Maya Jama

Biography

Maya Jama(Pronunciation- Maya Jaama) is an English actress, Model, Radio & TV host of Swedish-Somali descent. She is known for presenting- True Love or True Lies(MTV), The Circle(Channel 4), Trending Live! (4Music), Cannonball(ITV).

Maya Indea Jama was born on 14th August 1994 in Bristol, England to Sadie Jama(mother)- Swedish/ Scottish woman & the Somalian British father. She has a younger brother named Omar Jama who is 2 years younger than her.

Image: Maya Jama with brother Omar Jama

Image: Maya Jama's mother

Video: Maya travelling on football tour.

Relationships

Stormzy & Maya Jama

Maya first met Stormzy (English Hip Hop singer - Michael Ebenazer Kwadjo Omari Owuo) in 2015 at the Red Bull culture flash, they met backstage where she was going wild, he filmed her on the snapchat. After that they went to an after party, she interviewed him for MTV a day after that.

Image: Maya Jama with her boyfriend Stormzy(Michael Omari)

He likes black cars, every time he buys a new one it is black, she called them batman cars. 

Their relationship ended in August 2019 when Maya moved out of his house. Tabloids speculated from Stormzy's songs that he was hinting at him cheating on her during the relationship, which could have been the reason for the breakup.

Education

• Cotham School: Maya attended the co-operative academy located in the suburb of Bristol, England
• Drama School: She went to a drama school

Facts & Trivia

• Maya's career as a presenter started in her teenage.
• She came to London seeking career at the age of 16
• Boyfriend: when she was 16 her boyfriend Rico Gordon (21) was killed in a pub by a gun shot.
• Descent: She is of Somali Ethnicity from her father's side & Swedish ancestry from mother's side.
• TV's Maya has worked for:
  • 4Music
  • BBC Two
  • Channel 5
  • Copa90
  • ITV
  • ITV2
  • MTV
  • Rinse FM
  • Sky One
  • Sky (TRACE Sports)
• JumpOff.TV: Maya's career started with the presentation of a music video countdown program on JumpOff.TV in London
• Her attitude Mantras:
  • Be nice to everyone, you don't know what others are going through
  • Everything will be ok in the end. If it's not ok, it's not the end yet. 
• She likes two avatars: to wear minimal make & casuals or get glammed up with eyelashes, heels and others.
• She modeled for Sloggi WOW Comfort Bra.
• She likes to dress in- Jeans, black boots, leather jacket, vest top
• Essentials she carries in her handbag: An extra Bra, shades, headphone, pen drive, passport, lipstick, calculator, watch, face cream.
• She met Ronaldinho on the world cup tour.
• When she visited Salvador on the football trip, she practiced some martial arts, played beach football with children, rode camels, played football with Brazilian girls
• Swipe Right For Sex: a documentary she made
• Yogi: She does yoga in her free time
• Pet: She has a cat named Belle
• She moved to London all by herself seeking career in entertainment at the age of 16.
• Father: Her father has been in jail when she was 3, she broke contact with him at the age of 10.
• Hello Magazine named her the Rising Star for 2016
• Grandmother: Her maternal grandmother was around the house where she grew up, she was the one who kindled Maya's early interest in Music.
• Mals: She calls her boyfriend Stormz- Mals, a nickname she has picked
• Maya Angelou: She is named after poet- Maya Angelou. Her mother Sadie was reading 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' when she was pregnant.
• She is good at doing impressions of other people
• She is good with Australian & Irish accents as well as English & Americana accents
• Her teenage boyfriend Rico Gordon was shot to death in a pub.
• Best advice she received- "As bad as you might feel now and as long as it takes you’ll never forget but you will move forward."
• She is close with her brother, she carries his photo wherever she goes
• Pretty Little Thing: Maya launched her own collection of fashion items with the brand name 'Pretty Little Thing' in 2018
• Freya: she is a brand ambassador for the brand and is also a host of their show 'When Life Gives You Melons'
• Charity:
  • Savera UK: She joined Savera UK in 2018 as a brand ambassador, the organization provides help to domestic abuse victims from the Black Minority Ethnic communities.
  • Blood donation: She donated blood for an NHS campaign.
• Rare blood group: Maya has a rare Ro blood subtype (Ro Kell negative), A most sought after subtype in the UK (about 2% donors have this in the UK, blood type is used in treating sickle cell disease)
• When she is in bad mood, she listens to - Fish go deep during the course [2]
• Still Sleeper: She sleeps on the same spot on the bed, she doesn't move an inch [2]
• Badass dress: Whenever she wants to feel like a badass she wears- heels, shorts, crop top and as much skin as possible [2]
• Handling haters: She shuts down haters by laughing [2]
• Candle baths: In her private moments she likes to bath with candles everywhere [2]
• Beauty rules to live by: [2]
  • "Sleep is your best friend, doesn't matter how much makeup you have, if you are naked, sleep as much as possible"
  • Cold spoons on the puffy eyes in the morning or about 2 minutes
• Perfect Date Night: Driving up to a hill, having a bottle of wine, crisps, snacks, watching the stars, listening to music. [3]
• Cheeseburger: She likes her cheeseburger with a bit of bacon, lettuce tomato, mustard & Ketchup [3]
• Mcdonald's: She is especially fond of McDonald's burgers
• Maya Jama's advice for men- if she was a man, she would: [4]
  • Wear track suits to every award show
  • Be very mindful, if somebody told NO, it meant NO
  • Pretend Boys don't cry
  • Wear pink Lycra
  • Walk around topless
  • Buy bottles from the club
  • Text back quicker
  • Open about feelings more
  • Enjoy being outdoors
  • Wolf-whistle at someone to know how it feels
•  

