Honest, hard-working and decisively happy, the intoxicating Maya Jama is make of strong stuff.
PHOTOGRAPHER RANKIN CREATIVE DIRECTOR ALAN ABOUD FASHION STYLIST ELLIE WITT HAIR STYLIST EARL SIMMS MAKE-UP ARTIST EMMA MILES EXECUTIVE PRODUCER NICOLA KENNEY PRODUCER UGNE CIESIUNAITE STYLIST ASSISTANT SANDRA BLAZINSKAITE DIGITAL TECH NEIL BENNETT, ALEX GALE STILLS ASSISTANT JACK CHAMBERLAIN, BEN DUAH, TATJANA GALIC INTERVIEW ROSE GARDNER
“Having a lovely time,” declares the Instagram bio of Jama, the 24-year old British TV and radio star. And so she is, because she’s worked hard to in the face of challenge.
Born in Bristol to mixed-race parents – mom is Swedish, dad of Somali descent – since the age of three Jama has endured her father being in and out of prison. At 16, her boyfriend died suddenly. She’s struggled continually with crippling anxiety. But Jama is far from a sob story. In fact, her hardships helped forge a steely resolve to succeed that’s seen her become one of the most in-demand media stars in the UK today.
Moving to London to pursue presenting, Jama spun YouTube videos and an internship at hip-hop platform JumpOff into gigs at MTV and radio station Rinse FM before landing a twice-weekly show on national BBC Radio 1, as well as a host of primetime TV jobs for every one of the UK’s major channels, and all in eight years.
Jama talks fast, with an almost breathless enthusiasm that underlines the rapidity of her rise. She’s grateful for every moment, but she’s also worked damn hard to get here, and is consciously candid about it.
VM: You moved to London at 16 to live with a relative and chase your dream. Why were you so eager?
MJ: I knew if I really wanted it, London was where the real opportunities were. I could have stayed in Bristol for another couple of years, done college, studied media, but I knew what I wanted and didn’t see any point in waiting. My mum has always been very supportive about my dreams, so that helped. It was lonely at first, but I was a lot more outgoing then, weirdly. I found it easy to walk up to people, introduce myself, and tell them about what I wanted to do. I think I was also very naïve, totally unrealistic in what I thought I could achieve. But actually that naiveté was a real asset and probably got me far, because I just went for it without doubting myself. I’d say being a dreamer has really helped me.
VM: You’ve been open about growing up with a father in prison. How do you think that has shaped you?
MJ: I think it made me more independent and more resilient from a young age, because it made me realistic about people. I don’t rely on anyone except myself, I don’t really need anyone, and I can do things on my own. I guess that’s why I wasn’t scared to move to London. Any bad or sad moments in my life have made me understand early on that shit happens. Life isn’t perfect — it’s not one big fairy tale – but it doesn’t have to hold you back.
VM: Why did you want to share those experiences?
MJ: When I was growing up and seeing people on TV that I looked up to, they’d all be super amazing. But I’d never know any backstory, whether they’d been through anything bad. With how my life was, it would have been amazing to see someone in the media who’d gone through something similar. I want to give a little bit of hope to people who have had unfortunate things happen in their lives, to show that actually, it doesn’t matter. You can still achieve what you want to achieve.
VM: Honesty seems important to you.
MJ: I can’t help but be myself. I can’t be this pristine girl. I do have a make-up artist and a hair person that make me look good, but otherwise I’m a tracksuit and sneakers girl. I wake up in the morning and look like shit, and I will show that side rather than just be glammed-up and pretending everything’s cool. If I’m having a bad day, I will tell you. That whole celebrity thing makes a lot of people think they have to portray a perfect image, and I never want to do that. One, because I wouldn’t be able to keep it up, and two, because I just don’t like it.
VM: Do you have a clear career plan?
MJ: I still don’t even know what I want my end goal to be, because it always changes. If you asked me a couple of months ago, I’d say it was to have a prime time TV show that’s a mix between a talk show and a comedy panel show, hosted by me, a household name! Now I want to do that, but maybe I also want to venture into film. And maybe I want to have my own company. I think so far I’ve set myself mini-goals, lsike stepping stones.
VM: Have you faced struggles being a woman in the entertainment industry?
MJ: I didn’t know that my cohosts were getting paid more than me until last year, when it came out in the press. We’re doing exactly the same job, we have the same skill set, but you’re getting paid more? It’s fucking ridiculous. Hopefully that changes now; I know the BBC are paying me equally, for example. I think it’s super-positive that everyone’s speaking out about it. I just hope soon that it’s completely normal for everyone to be the same.
VM: Do you consider yourself a role model for young people?
MJ: I never call myself a role model, because I don’t think I’m perfect in any way. I know I have a million fuck-ups and I’m still learning as I go. But I think I try to be as honest as I can and show that I’m human. And if you can see any little characteristics in me that you resonate with, and you have similar dreams, then I hope that is encouragement.
VM: What message would you like to put out into the world?
MJ: I have my little quotes, such as, “If you love someone, tell them, because hearts are often broken by words left unspoken.” But what do I really live by? I think it’s that life is sometimes quite shit, but as long as you make the most of your situation and try your best, you’ll get a good result if you’ve got a good heart.
