ESHA - Is living her radio dream

It’s almost 7 pm, Monday. Esha Roopnarine is already on the open road, heading towards the studios at 95.1FM, where her radio programme will start one hour later.

By the time she parks her car on the studio compound, she’s already thinking of what she will play for her loyal listeners. Heading up the stairs to the DJ console, she automatically clears her throat, giving a little cough to relax the voice box. Her selections on the ready, she puts on her earphones as the “On The Air” sign is switched on. The music is cued up. She opens her mouth and her words begin to flow... “Good evening everyone... welcome to your  favourite  music station, radio 95.1FM... I am Esha Roopnarine here to keep you company until midnight...” Rewind to when she was just a little girl of eight, where she more or less said the same thing, only her microphone was either a hairbrush, a pencil or a rolled up copybook. “Yes, it’s true,” she said, laughing all the while. “I admit it, I have always, always wanted to be in the media, whether as an announcer or conducting interviews. So there I was as a child with my little ‘microphone’ pretending to be someone from CNN and interviewing mummy and daddy, asking them all kinds of questions. I’ve always found the media fascinating, whether TV or radio. When I tell people that this is my dream job, they don’t believe me, until I tell them that story.”

Growing up in St Augustine and the second of four daughters, Roopnarine went through her secondary education at Tunapuna Government, did her A-Levels and it was straight to the Announcers Broadcast Academy (ABA). Immediately after graduating in 1998, she auditioned for a position at 95.1FM, and got it. “I was just 20 then,” she said. “My teacher and mentor was Holly Thomas, a person I’ve been listening to for a long time (besides Jim Sutherland and Barbara Assoon). Barbara was also one of my teachers, a wonderful woman in her own right. I wasn’t worried about the training at all, as I’ve been wanting this for so long. Grasping the technical aspects wasn’t hard, Holly was great in that regard, showing us the ropes. I had to be groomed to know what radio should be like, how I should be on the air, what the format was for presenting a show, but that’s only part of it. There’s also the personality, which is totally up to you. It all comes down to what you present with regard to who you are and the type of personality you weave into the show.”

Her enthusiasm is evident throughout, but it’s not surprising because this young lady puts herself wholly and solely into whatever she does, and with abandon. Her passion may be radio, but she’s a self-confessed “pool rat” and has plans to pursue a business management course in the near future. She’s a lover of the arts and reads literature, but admits that she has a love for languages, especially French. When it comes to her family she’s just as passionate, citing that hers is a special unit. Her parents didn’t bat an eyelash when she told them what she wanted to do with her life, even though at one time, they thought she would take a different path. “Okay, if I didn’t become an announcer, I would have possibly gone into medicine,” she admits. “I say possibly because I pursued science in school, but I didn’t pursue medicine. (Laughs) Once I saw the broadcasting school ad, I knew I had to do this, it was my chance. Telling my parents was no problem, in fact my father was like, ‘Eh heh? Okay, what you need? How much it costing? When it starting?’ Plus my sisters and I are also very close and they too were supportive of my decision. And there is a special someone... (blushing) He’s concerned about  my safety on the night shifts, but he’s very understanding about what I do. Gives me advice too.”

On her own, she is complimented on her voice. Oddly enough, though clear and strong, it’s not your typical “radio voice”. But she gets loads of comments from people on it, even those who may not know she is “that Esha”. What cracks her up  though, are people’s reactions when they meet her for the first time. Because her voice is clear sounding and strong on-air, they are shocked when they see this little woman before their eyes. Their first question is usually, “Why are you so tiny?” When asked about her weight, she replied with a laugh, “I’m in the late nineties!” Her music though, is a mix of all decades. On the air she plays pop, rock (her favourite), R&B and some hip hop, but she has her favourite artistes; The Police, Led Zeppelin, Collective Soul, and even Bryan Adams. “My listeners know that I really love his music,” she quipped, grinning broadly.

Her ultimate interview would be with Lillith Fair persona Sarah Mc Laughlin. “I mean, why not Sarah? I’ve had interviews with many foreign rock bands but this would be my ultimate interview. She has so much going on (she counts on her fingers), Lillith Fair, which she singlehandedly organised and promotes, pushing the female musician forward. She writes, she produces, she sings, she plays guitar, piano... her songs are like poetry. I’d love to see what makes her tick.” And on the subject of women going forward... “I had a feeling that would come up.” (More laughter.) “On being a woman in a male oriented environment... all I can say is that I think it’s a great thing that’s happening across the board. When I came to 95.1 there was only one other woman on board. It’s been five years since and now we have a lot more and it’s just fantastic. You  have a mix of so many different personalities, you have female representation on the air. It’s just wonderful to see.     I’ve even co-hosted with a few male announcers and it’s fun too, you can ‘rap’ off each other, you have the men’s view, then the  women’s point of view. It can really work well either way, especially if you have a great chemistry going with your co- host. People seem to receive you well and respond to that, especially when it works positively.” For relaxation, Roopnarine loves quiet time, and will spend it at a beach house whenever possible. Swimming and sailing are another of her passions, but she must have her music around her. “Forget the fact that I play music for a living; when I’m on my own, I do it to relax. I always have music going, even if I have to hum to myself!”

It’s evident that radio is a huge part of Roopnarine’s life and she plans to explore every facet of its operations (planning, promotions, etc) for as long as she has her career. For now, the best part of her job is having her listeners call in during her programmes. “There is nothing like listener appreciation,” she said. “Whether it’s to comment on the music, or to ask for some advice, I feel great when it happens. It’s my personal high, it’s what gets me going. The best advice I can give to anyone who wants to do this, is go for it. It’s great to be a female role model out there. “Entertainment is something positive in its own way. If we can entertain youth and do something positive by keeping them off the streets or away from drugs by something we might say or music we might play, that is something positive... so go for it. I’m living my dream, and it’s making me happy. I’ve never had a perfect day as such, but once I go to my job, it’s really to be there for the listeners and forget about the bad stuff.  Knowing that I need to be positive for my listeners makes me feel better. If I have a bad day, the minute I step in the studio, I feel better. “Really, I count my blessings each day, because I am living my dream and doing my dream job... and it’s making me happy. It’s my passion.”

Esha Roopnarine is on the air from Monday to Wednesday from 8 pm to 12 am, Thursday from 8 pm to 10 pm and on Sunday afternoons from 12 pm to 4 pm.