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Snoochie Shy
Interview & Words Phadria Prendergast
Candid and straight to the point - not what you would expect from someone named Shy. She’s the hottest radio personality in the U.K and for good reason too - her interview list consists of artists like American rapper DaBaby to British rapper Headie One. She takes risks and she’s going to say and do whatever is on her mind. Best known as Snoochie Shy but also known as Cheyenne Davide, she talks with WOTC about her journey to being the number one radio personality.
I catch Snoochie Shy on the third ring. She’s getting ready to head out to work. It’s a Thursday afternoon in September and London is having one of those weeks of great weather that you didn’t expect but, that you also aren’t complaining about either. I’ve already made mental plans to go for a short walk in order to enjoy the sun a little, but I knew the likelihood of it happening was small. It was a busy week.
I wanted to know where it all started for Shy. She had been an intern at RWD Magazine, a British based magazine which at the time, could be found in leading sports fashion retailer, JD Sports. She was also a student - one that didn’t attend sixth form very often, but a student, nonetheless.
If you’re talking radio and television personalities, Shy is one of the best to do it. Her resume is extensive and impressive. She’s presented for VEVO, MTV and of course BBC, she had her face plastered across billboards for the likes of Dr. Martens at the young age of just 21-years-old and if we had to name every single person on her interview list, we’d likely be here until next week. She’s interviewed some of the music greats including Rick Ross and pretty much every single artist in the rap, grime and drill music scene in the UK. Her carefree, playful demeanour mixed with her daring and quirky character makes the 28-year-old, nothing but memorable. She says what you’re thinking, and she makes no apologies either. Her boldness and lack of care are characteristics I think have taken Shy this far. She recalls her time doing YouTube and a section she had hosted titled “The Giggs Report” where she would re-enact the respected British rapper’s old videos after he had taken a hiatus from the music scene. She laughs as she explains how upon his return, he had been told that some ‘crazy’ girl had been looking for him. He found it funny and decided to collaborate with Shy to put together a spoof for her show. From there, it all took off for her.
For Shy, especially at the age of 16 or 17 years old, her internship at RWD Magazine was a dream and education was something she quickly wanted to leave behind. She was the fashion assistant for only two weeks before the magazine had decided they wanted to keep her on. “I was like yeah, I’m definitely not going to sixth form now, this is it,” she laughs. Despite her attendance, Shy passed all of her exams. There’s an amused tone in her voice as she remembers when she realised that she couldn’t actually style people and she would simply dress them how she wanted to dress. “not everyone wants to dress like you Shy,” she said, speaking to herself.
Getting to know Shy:
Snoochie’s favourite designer is Jeremy Scott
Jim Carey is number one on Snoochie’s Wishlist who she finds inspiring.
Snoochie advises the next generation, not to know them back, to be proactive and put yourself out there on social media.
Rick Ross is on Shy’s list of wow interviews. She interviewed him for MTV at one of London’s biggest yearly festivals, Wireless. When she met him, she had literally just finished crying. She had been told off for being cheeky in her previous interviews – something you wouldn’t be surprised about if you know Shy. “Rick Ross told me I need a boss.”
Snoochie doesn’t like planning ahead, she prefers to go with the flow but believes that you should never get complacent, there is always work to be put in and goals to achieve.
When she first started working on the radio, she would write paragraphs and paragraphs to prepare for her interviews. Now, she says whatever comes to mind – literally.