Career

Radio

• Radio 1's Greatest Hits(2018-): she presented the music show on BBC Radio 1 on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 to 11 am.
• Maya Jama (2018-): She presented the show at 11 am on Friday+ Saturday on BBC Radio 1 
• Scott Mills(2018): She co-presented the show with Scott Mills at 1 pm on Fridays on BBC Radio 1 
• DriveWithMaya(2014-17): She presented the show on Rinse FM on weekdays from 4 to 7pm
•  

Television

• Release the hounds(2020)- She was in an adventure TV show where she had to run carrying a backpack while hounds chased her. It was a fun experience, she got caught by the hounds
• The Big Fat Quiz of the Year(2019)
• Don't Hate The Playaz(2018-): A hip-hop based show on ITV 2, she made an appearance as the team captain, the show was presented by Jordan Stephens
• BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards(2018)- She was a co-presenter at the event
• Stand Up to Cancer(2018): A charitable TV show broadcast on channel 4 for cancer awareness. She joins a host of popular names- Alan Carr, Adam Hills, Davina McCall.
• The Circle(2018): A game show based around social media phenomenon on Channel 4, co-presented by Alice Levine.
• Revolution(2018): she co-presents the series hosted on Sky one
• True Love or True Lies(2018): an MTV show she co-presents with Danny Dyer
• When Life Gives You Melons(2018): a celebrity podcast presented by Maya for Freya
• MOBO Awards(2017): she co-hosted the 'Music of Black Origin' awards in 2017 aired on Channel 5 along with Marvin Humes. Her boyfriend Stormzy won the best Male Act, Best Album awards at the event. She is the youngest person ever to host the MOBO Awards.
• Cannonball(2017): a saturday night game show she presented on ITV in 2017. Her co-presenters were- Andrew Flintoff, Frankie Bridge, Ryan Hand, Radzi Chinyanganya
• Loose Women(2017): She was guest on the British panel show which interviews celebrities
• The Hot Desk(2017): presented the music interview show for an episode
• Trending Live! (2015-17): a Monday to Thursday entertainment show
• Twitter Creator Day panel(2017)
• NME awards(2017)
• Timberland X New Look Panel(2017)
• AIM awards (2017)
• Rinse FM, Drive Time(2015)
• Maya's FIFA World Cup Cities(2014): a football travelogue covering 2014 FIFA world cup held in Brazil produced by Bigballs Media.
• The Wrap Up(2014): Presenter on the show aired on MTV
• Rinse FM, Breakfast Show(2014-15)
• Father in Prison: a documentary on kids whose fathers are in jail, inspired by her own life
• World Cup Taxi series: another series of football travelogue
• Host on JumpOff.TV
• Presenter on TRACE Sports
• Weekday DJ on Rinse FM
• I'm a Celebrity... Extra Camp: 
• Good Morning Britain
• Celebrity Love Island: Aftersun
• Lorraine- presented the show
• The Weakest Link: a tv quiz game show broadcast on BBC 2

