FEATURE:
Station to Station
PHOTO CREDIT: @charliehedges
Part Twenty-One: Charlie Hedges (BBC Radio 1)
___________
ONE of my favourite…
shows on BBC Radio 1 is Charlie Hedges’ Dance Anthems. Serving up some classic Dance cuts, it is essential listening! It is on at 01:00, so many people might not be able to tune in live. Listen to episodes on the Sounds apps. I love Hedges as a broadcaster, and I feel that her selections and knowledge of Dance is infectious. As she also presents BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge with Rickie and Melvin, there is much to appreciate about a remarkable broadcaster (follow her on Instagram if you can). h She is someone who deserves more time and space on the station. There are a few older interviews with Hedges that I want to bring in – when she worked for other radio stations. A successful and celebrated club and international D.J., she is a world-class talent who, as I suggest, should get even more airtime on BBC Radio 1. She has had a successful career and worked for different stations. I am interested to see where her radio career goes. There are some reference articles that are worth highlighting first. Her Wikipedia page gives us a brief overview of Charlie Hedges’ career development and background:
“Hedges hosted the breakfast show at Kiss for ten years with Rickie Haywood-Williams and Melvin Odoom. The trio are known as Rickie, Melvin and Charlie. In November 2018, it was announced that they would move to BBC Radio 1 to replace Charlie Sloth in the mid-evening slot. Their new show debuted on 1 April 2019. On 20 April 2021, it was announced that the trio would be moving to the mid-morning slot prevuously occupied by Clara Amfo, who would takeover the early evening slot from Annie Mac.
In September 2020, it was announced that Hedges would replace MistaJam as the host of Radio 1's Dance Anthems on Saturday afternoons. Hedges took over the following month.
DJ
Hedges has performed DJ sets at various clubs and festivals. In 2014, Hedges released a single titled "Best Night OML" with vocals from JB Gill. In 2016, Hedges released a single titled "Kaleidoscope" on Armada Deep featuring vocalist Sonny Reeves”.
As we can tell from the P.R. company who represents her, Hedges’ role on BBC Radio 1 is much more than (her as) a Dance music host. She has been with the station for a couple of year. In that time, made a huge impression:
“In April 2019, Charlie joined Radio 1 with Rickie and Melvin for their brand-new evening show which features random conversations, hilarious phone-ins and interviews. She went on to host Dance Anthems, the biggest dance show in the UK. And now, two years after she joined the station, Charlie is transitioning to daytime as one of the hosts of Radio 1’s Live Lounge. Kicking off in September 2021, Charlie, Rickie and Melvin will be bringing listeners a Live Lounge full of good vibes and good tunes every day.
Making such an impression at the station, Charlie has covered for both MistaJam and Scott Mills and featured alongside Greg James on the breakfast show’s emotional Festive Feeling segment, which saw her travel around the country to surprise listeners with money-can’t-buy gifts.
Charlie started her career at KISS in 2005 and her infectious energy soon saw her co-present the breakfast show. She became the UK’s youngest ever breakfast DJ and was there for a recording-breaking fifteen years, pulling in the station’s highest ever reach of listeners, making it the biggest commercial breakfast show in the UK at the time and winning a Gold Sony Radio Award.
On 28th February 2020, Charlie Hedges and Eddie Craig released a brand-new track, ‘You’re No Good For Me’, with dance label Spinnin’ Records. It’s already had plays on KISS FM, as well as Dance Anthems and Party Anthems on BBC Radio 1. In September 2021, Charlie will be releasing two remixes - Rudimental and Hardie Caprio’s ‘Ghost’ and Welshy’s ‘All For You’.
When she’s not on the radio or making music, you’ll find Charlie watching female boxing, researching the latest fashion trends and DJing at some of the biggest clubs, events and festivals including Boardmasters, Bradford Live Festival and The Loft in Newcastle.
Charlie is down-to-earth with a wicked sense of humour and a cracking laugh. She’s the sort of person you instantly feel at ease with. In fact, moments after meeting her you’ll find yourself laughing away like you’ve been best mates for years – just one of the many reasons we’re thrilled to be working with her”.
It is a very exciting time for a multi-talented D.J. and broadcaster who has so much passion and drive to offer! Charlie Hedges’ knowledge and curated mixes have drawn me to BBC Radio 1. I am a big fan of Club and Dance music, but I especially love the classics. If you need a dose of the best anthems from the genre, check out Hedges’ show!
There are a couple of old interviews that I need to source, to give a bit of background. It is interesting where Hedges came from and the sort of career she has enjoyed so far. EXPOSED featured Hedges back in 2015. They asked her about the sort of venues she has played as a D.J., in addition to what her inspirations are:
“You’ve got some incredible venues under your belt – Space, Ibiza; Gashoulder, Amsterdam; Ministry of Sound, London. What was the maddest crowd?
They were all great! But when I played at Space, Ibiza, for the opening party, you’ll usually have a DJ on the mic who will tell everyone to sit down and when the track drops, everyone gets up and jumps. I don’t even use a mic but the crowd arranged it between themselves in the middle of my set – it was insane!
In terms of other artists, who is your biggest inspiration?
