FEATURE:
Station to Station
PHOTO CREDIT: Yasmin Evans
who I feel is going to be in the industry for decades, I wanted to spend some time getting to know Yasmin Evans. Perhaps best known for presenting on BBC Radio 1Xtra (between 2012–2021), Evans can now be heard on Heart Radio, Sundays 12-4 p.m. On a station that has the likes of Kelly Brook and Emma Bunton in their stable, it boasts some incredible talent indeed! I think that Evans will have a long career in radio. Someone who I can also see doing more television. I am going to get to some interview from the incredible Yasmin Evans. First, there is some biography and background this amazing broadcaster:
“Jasmin joined the Heart Radio family in January 2022. She can be heard lifting the nation’s mood, presenting her show ‘Heart’s Feel Good Weekend with Yasmin Evans’, 12-4pm every Sunday.
Stockport born Yasmin Evans began her radio career at the age of just 15 presenting on one of Manchester’s most prominent community stations. It was then that she began collecting vinyls and originals, developing a taste for eclectic urban music influenced by old school RNB, Hip Hop, House and Reggae. Yasmin studied Radio BA (Hons) at the University of Salford where she was approached by the BBC to take part in their piloting scheme.
In September 2012 Yasmin was offered the 1Xtra Weekend Breakfast show and after just 9 months in that slot she became the co-host of the 1Xtra Weekday Breakfast Show. In 2016 Yasmin was awarded her own solo show 1-4pm BBC 1Xtra every weekday which she continued to present for a further 5 years until Dec 2021.
Yasmin has recently co-hosted ITV 2’s spin-off of dating show ‘The Cabins: Out of the Woods’ alongside fellow northerner David Potts. The show follows Yasmin and David as they travel around the UK catching up with the daters and where they are now after their Cabin’s dating experience.
A health, fitness and well-being advocate, in 2020 Yasmin took part in Channel 4’s hit show, SAS: Who Dares Wins. Her physical and mental strength was put to the test whilst she battled it out, competing against 11 other celebrity contestants. 2020 also saw her join forces with The Co-op to present their podcast series In It Together covering a range of topics from plastic waste and ethical shopping to grief and loss.
From 2017 through to 2019 Yasmin co-hosted CBBC’s live and chaotic Saturday morning kids show, Saturday Mash Up! alongside Jonny Nelson. She has presented The BRIT Awards official international live stream and social red-carpet shows since 2018.
During her time at the BBC Yasmin has fronted a variety of events including 1Xtra’s Live’s coverage and Radio 1’s Big Weekend Backstage. She has worked on Sport Relief shows and has even taken part in Celebrity Mastermind. She has also hosted shows for VEVO UK including Music Videos in Real Life, VVV & Ones to Watch and presented the GRM Daily Rated Awards which were streamed live across YouTube. She also gave her first TedX Talk at the University Manchester in 2018, talking about overcoming challenges in her career journey.
In 2015, she teamed up with Comic Relief travelling to Uganda with Operation Health to bring aid and awareness by building a Health Centre alongside Greg James and Lenny Henry and raising 1 Million Pounds. As an advocate in improving the lives and education of young people, Yasmin has played an influential role in the BBC’s Apprenticeship scheme & The BBC Outreach team since 2012; talking nationwide to young individuals about her career journey. She also hosted WE DAY UK at Wembley Arena since 2015, a live event showcasing the importance of young individuals around the World sponsored by Richard Branson and Virgin Atlantic. Yasmin supports a number of other charities including The Duke of Edinburgh Award, Samaritans, NSPCC and Sports Relief.
Yasmin has partnered with numerous international brands for commercial work including JD, Ellesse, JBL, H&M, Kellogg’s, Waze, HelloFresh, Ebay and Disney and continues to work with a diverse range of companies that reflect her lifestyle and interests.
Inspired by her Grandmother’s open kitchen policy, the vegan ‘foodie’ can often be found in the kitchen researching and cooking up exciting new recipes”.
Before moving on, in 2017, Yasmin Evans spoke with Glamour for their How I got my job…. feature. It is interesting to get some personal insight regarding her background and development. Six years on, and it would be good to see or hear Evans do another interview where she looks back on how far she has come and where wants to head. Without doubt, one of our most important and talented broadcasters:
“2005 – 2009: Community Radio Station, Manchester
My mum worked in social care, and encouraged me to volunteer in any way I could from a young age. One of her colleagues also worked at the community radio station, presenting a disability awareness programme, and was looking for someone to pop in and play music. So, for an hour every week, from the age of 15, I popped in to play some old school tunes and discuss why I love '60s and '70s music. I hated the sound of my own voice, but Mum really pushed me!
