About

On an average day, I can usually be found making radio, listening to music or playing with cats (not necessarily in that order). A recent History graduate from Exeter University, I did what all sensible arts students do and chose a career path that has absolutely nothing to do with my studies. I work in production at BBC Radio 1/1Xtra and BBC Music Introducing in Oxford, which really is as fun and exciting as it sounds. Even though I’m just starting out in the industry, being constantly surrounded by creativity, music, and interesting people with remarkable stories is a very special thing and something that I don’t think I’ll ever tire of.

Having discovered radio in freshers week as something fun to do on the side of a constant stream of essays, I quickly fell in love with it and spent the next three years dedicating my time to the campus station, Xpression FM. I presented and produced a range of programmes, from the  Breakfast Show and UK General Election coverage, to local festivals and my own specialist music shows. I even managed to make my dissertation about the radio, looking at the significance of Radio Caroline, popular music and counter-culture in 1960’s Britain – I think at that point I knew I wasn’t destined for a career as an historian…

As much as I love the medium of radio and find the whole process of creating and producing content fascinating, I was always attracted to the music aspect of the medium, and specialist programming in particular. Music is something that I have always loved; growing up it was always present, whether it was my dad telling me about the importance of Led Zeppelin in the car on the way to netball matches, or my mum detailing her teenage obsession with Marc Bolan. I was encouraged to be inquisitive, so I always wanted to know more about what I was listening to, who I was listening to. When my friends were reading Mizz and Hello, I was devouring the pages of Kerrang! and reading biographies of my favourite bands. Spending time discovering new sounds and new artists is something I’ve always made time for.

I strongly believe that being able to listen to, discuss, and share music is a fundamental means of communication and expressing emotion. It goes beyond cultural and spacial boundaries, becoming a unifying force, a language everyone can understand and relate to in some way. We live in a turbulent world, where feelings of uncertainty, hatred and fear are a constant presence; but within this world, music becomes both a comfort and a form of expression where words often cannot suffice. It becomes the shoulder to cry on, the friend to laugh with, the memories you want to remember, and those you want to forget. At times of happiness, uncertainty, success and, perhaps most potently, extreme sadness, music has been a constant in my life that has allowed me to feel, understand and express my emotions in a way I wouldn’t otherwise be able to do.

And it’s really for these reasons that I have created this space to share my passion for music and express how it makes me feel, and how powerful that can be. So, combining my love for music and passion for writing, this blog encompasses all my thoughts and musings on everything musical, from new discoveries and old favourites, to the latest news and controversial tweets (Kanye, I’m looking at you…).

I hope you find at least some of my posts mildly interesting, and if you don’t, deeply apologetic.

Katy