DJ Fresh explains why he nearly gave up on radio

Fresh has worked at some of the biggest radio stations in the country but told listeners of his breakfast show this week that he had knocked on doors and dropped off demos at radio stations for five years before getting his break.

Metro FM host DJ Fresh may be one of the most popular radio personalities in the country, but there was a time when he nearly abandoned his radio dream to focus on other things. He said that at one point he even stopped sending demos because he just couldn’t get a foot in the door.

“I pretty much stopped and then the YFM opportunity appeared. But I had stopped sending demos because I was like nobody is responding. Nobody is calling.”

Fresh said that he got so disheartened that he decided to focus his energy on school instead. Only to finally get his break.

“After five years of trying and trying, I stopped because I was like let me focus on school. So that is what I did, and then the light shone.” Fresh has spoken before about the difficulties of breaking into the industry, claiming that in the age of Insta-fame and twelebs, talent can get lost.

“There are people that are passionate about radio and they’re not getting gigs. If you have a million followers you’ll get onto radio,” he said at a magazine launch last year.

He added that it was something that was prominent in the acting industry as well. Fresh has been doing the most to try to give people a break into the industry, mentoring several people and handing out bursaries with Boston Media House.