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Siân Carys Owen
Interview & Words Phadria Prendergast
Siân Carys Owen isn’t just a DJ or influencer, she has plans to disrupt the fashion industry and master her craft in music production. I caught up with the 22-year-old beauty to talk self-confidence, education and what’s next.
It’s just gone 2:30pm when I sit down to speak with the young DJ and fashion student Siân Carys Owen. I’m first greeted by her voice before I see her face. We both laugh as she finally gets her face to appear on the screen. She’s just come back from a shopping trip – numerous bags are scattered on her bed in the back. We bond over the fact that neither of us like the process of shopping, just the new items at the end.
Siân is the type that likes to shop in-store, I personally like shopping online. She goes on to explain that she’s back to university the following week for her final year. I’m impressed. She wants to increase her value. Usually, in her position and especially at her age, people don’t typically continue down the road of education – not when money is involved. Siân admits that she once felt embarrassed telling others that she was a student when she was asked what she does by celebrities and reality stars she would encounter. The flex FM DJ is on track for a first-class degree having just achieved a first in her second year.
Siân’s interest in fashion is sparked by wanting to be an advocate, particularly within the sustainability space. “I think it’s really important for young designers to fight for that spot.” She laughs whilst recounting an early memory in school where she was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, to which she replied, “I want to be a fashion model”. Standing at 6 feet tall, the British beauty could easily have undertaken a career in modelling. She tells me that she is often asked how she remains so confident being so tall. Familiar with the question myself, I understand all too well. I’m 5”9. When I think about it now, the question itself is quite abysmal.
Siân admits that she did once face a lot of insecurity regarding her height. I nod, relating and remembering the times I would opt for flats instead of heels, just so I wouldn’t be the tallest girl in the room again. Now, try to pry the heels off my feet. No outfit feels complete without them. “At a younger age yeah, I didn’t have a lot of confidence, cause you want to slouch over and you just don’t accept yourself but now, I say you know what, it’s the only thing you can’t change. Embrace it. That is who you are. You stand out. You just have to own it. You’re going to get noticed, no matter where you are, no matter what you wear, no matter what you do so, it might as well be in a nice pair of heels,” she chuckles.
Originally from Hertfordshire, Cambridge, she moved to London to study at one of their top universities for Arts. Though born in Cambridge, her accent is anything but. It’s as though she’s been a Londoner all her life. Her transition from a small-town girl to city girl was one she described as overwhelming. “I was like a deer in headlights,” she laughed lightly however, went on to explain that it was actually the best year of her life. When Siân was approached by a casting director for the first season of The Circle; British game show where contestants ‘catfish’ their way into a cash prize, she originally thought it was a scam. The casting director had contacted her through Instagram and told her that she seemed like she was a lot of fun. “I was just like; how do I seem like a lot of fun?’ It wasn’t that she didn’t think she was, she just hadn’t posted much content to warrant this comment. After consulting her mother, Siân went for it and ended up being the last girl standing in the finale where she came third place overall.
After the show, Siân had entered into a whole new world; the world of an influencer. She recalls her first brand deal “I didn’t have a clue. I actually put my fairy lights on around my bed,” she laughs. “I sat on my bed with my ring light, I had no idea what I was doing”.
The downside of working from home – distractions. Halfway through, I spot a boat reminiscent of something out of the pirates of the Caribbean from the windows. I’m intrigued. Siân follows my eyes. Busted. She asks me if there’s someone at my window. I laugh and tell her about the weird boat.
After a few appearances on the radio, Siân had found another passion. “Everyone was saying to me, you need to do radio.” She set herself a goal and shortly after, landed her radio show at Flex FM DJing every other Friday. When she entered The Circle, Siân had deterred her second year at university. When she returned last October, she loved the creative balance between being a DJ and being a designer. Like many entertainers in the industry, the spread of the virus has meant that she has had a number of booking cancellations but is raring to make her mark. She is using the time to master her DJ skills from the comfort of her home studio.
Siân’s agenda for the next few years consists of graduating from university, mastering her DJ skills and getting into music production. “Never map out your life,” she advises the next generation of young girls. As women, we tend to create milestones in our heads and when it doesn’t go that way, we often think there’s something wrong. Siân’s life has taken a U-turn for the better. She’s OK with not knowing what is next and is open to taking whatever opportunity is next.