Allow us to introduce you to your new best friend, Henrie, who has been killing the radio airwaves with her DJing and guest presenter slot on BBC Radio 1, Reprezent Radio and more...

You may not have seen her face just yet, but you most definitely have heard her loving voice.

 

Henrie is the latest bright young thing to be, well let’s be honest, killing it. With a winning smile and a talent that branches into many mediums, Henrie’s gift ultimately pulls in people. She’s a people person, and coming from an introverted, that is one mad skill to have.

 

After Henrie finished her studies at University, Henrie took the plunge that many of us don’t do until long after and threw herself body and soul into presenting and DJing. In just a short amount of time, look at what has happened. Over the Christmas holidays that has sadly just passed us, Henrie was the voice many of us listened to with her guest slot on BBC Radio 1. No biggie at all! However, like any creative journey, it wasn’t an easy one. Every day matters when you’re a creative, especially a freelance one – however, that’s not too say time off isn’t as beneficial to you as the productive days.

 

What makes Henrie so special is the light that you can clearly see (and hear) radiating from her. The sheer passion that burns brightly when she is interviewing the hottest acts in the music scene, DJing at some of the biggest fashion parties or just talking about her love for people and the art that they create.

 

We just had to get to know Henrie for ourselves, and meeting her is like you’re meeting up with an old friend, so we thought you just have to get to know her too – it’s only a matter of time before you will anyways as the Henrie Empire continues to grow with the release of her upcoming three-part documentary series ‘ Is Your Area Changing?’ coming soon. I mean, is there anything she can’t do?

 

Fall in love with Henrie’s golden heart and winning smile below!

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If you could summarise it, what is the story of Henrie so far?

Wow, the story of Henrie so far. I am a presenter and DJ who loves to smile and make other people smile. I’ve been DJing for just over a year and presenting properly for just over 3. I currently have a DriveTime radio show on Reprezent Radio which happens every Tuesday, 4-7 and you may (or may not to be fair) have seen me DJing for brands.

How did you get into radio and presenting?

Well, I graduated from the University of Leeds in 2016, having studied broadcast journalism. I started off doing just any job that was media-related at first, but then I also wanted to break free from being super shy and awkward and thought radio was the best way to do that. My first couple of shows were terrible, but as my confidence grew, my show became better. I realised then that I could be a little entertaining and decided to leave my 0 hours contract job and become a presenter and DJ full time. I haven’t looked back since. That’s the most condensed version of that story I’ve ever told haha!

What is the best part of what you do?

The best part is being able to be authentically myself. I can make people smile by just being me, that feeling of acceptance is great. Furthermore, I get to try out loads of different things and mould my ‘brand’ into whatever I want it to be. I used to think no one would ever understand me, but as a presenter, you get to be personable as there is always someone that’ll identify with you and that’s really cool.

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The worst part?

The worst part, especially now that I’m self-employed, is sometimes feeling like if I take a day off or haven’t come up with some new type of content then I haven’t been productive. Or if I haven’t worked for a week then I’m useless. I’m coming to terms with giving myself a break and understanding that just because I don’t do a 9-5 doesn’t mean I shouldn’t get time off. Also, I love taking bus everywhere and have been caught, more than once, eating a fish finger happy meal on the top deck and someone will DM me about it later haha!

What advice have you been given that has really stayed with you?

I’ve been told often to know exactly who I am and what I stand for. From this, I know what jobs I am willing and not willing to do, who I’m willing and not willing to be around and what content I want to make and what seems forced. Once you know who you are and what you stand for, no one can mistake you for anything else.

What advice would you give to people looking to follow in your footsteps?

Well, being a presenter is about having people being able to identify with you whilst also being able to present well. So with that being said, know what it is that makes you personable, are you funny? Are you a nerd? Are you a goofball? Are you rude? Are you straightforward? Whatever it is that is unique about your personality, just emphasise that. Take that leap of faith with anything you do as well, apply for presenting jobs for experience, put yourself out there online, ask people what it takes to be on their platform. But with that being said, never beg anybody for anything. We are in a day and age where we can make something of ourselves without platforms. Of course, you can introduce yourself and what you do to people of influence, but don’t think you ever need a platform to do what you want to do. Let them come to you. They come to you by you making your own content and cultivating your own audience and demographic. Don’t wait for anyone, start whatever you want to do yourself, and start it now.

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What have been the highlights of 2019?

One of my favourite highlights of 2019 was taking over BBC Radio 1 Breakfast for a couple of days over the Christmas period. Having some amazing guests on my show radio show at Reprezent has been great from the likes of Harry Pinero to Mo Gilligan to Izzy Bisu to Afro B. Another highlight has been being able to DJ for some amazing brands like Nike, Adidas x Pharrell, Puma, Footlocker and more. As you can tell, I love trainers. Getting flown out to work in 2019 has been great as well. I went to Paris on behalf of Nike x Complex and I’ve also been to Barbados twice in 2019 to DJ out there.

Who were the top artists for your 2019?

Gonna keep this very UK because I love UK music. Top artists of the year were BenjiFlow, Miraa May, Hamzaa, WSTRN, D Block Europe, Stormzy, Brotherhood, Shaybo, Ms Banks, Jevon, Headie One, Burna Boy (he grew up in Brixton so I’m claiming him haha), Pa Silieu, Young T & Bugsey, Aitch, SL, Tion Wayne, NSG and Br3nya.

What are you looking forward to now we are in 2020?

It’s gonna sound cringe but I am looking forward to reaching heights that I wouldn’t have been able to reach in 2019. I’m releasing a 3-part documentary soon through my own production company (HTK Productions). I hope to be on TV screens near you – and dare I say it worldwide  – in 2020. I look forward to getting more DJing gigs because I LOVE music (and I have bills to pay) and I also look forward to releasing more radio content.

 

What album describes you as a person?

The album that describes me best is Burna Boy’s ‘African Giant’ I reckon. I’m African and proud, and half Nigerian and proud! But also the whole album centres around standing up and being vocal about what you believe in, which sounds a lot like me. You can tell with each song that he’s still having a lot of fun in them and I am ALL ABOUT having a good time haha. It’s striking that balance which he does really well, all whilst still being charismatic and I would like to think that’s what I portray as a person.

Dig into the trailer for Henrie's upcoming documentary below!

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