Other Shows include: 

• Technobabble
• FutureSounds
• Star Rated
• The Football Virgin
• People Just do Nothing
• Chris and Kem show
• Ones To Watch
• Fresh Island Festival
• NCS LIVE
• Girl Boss
• REMIX21
• Crazy Celeb Diets

She has worked for brands (commercials/ promotions) such as -

• Adidas
• ASOS
• Aussie Hair
• Chambord
• Dior
• Freya (Lingerie brand)
• GAP
• H&M
• Sony
• Thomson
• Victoria Beckham
• WOW

Awards

• People's Choice Award: She won the 'best dressed' star award in November 2019.

News & Updates

• PHOENIX Magazine: She was the cover girl of PHOENIX Magazine in February 2018
• ES Magazine cover: Featured on the cover of the magazine in October 2019
•  

Quotes

• (About Rinse FM) I feel like it's always been a home away from home
• You can't please everyone. Some people are just mean, rather than paying attention to the negatives focus on the nice things.
• I've learnt to accept my insecurities because I'm so much more than them.
• I try not too focus on anything that isn't going to make me feel as amazing as I should
• There's a certain hunger in the people of London, especially in the young ones.
• I think I can truly say I'm happy with the person I am, things I've achieved and yet to achieve.
• You need to have passionate about things you do & enjoy them, otherwise it will end up being a drain.
• Women who have faced their fears & have overcome the battles are my inspiration.
• We're all human, everyone has their struggles no matter how good their life may seem on the outside, especially online.
• Do what you want to do. If you're not doing something because of strangers opinions that's not right.
• You have the choice to make today amazing
• Don't ever dim your own light to make others feel comfortable, light up the place
• Remind yourself that no pain is forever.
• Keep pushing, Things never feel as bad as they do today a month later
• Life is not easy, I salute every one of you making the most out of difficult situations
• Find your peaceful place and live in it
• People post things to flex forgetting that we know you in real life , you're only fooling yourself
• If you don't like me I probably wouldn't like you either
• Confidence is beautiful but remember to be Humble
• Real love is not easy to come about but when it does, treasure it
• I will never understand people who get satisfaction from the downfall of others
• Jealousy is just love & hate at the same time
• I have all the things I used to be impressed by when I was younger but they don't impress me anymore
• Don't tweet your thoughts, tell your friends
• (About Feminism) I've never called myself one. I wouldn't consider myself one but, I agree with most of it
• I was the person in school that was shit at every sport but would try my best [5]
• I promise you when you think you aren’t strong enough God will show you exactly why you had to go through whatever it was and you will come out of it [6]
• Girls saying other girls should “sit there and look pretty” has to be the most backwards shit ever. [7]
• Drunk tweeting was more fun when I didn’t have to worry about it being a headline tomorrow [8]
• When you go through loads of bad things that are meant to crush you down, you realize you have no control over these things. It is about how you deal with them that defines you as a person

Sources

1. Maya Jama wiki
2. 10 Things you didn't know about Maya Jama
3. Maya Jama's firsts- British Vogue
4. If Maya Jama was a man- British GQ
5. Maya's sports experience
6. Maya on Facing difficulties in life
7. Maya On women being critical of other women
8. Maya Jama on Drunk tweeting
9.