Who You Know: Harpz Kaur

Name: Harpz Kaur Role & company: TV & Radio Presenter at BBC / CBBC Hometown: Huddersfield Current city of residence: London

Describe your typical day to day at work

So my day starts at 4am - Monday to Friday. Why? Because I host the Breakfast show on the BBC Asian Network and it’s MY job to then wake up the NATION! Lol. I then get to work for 5:30am, prep for the show and go live at 6:30am. My show is 4 hours long, filled with lots of fun, games and guests! I don’t usually leave work till Midday/1pm sometimes due to planning for the show the next day or interviews and guest prep for weeks ahead.

I then try to take a nap when I get in. I was never a morning person and have extreme insomnia, but for the past 4 years I’ve had to adjust and make it part of my routine. I can’t function without a nap now! Ha!

I also like to keep fit. Gym is a big part of my life. Not just for the gains, but for the release! It’s the only ‘me’ time I get in the day – to not focus on work or anything else. Just zone out and focus on me. Which I find helps a lot.

Then later in the day I have to take out a few hours to prep for anything else I have going on like gigs, hosting shows or prep for my CBBC TV Show that I do every Saturday Morning.

So I'm pretty much ALWAYS on the go! Never a day off really lol.

Tell us about your career journey and how you got your current role

Cutting a very lonnnnnng story as short as possible...

I graduated in 2011 and was searching for a job ever since. My degree was in Media Studies and Post Grad in Broadcast Journalism. I had done a lot of hands on work experience during my time at uni, at many different Radio stations etc. But there was never anything set in stone. After graduating I went on to freelance for 5 years – in News. I worked as a News Reader and Reporter at Capital, TFM, The Metro, The Bee, 2BR and Radio 4.

However it wasn’t getting me anywhere and I was hardly making any money. The shifts would come and go and it was never consistent. I also wasn’t enjoying it – News was not my future and I couldn’t see myself being in that position in the future.

However on the side of all of this, I took on a voluntary show at Fever FM, a local station in Leeds. Which I ended up staying at for 6 years! It became my life. I was so into it, I got to play all the music I want and was able to be creative with my work. It was also the perfect place for me to make contacts with artists within the Asian Music scene and some have now gone on to be good friends. Fever made me realise what I wanted to do. It made me realise RADIO was for me and PRESENTING was my strength.

I then took on DJ’ing on the side, I began to show up at gigs and got booked for events all over – as there was a huge lack of females on the DJ circuit. Then just to gain a bit of recognition I took to social media and created a Twitter account, a Youtube Channel and joined Souncloud. After a few years I started becoming a name that popped up everywhere. Nihal from Radio 1 at the time asked if I could do a mix for his last show on the station, I couldn’t believe it.

I then went on to applying for the Asian Media Awards in 2014 and got shortlisted to the final 4 within the Outstanding Young Journalist of the year award. I didn’t win, but that night changed my life. I met some of the most amazing people within the industry and had conversations I thought I would never had.

I happened to speak to the Head of Programmes at Asian Network without actually knowing who he was at the time! He gave me his card and I waited for months to hear from him. Eventually I did, he called me down for a chat. I then went on to do a demo – and the rest is history!

I became their Sunday morning Breakfast presenter for a year. I then went on to doing FULL Weekend breakfast for around 8 months and now currently in the hotseat for the Weekday Breakfast Show... and it’s been 2 and a half years now. It’s absolutely flown by!!!

Not just that, but I've gained an amazing opportunity at CBBC. I present Saturday Mashup on there every weekend. And still can’t believe I actually do KIDS LIVE TELLY!

What’s your most memorable career moment?

I have so many it’s hard to name one. But I think the most recent memorable moment for me is winning Best Radio Presenter Of The Year – at the Asian Media Awards 2019. Never have I ever won anything in my entire career – then to pick up one of the biggest awards at the ceremony seriously put things into perspective for me. It was that day I realised how hard I've worked to get here and not a day goes by where I don’t pinch myself!

What’s one motto that you live by?

Two things actually.

1. It’s a quote taken from a Sikh Prayer: ‘’Maan Neeva, Maat Uchi’’ meaning: ‘’Keep your ego low and your morals high’’

2. When you feel like quitting, think about why you started!

Name three women creatives who inspire you

• Sonia Deol. A former presenter on the BBC Asian Network and someone I grew up listening to. At the time she was the only Asian Female I knew of in the media industry. I used to watch her interviews on TV and tell my mum ‘’One day I want to be just like her’. It wasn’t that often you saw an Asian Female on screen – hence why I wanted to do the same thing so badly.

• Clara Amfo. Radio 1 DJ/Presenter. I find her extremely inspiring. Her work ethic, drive and passion for music is phenomenal. She really is the definition of a strong-minded woman within this industry. I just love her Aura!

• Ellen DeGeneres. TV Presenter. Again, she speaks volumes. Such a likeable personality. And an absolute quality presenter. I LOVE watching her on TV.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into your profession?

It sounds so cliche but honestly, NEVER EVER give up. Do not stop chasing your dreams. I’ve had many days and moments in my life where I have wanted to just give up on everything and began to feel sorry for myself. I learnt the hard way! 6 years of no proper job and no income – paid off in the end! Only because I didn’t stop. Everytime I cried, I woke up the next day thinking ‘why did I start this in the first place?’ and ‘how badly do I actually want it?’. THAT gave me the courage to get back up and chase again. Overcome your fears and try everything. Sometimes you have to do the things you hate, to do the things you love.

Anything else you’d like to add?

I just want to push more females to come forward and follow their dreams. Because I feel many of us don’t have the confidence and it could be down to a number of reasons. Family, peer pressure etc... but at the end of the day, ask yourself – what’s best for ME? Then do exactly THAT. Never let anyone tell you that you are not capable of something. We can do EVERYTHING men can do! [taking out Birth!].