Whilst enviously scrolling through social media, it is unavoidable to notice how much Maya Jama has been KILLING IT recently. The stunning 25-year-old presenter and DJ seems to have been in attendance at every cool party, awards show and nightclub over the past few months, and I for one am nothing but jealous. However, although she makes looking like a real life angel effortless, it hasn’t always been as easy for Maya…

Growing up in Bristol from a Swedish and Somalian descent, Jama’s early life was far from glamourous. Her father was constantly in an out of prison the majority of her life- a string of violent crimes meant after 12 years she cut all contact and labelled him a ‘bad person’, which meant her being brought up by her mother and nan. At the age of 15, bored with ‘small town life’, Maya Jama failed at the final hurdle to make the cast of ‘Skins’, This was her first experience of showbiz and her dream to ‘be on TV’, and she wasn’t prepared to let that go. So, with nothing but the determination to succeed, she left her hometown in Bristol and moved to London to attend college and hopefully make it big.

After the fatal shooting of her first boyfriend when she was 16, combined with living in an unsafe environment surrounded by drug addiction, Maya was in a very dark place after her solo big move to London. However, eventually she was introduced to some people from the UK rap battle ‘Jump Off’, where she interned and became a host at their events. From this, she landed a dream job with London radio station Rinse FM, which specialises in grime, garage and urban music, synonymous with Maya’s background and interests.

Looking back at images and video clips of Maya from this time, you would never have expected her to be todays fashion icon. Pictured attending events with her jobs at the time, you very much get nervous or ‘fish out of water’ vibes in terms of her style- it seems she was following a mixture of every single trend at the time (which, in fairness, was to be expected of a 17/18-year-old with no showbiz experience). However, the glow up is REAL. After landing the job as BBC Radio 1’s Greatest Hits presenter, alongside host of ‘The Circle’ and ‘Stand Up to Cancer’ Maya was gaining more exposure than ever, which is when we witnessed her style go from confused to nothing short of compelling.

After a summer of weekends partying in Ibiza, a birthday party sponsored by Adidas, head to toe in Versace, Christopher Kane and Victoria Beckham at London Fashion Week, as well as a 4 page spread in British Vogue, Maya Jama has become the ultimate style queen of 2019. Serving looks that are bold, creative and colourful but at the same time remain incredibly chic. She has gone from a small town garage girl to an empowering, inspirational style icon, and I think it’s safe to say this is only the beginning for Maya Jama. Keep them slow-mo catwalk outfit videos coming, girl…