He is well-known for his smooth voice, which DJ Steve Wright now inspires in radio’s successors like Ricky Wilson.
Ricky from Kaiser Chiefs has joined Virgin Radio as a host of the Weekday Drive Time Show. It will slot into an already packed schedule with Graham Norton and Chris Evans.
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In an exclusive chat to celebrate the news, Ricky — who will be broadcasting from the same offices as Central Recorder — joked to me: “We can hang out by the water cooler. I can get all of the I’m A Celebrity gossip that nobody is allowed to know.”
Speaking about Steve, who left his BBC show in September after 23 years, Ricky added: “He is one of my radio heroes.
“I’ve moved stations as a listener to follow him. I like that he sings at the end of tracks. When we were working on a song a few years back, I said: ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if Steve Wright would sing along on the track?’ But he didn’t do it. He didn’t want to do it.”
Fans of the Kaiser Chiefs, who have seven top ten UK albums and five top ten singles, may not be able to hear their hits on Ricky’s show though.
Virgin’s Ruby singer, who will begin his tenure on Monday January 9, admitted that nerves are a problem.
Ricky said: “We might have to have a Kaisers amnesty and I can’t play them. I’m getting very nervous beforehand. I watch all the other DJs come in, and I am blown away by their professionalism.
“I have an hour of building myself up and I have copious amounts of notes. They are all useless, though I could use them.
“I’ve been offered radio shows before and I’ve been told I get to pick the songs, and I think that is brilliant. And then you do the show, but it was like listening to your own playlist.
“I like hearing songs now that in the mid-Noughties I was snobby about.
“I was either jealous or dismissive because it wasn’t as good as our music. I look back and realise how snobbish I was about some music. The show will be incredible, but look at that. It’s my turn to appear on the radio.
“Give me a couple of months and I will be doing the traffic news!”
AJ is on the rise ‘n shine
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AJ Odudu was as shining as the Glitterball trophy a year ago, when she appeared on Strictly.
The television host was dressed in this minidress made of metallic material for The Perfume Shop’s Christmas Dinner.
AJ, a brand ambassador of the fragrance store, looked fantastic at the London event. Given her success, she could not help but smile.
AJ hosts a variety of shows, including Married At First Sight UK’s Unveiled and The Bridge; Race To A Fortune.
I also told you earlier in the month that she would be presenting Big Brother, the rebooted ITV2 series.
She is preparing to start this in the new year, so there are many exciting things for 2023.
DAKE COSSETTED
DRAKE has found a clever way of guaranteeing he gets a cuddle at the end of the night – by sticking teddies to his coat.
He looked cosy in this fleecy cream number with added bears as he atten-ded a basketball game in his home city of Toronto.
It was fitting that he looked like he had some funfair prizes with him, given that he has just invested £84million in the relaunch of an art carnival.
This money will be used to repair Luna Luna in 1987, an amusement park and museum featuring artwork by Roy Lichtenstein, David Hockney, Keith Haring and David Hockney.
It closed due to legal difficulties but Drake is bringing it back and sending it on a world tour.
Madge now has a new minder
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MADONNA left little to the imagination when she squeezed into this corset for an impromptu Instagram photoshoot.
But I’d better watch what I say about the Vogue singer, as it turns out her eldest daughter Lola Leon is fiercely defensive.
It was to the point that once she became violent after someone said something about the star.
Lola said: “I don’t disrespect people, but if you come at me wrong, you better pray.”
She continued, reminiscing about one incident: “I was at a club spot and some dumb little bitch wanted to come up and talk some s**t. The second my mom’s name left her mouth – I don’t condone violence, but she . . . left.”
Lola has just launched a music career under the pseudonym Lolahol and says she doesn’t want success just because of her famous mum. Speaking to The Cut website, she said: “There’s undeniable privilege that I’d be stupid to not realise.
“My mom and my father raised me to be so much smarter than that.”
Maya wants to break the U.S.
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There is nothing Maya Jama can’t do.
The Love Island host, in addition to a highly successful television career and a sell-out beauty line, is now preparing for the US.
Maya just won a court battle to start a US-based retail business after Maya J Jenkins blocked her plans. Maya was trying to register her name for luxury homeware and cosmetics.
Her claim was contested by American Maya, but our Maya’s team fought back and won.
Since leaving Radio 1 in 2018, the telly host – who is dating rapper Stormzy again – has gone on to become one of the UK’s most popular stars.
She has worked across ITV and BBC, as well as becoming a millionaire through mega-money endorsements.
Maya said: “I’m trying to not be too ambitious. I focus on one thing at a time.” It sounds like there are many more things in her future.
NAUGHTY GIRL NIC
NAUGHTY BOY has worked with Beyonce, Emeli Sande and Ed Sheeran – and this week the producer-songwriter has been sorting new songs with Nicole Scherzinger too.
I wrote in April about how Pussycat Doll, the ex-Pussycat Doll, was making a solo comeback. She had also been hard at work on an album.
But clearly it is taking longer than expected because she is still trying to perfect the tracks for her record, which will be her first since 2014’s Big Fat Lie.
She had been planning new music with the Dolls after the success of their 2020 single React, but their reunion tour was delayed by Covid and was eventually axed in a row over money – ending hopes of new tracks.
Nicole seems to have put a lot more effort into her solo venture.
It’s worth waiting, I hope.