Gracey Mae
“For me, being a Black woman is being dynamic. We can be soft. We can be strong. We can be anything we want or need to be.”
Gracey Mae is an entertainment journalist and versatile media maven who utilizes a range of mediums to amplify and celebrate African Arts. Some of these avenues include her weekly radio broadcast, The Afronation Show, and her Afro-Pop podcast, Frobeats, as well as her YouTube channel, where she platforms and celebrates the Afrobeats genre and its roots. She is a driven leader who is constantly looking for ways to expand her coverage and discover new talent. Her dedication to uplifting others, especially female artists who are emerging on the scene, makes her work especially valuable. Meet Gracey Mae. This is her story.
K: Please introduce yourself!
G: Hiya. My name is Gracey Mae and I'm an entertainment journalist who is passionate about amplifying African arts.
K: Describe yourself in your own words
G: I am vibrant, bubbly, informed, consistent… building and shaking tables is my thing. The story is always in the mouth of the storyteller so I’m on a mission to ensure the narrative of Africa is told the right way through performing arts. My journalism spans across a range of multimedia both on and offline; I have been on radio for close to 7 years, I write for publications, I host events, I curate playlists, I’m on YouTube, I podcast, and that’s just on the public side. There’s tons I do in the back including PR, A&R and being a voting member of The Brit Awards and the MOBOs.
K: What is your favorite thing about yourself?
G: I don’t take no for answer. If there’s no door, I’ll use the window. If there’s no window, I’ll create one… making sure to leave it open for others to use it too.
K: Tells us a story. Have you had an experience that has defined you or made you stronger?
G: Coming from an academic family, I often minimised my affinity to entertainment to focus on something my studious. I read Law at university just to fulfill all righteousness. After much to-ing and fro-ing, a pivotal moment for me was deciding to follow my heart and work in this industry. Think back to the era when Rihanna inspired the nation of ladies to shave their sides - did someone say Mohawk? I followed suit; shaving one side, then both, then the back. When I finally went bald, my photo went viral on the natural hair blogs inspiring me to create a YouTube channel to answer questions and share my story. I was discovered through these videos by a radio station who said I have the personality for broadcasting. Fast forward seven years and here I am pushing my culture forward across a range of mediums. Don’t worry you can’t find those videos anymore lol.
K: What is one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?
G: It’s okay to not be 100% sure of the journey, trust your instincts and natural gifting, you will still arrive at the right destination.
K: What does being a woman mean to you?
G: Being a Black woman is beautiful. We aren’t a monolith. We have range, shades and tones. It’s true that we constantly fight against sexism and racism but our story isn’t centred on struggle, strength or being sassy - even if the media is hell bent on portraying that. I remember in a PHSE class in secondary school, my teacher said that I would suffer from double discrimination being female and being Black. Whilst I have experiences that reflects this, I believe I have overcome. For me, being a Black woman is being dynamic. We can be soft. We can be strong. We can be anything we want or need to be.
K: Who is one woman that inspires you? What would you say to them if they were here now?
G: My mum! She’s the most hard working, selfless, genuine woman in the whole world. Having overcome a whole host of challenges, she stands tall as a pioneer in her field. I’m sure she’s reading this so, “Mummy. Thank you for always being a woman of integrity, a pillar of strength and an example of Christ’s purest love.”