DJ, 5FM

Nicola da Silva is best known for her gig as a 5FM DJ on the night owl shift (from 3am to 5am) and Saturday afternoons from 5pm to 7pm, which would be enough to keep anyone busy, you’d think, but she plans to start her own business this year too.

Da Silva got into radio as a student at the University of Johannesburg, where she studied a BSc in biochemistry and psychology. She also has an honours in journalism from the University of the Witwatersrand.

In her short career Da Silva has been the programme manager for the Voice of Wits Station as well as worked for Pick n Pay radio, a Vaal Triangle Station called VCR, Radio 2000 and now 5FM.

In addition to being a club DJ, MC and voice-over artist, Da Silva has recently been appointed chair of Academia Juventude – a newly formed community organisation for Portuguese youth.

She says the group plans to bring the local community together, organising events and charity drives.

She’s something of an adrenalin junkie, has completed the Cape Argus Cycle tour and a half marathon in Kenya to raise awareness about rhino poaching (which raised R800 000) and is currently training to climb Mount Kilimanjaro with six other celebrities in September.

Da Silva wants to teach others how to get into radio, running formal courses that will leave her students with a demo tape and six weeks of in-studio experience that will equip them for the rough and tumble of the radio world. She wants to realise her own career ambitions first though – earning a better time slot in the daily lineup.

“I don’t feel I can teach someone else until I’ve been at the top myself,” she says, “and while it is an accomplishment getting into 5FM the time slot is still something people look at.”
— Samantha Perry

Twitter: @ThatNicole