2009 – 2012: BA (Hons) Television and Radio, University of Salford
Before I applied for uni, I actually wanted to do Film Studies and Performing Arts, because I'd loved Media Studies at school. I was adamant I was going to live far away for the proper 'uni experience', but then a lecturer from Salford University called me after reading my statement. Because of my experience doing community radio, she told me to consider their Television and Radio course. Salford Uni was only down the road from my house, so I was unsure at first. But I went to the open day and felt 'at home' immediately. I guess the course was almost chosen for me, but I'm glad it was.
2013 – 2016: 1Xtra Weekday Breakfast Show Presenter
I was still living in Manchester after uni, working on the weekend show in London and running the sun-bed shop during the week. Then one weekend, I got a call from my manager saying: 'Someone's going to call you from 1Xtra and they're going to ask you a big question. Brace yourself, it's a big one, and you might have to move to London.' Sure enough, they asked me to work the weekday breakfast slots. I absolutely loved that show, and doing it with Twin was such a laugh. The 4.45am alarms were a killer, though.
2016 – Present: Solo Show on 1Xtra Weekdays
Twin B had been doing the breakfast show for a while before me, and I think we both felt that it was time to come into our own a bit. So, we both sat down and decided to leave on a high – it was definitely a mutual decision. Now, I play urban music between 1 and 4pm. It's great to do my own thing and let people get to know a little more about me.
2017: Gfinity Elite Series Presenter
E-sports, or professional gaming, was something very new for me this year – it's a completely different world to music, but I think it's important to challenge yourself. I wasn't a huge gamer (except Spyro the Dragon!), so I had to do a ton of research before landing the job. We wanted people who weren't necessarily into gaming to enjoy it, too.
Yasmin's Life Lessons
**Know your worth.**You might feel at a loss at times, but you will always find yourself in a place where you feel your talent and knowledge is best suited.
Be polite. You can never be too grateful for people’s time. We are all so busy, but taking some time to recognise teamwork goes a long way.
Take time out for yourself. We can get very consumed in our career, but what's it worth if you aren't yourself? Take time out, take care of yourself the rest will follow. I love a Sunday of doing nothing!”.
I think it is important to discover Yasmin Evan’s timeline and route to where she is now. I have edited a bit of out of the interview above, as it did mention D.J. Tim Westwood – who has been accused of sexual assault -, so it wasn’t an omission on their part; it was one on my behalf in light of recent allegations. As someone who does deep into Heart Radio now and then, I think it is Yasmin Evans’s show that pulls me in. I have followed her career a bit now. I get this feeling that she is going to have a massive career with so many opportunities. Even though she has been in the industry a while now, her best is still ahead. It does seem like she is very happy where she is. You definitely get that sense. That said, one couldn’t bet against a station like BBC Radio 6 Music spotting her and making room on their schedule. It seemed like she had a pretty packed day when she was on 1Xtra. It was heartbreaking reading about an ordeal last year where she was assaulted by four men in London. A really shocking and upsetting thing to see. I am glad she is okay now, but I remember when she shared that experience and thinking how sickening it was. Last month, Yasmin Evans spoke with The Guardian about her Sunday routine. Someone who works through lunch and in the afternoon, there is that mix of preparation and relaxation:
“How does Sunday morning start? It’s a working day for me, so my alarm is set for 8am. I know, it’s blasphemous. I take my gut health supplements and sea moss gel, while avoiding getting out of my pyjamas. I leave it as late as possible, but I’m in the shower by 9.30, and head to the tube soon after.
On air, what’s your Sunday sound? I’m live from 12-4, there to help you drag the weekend out as long as possible. I’ll switch between playing last night’s party tunes and music to help ease you through the Sunday slump that’s coming. Either way, I avoid talking about Monday morning as much as possible.
PHOTO CREDIT: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images
How do you relax? My garden sees the sun for most of the day. Sitting outside, in silence, is where I’m happiest. I’ll eat out there, then I’m into the bath until the water turns to human body soup. Becoming a prune is my idea of heaven.
And Sunday night? I’m into rituals. On Sunday evenings I write in my gratitude book. Then it’s on to skincare. As an acne and pimple sufferer, keeping the glow going takes some work. People who just go to bed and wake up fresh, how do they do it? I’ve got a whole regime before eventually sleeping”.
An extraordinary talent who has conquered so many markets already, who knows what the future holds for Yasmin Evans. I think she does warrant an event bigger platform. She has her terrific Sunday slot on Heart Radio. You feel there are additional opportunities and avenues that could be explored in years to come. I keep saying how we need another music T.V. show. One similar to Jools Holland’s. Evans would be a terrific presenter. Maybe she’ll set up her own label or appear in film and T.V. I hope there are some in-depth interviews coming up, as she is a really interesting person. A career arc and success story that is going to be inspiring to many wanting to get into broadcasting. I really admire her work. It will be fascinating to see how her career evolves and unfolds. Having achieved so much already, Evans is not going to slow down anytime soon! When it comes to broadcasting brilliance, the superb Yasmin Evans is…
ONE of our very best and brightest.