NICK NDEDA ON WHY HE TURNED DOWN SPICE FM RADIO JOB AND OBSESSION WITH BRITNEY SPEARS

Celebrated media personality and actor Nick Ndeda has opened up on his career progression from debuting as an inexperienced radio presenter and evolving to become one of the most sought-after presenters in Kenya with a career that spanned over a decade in the media space.

In an interview with Buzz Central, Nick traced his radio career way back to 2007 when he was having fun with his brother, who informed him about ongoing auditions of the then-new radio station Homeboyz. His brother was determined to land the advertised position at the pristine broadcasting station and asked him to accompany him to the auditions.

Initially, he was not to audition for the radio job but things took changed when a lady named Maria, approached him and convinced him to try his luck since he had waited for so long in the sun and a 30 seconds tryout can be a significant stint in his life.

“We went for the auditions at 7am, and we stood outside up to around 9:45am. My brother went in, and I was like ‘all the best,’  and I turned around but this lady, Maria, stopped me and asked me where I was going. I told her I was accompanying my brother, who wants to be a radio presenter.

She said that I was standing outside in the heat for two hours and the audition was in a room with air conditioning, it was only 30 seconds, and I had nothing to lose. She signed me up in the register, and I went and auditioned successfully. I will never forget Maria.” He said.

At the auditions, he was asked to talk about his favourite artist – American singer Britney Spears – and he impressed the judges as he received a call to join Homeboyz Radio the following Monday. He was enlisted as a stand-in breakfast show host until he quit in 2010.

Talking about his love for Britney, Nick says that she is a shining example ever since she came into the limelight at 16. He admitted to owning her music tapes and was one of the fans that catapulted her Free Britney Spears Movement when her finances and personal life were controlled by his father after facing a severe mental health crisis in 2008.

“I love the way Britney Spears sings. How can you just not fall in love with her voice? I had her albums like Baby One More Time, Oops! I Did It Again!, and Blackout on tape. I am glad that she is free and living her best life.”

After the closure of XFM in 2019, he was lucky that there was a vacant position at sister station Kiss 100 FM, where he was onboarded as a co-host of Kiss Evening Drive with Linda Nyangweso. However, he bowed out in 2021, and there were speculations that he was eyeing a post at Spice FM, which never became a reality when the signing of the job contract hit a snag. 

He was to host Spice FM’s drive show alongside long-time friend Monique Bett. “I was told what the job was, I was to host the drive show with Monique on Spice FM and something happened during the final negotiations and we did not see eye to eye and I was like I was not going to force it.”

When asked if he looks forward to getting back to the radio, he says, “I would probably go back to the radio, but it would probably be these two shows: One, it should be rock-oriented or a countdown show. I love countdowns because of the energy and psyche.”