair of Nike trainers – that is what I’m wearing basically every single day in the studio (laughs).”
All-time favourite song: “This is such a hard question but my favourite song of all-time is Ex-Factor by Lauryn Hill from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. The way that song touches my soul every time I listen to it, it’s just a timeless classic.”
The Rebecca Judd Show is on Monday-Thursday at 9am ET.
Nadeska / Host of The Nadeska Show and R&B Now
What The Nadeska Show and R&B Now are all about: “My weekly show on Apple Music One is a combination of two things I love most about my job: that’s sharing new music and catching up with my favorite artists to talk about everything from their work to their current meditation practices, really wherever the vibe takes us. My goal with this show is to help people discover new artists and genres that they weren’t exposed to before, and also to get closer to the artists. I’ve spent most of my career covering hip hop music but this show gives me the opportunity to highlight rising stars in afrobeats, reggae, dancehall and so much more. It’s beautiful because there are no boundaries and the best feedback I can get is listeners reaching out to tell me how excited they were to hear a new song or an artist on the show that they can’t stop listening to. Then, over on R&B now I’m able to really deep dive into the changing R&B landscape and showcase the diversity of the artists who are making music in that space today.”
Favourite interview: “I recently had the chance to interview Cardi B and some of the female rappers she featured in her WAP video as part of an Apple Music round table. That was a really cool experience just getting to have a really honest conversation about what it’s like to manoeuvre through the music industry as a woman. Trust me, it’s not fun sometimes.”
Studio style vibe: “It’s pretty laid-back. I can be a bit too much of a stereotypical New Yorker sometimes wearing all black as often as possible but I really like to accessorize with gold jewellery and sneakers. I have way too many pairs of black sneakers but I do have a pretty impressive collection of Jordans including some fun colourways that just add a bit more pop to my neutral outfits. Since we’ve doing the studio thing from home over the last few months, I really cant justify wearing sneakers inside but I still throw on my rings, necklaces and earrings just to mix things up a bit.”
All-time favourite song: “This is tough one for me because it’s just not possible for one song to cover my spectrum of moods especially since I’m listening to so many new songs every day, but I will say that one song that has a very soothing effect on me whenever I put it on is Bob Marley’s Waiting in Vain. I don’t have any logical explanation or backstory but probably somewhere deep in my mind it reminds me of a moment from childhood.”
The Nadeska Show is on Fridays at 10am ET, followed by R&B Now at 11am ET.
Jayde Donovan / Morning anchor on Apple Music Hits
What Apple Music Hits is all about: “For me, the show is really a feeling. It’s that feeling you get when you hear a song that you haven’t heard a song in a while. I’m a 90s kid and it takes me back to that moment you opened up your first CD, you ripped the plastic off and you took out the sleeve and you looked at the pictures and you’re discovering the artists for the first time and the lyrics – just the joy and excitement in that moment. It’s all about recapturing that, going back there – rediscovering the songs that you love, the soundtrack of our lives, getting to hear the breakup song from high school that you completely forgot about and you wouldn’t even know how to find, the nostalgia of that, of your high school crush, your first love. Maybe we throw in a song and it’s your divorce anthem from your 20s – its really about the music that has been on this ride with us and dipping into the nostalgia. I also want to bring a glow up to the listener – confidence, momentum, energy to start their day. Remind you that you can own your story and you can go out and create the life that you want. As a woman and a working mother trying to balance this impossible situation that we’re in right now, it’s hard – I’m looking for things that elevate me and lift me up and I want to provide that to other people as well.”
Favourite interview: “I got a chance to speak to will.i.am for maybe an hour and a half the other day – he was in London and I was in the States, and we were just talking about writing music and life and all of a sudden he’s like ‘hold on’ and he slides over to a piano and starts playing this beautiful melody and riff that he was talking about. I just leaned back in my chair and put my hands on my head and was like, ‘Wow what is life?!’ Coming from terrestrial radio where it’s like, ‘You have four minutes with Lady Gaga, make it work! Make some magic!’ What we’re doing here at Apple Music Radio is so much more human and authentic, and there’s room for these moments to really get in touch with people and get to know them and share our love of music and that’s why it’s so different and cool.”
Studio style vibe: “Working from home has taken my love of athleisure to a whole new level but I’m kind of digging it. Living in New York for so many years, and honestly just being maybe a little bit goth in my heart and soul, I’ve always loved the colour black. I was pretty basic with my black, white and grey clean industrial look but in quarantine I’m really having fun with bright colours, wild patterns, pastel hued crocs – I told myself I would never ever buy them and I live in them. I got these leopard bicycle shorts that have become my go-to – borderline Peggy Bundy but 2020. I always keep the AC cranking inside and it is so freezing in my home so I’m always reaching for cozy Brooklinen sweats, they are my favourite sweatpants, and I also have this incredibly comfortable XL tie-dye hoodie that is my go-to. It’s by Ivory Ella so I’m helping to save the elephants while also being super cozy. I kind of love rocking all of that randomness, the colours and the clashing patterns, together – it just makes me happy.”
All-time favourite song: “I was just talking to Kelleigh Bannen who is the morning anchor on Apple Music Country and we both love Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill which came out in 1998. It was such an iconic album then and now – there were a lot of male voices on the radio then, it was a lot of look at what I’m wearing, this is who we are, maybe not the most female-friendly lyrics in a lot of songs, and here comes Lauryn Hill with this incredibly inspiring, soulful and real album and message that takes you to school. It was just so incredible for the time and it still has so much staying power today. I got it on vinyl and I love to sit back on my bean bag (which sounds very 90s anyway) and listen to it on vinyl and have a glass of wine and zone out. It’s a really interesting time right now and to be able to play music that is reflective and reminds you of a different time and allows you to kind of think back and look on your life in a different way – I don’t know about you but I never sat back and really allowed myself to reminisce with music before. I wish we could be out in the world but it’s kind of nice to have an opportunity to be nostalgic, to look back, laugh and rediscover moments in our lives through music. I think it’s really powerful to be able to do that and that’s one of the things I’m looking forward to with what we’re doing [on the show] – we have an opportunity to bring comfort and nostalgia and laughs to people who might feel alone right now and let them know that they’re not alone.”
Catch Jayde on air Monday-Friday 8am-10am ET.
Want more in music? Click here to check out the cover story from our October issue where we spoke to four female DJs about the inequality in the electric music industry.
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