I’ve got a few in terms of inspiration but someone who has really helped me out is Steve Aoki. I played with him at Pacha last year in Ibiza and I’ve met him loads of times now, so I consider him a friend, and he’s really helped me out a lot – if I need any advice then I’ll just go to him. As a performer, he is definitely up there, he’s not just a DJ, he knows how to bring the party, he’s got the whole package without a doubt. Michael Woods is up there as well.
When you aren’t performing or presenting, how do you chill out?
Eat everything. I love eating. I literally love my food. I do like going for a run when I can, and I should make more of an effort to go on runs really but I’m just too busy sometimes.
If you weren’t doing music/radio, what would you be doing?
I would be finding a way to do it. I studied for a journalism degree and that was my back up. If I couldn’t directly get into the music industry or radio, I thought I could maybe get in by writing. Even as a kid, there was nothing else I wanted to do, I don’t know what else I’d wanna do, except open a Mexican house music restaurant obviously!”.
Before wrapping up and letting you explore Charlie Hedges’ work, The Student Pocket Guide chatted with the D.J. back in 2016. At the time, she was working with Kiss FM. It is fascinating to learn how she worked her way through the ranks and got to where she was then:
“You’re currently DJing alongside presenting radio station Kiss FM. What made you decide to give DJing a go?
I’ve always wanted to be a club DJ from day one and I knew working in radio would give me an amazing platform and chance to get into the world of DJing and making music. I love talking (obviously!) and the radio side to my life is so much fun, I love them both!
How did you work your way up the ladder to land in the highly successful position you’re in now?
So, aged 13 I applied to be a freelance journalist/assistant for a local magazine called Naked Tongue in Essex, they gave me the job just for the cheek of asking as it was a magazine aimed at over 25’s. In my school lunch breaks I’d then make lists of celebrities I’d ideally like to interview and then I’d track down their PA’s online. Before I knew it I was interviewing some great people who were kind enough to give a 13-year-old a chance, my interviews were getting published in the magazine and one of the guest interviews was with a Kiss DJ at the time. How that came about is a great story too but I’ll keep it short, basically my Dad is a London black cab driver and picked one of the presenters up in his cab, Dad being Dad he talked them into letting me interview them and the rest leads on from there!
From that day onwards I kept in touch with the breakfast show presenters at Kiss and used to come up for work experience every few months. Timing-wise, it’s crazy how things happened as I finished college and a week before I started uni to study for a BA in Journalism at Harlow College I got a call from the presenters on the breakfast show at the time asking if I wanted a job as a runner/tea maker. I took the job – I used to get into Kiss at 4:00am, work on the breakfast show and watch and learn everything I could behind the scenes until the show finished at 9am,then I would drive to uni until 6/7pm and did this for 3 years until I graduated with my BA in Journalism. Like I mentioned, I’d always wanted to be a DJ and radio presenter but knew it would always be good to have a backup plan but in the same field, hence why I studied for the journalism degree. I loved to write too, still do today – I’ve still got a pen to paper daily diary haha!
After my degree I was offered a full time job at Kiss and in the background I taught myself to DJ. I’d practice at Kiss whenever a studio was free, using YouTube and Googling DJ tutorials to pick up on the basics and then I practiced every single day until the time came probably 6 months to a year later when I was ready to give a club a go. I can remember my first gig to this day, it was in a small bar in Bexleyheath Kent. Before I had a management team I’d get myself club bookings and gigs all over London and the outskirts, celebrity parties too by contacting promoters direct – to be honest, I had no real organisation going on so I was moving forward but not in a structured way; I had worked with a few management teams until people were recognising me as a DJ and not just the girl that presents the Kiss breakfast show.
Since starting with my current management team (Fresh Artistes) I am now organised, I have clear goals and I’m moving towards these goals at an incredible pace.I’ve got some amazing projects already on the go and there’s a whole heap of new ones on the way too; things are really coming together and for the first time ever I know I’m with the right people who are working with me because they 100% believe in me.You guys wouldn’t believe how much that means to me, I now have gigs all over the UK and around the world coming up over the next year, and this is where I am right now!
You’ve DJ’d in some major festivals, including V, Wireless, and the Isle of White Festival. What’s been your personal favourite?
I have honestly loved them all, it’s very hard as a DJ to pick your favourite as every gig comes with new and exciting memories and lessons too.But I have to say I did love playing Isle Of Wight Festival last year, I played in the Big Top Tent just before Paul Oakenfold and the tent was heaving, there was a heavy metal band on before me and so going from this to house music was a big change up, I’ve never been so proud seeing a tent the size of that fill up within 10 mins of me playing, I’ll remember that set forever.
Is it tough being a female DJ in a profession largely dominated by males?
I think it’s tough in any profession to be honest whether dominated mostly by males or not. Everybody in every job, in every office/workplace faces challenges in life, that’s what life is all about: being set challenges and having to overcome them. I’m not saying it’s been easy but then what fun would that have been if it was?
Tell us a secret about yourself.
I have a blanket that I had from the day I was born…I still have it haha”.
I love Charlie Hedges’’ broadcasting work. She is an amazing D.J. and one of the biggest and most important names on BBC Radio 1. It would be great to think that she would have more shows and airtime on the station in 2022. Such a wonderful and authoritative talent, I have loved the Classic Dance Anthems show. Let’s hope that we hear the amazing Charlie Hedges on the radio…
FOR many more years.