LEAH JAZZ

Radio Presenter | Standup Comedian | Sex Educator | Actor | MC

Show(s):

Host: 5 After Hours, 10 p.m to 1 a.m., Monday – Thursday.

Social Handles:

@leahjazzlive

BRIEFLY:

Leah Jazz joined 5FM in April 2019 as a member of the 5 Squad, representing Durban in the early hours of Monday mornings. She studied copywriting for advertising but found her purpose on stage as a stand-up comic. She’s performed comedy all over the world and started her radio journey at a community station in Durban, where she quickly moved from content producer to co-host of the breakfast show on DYR105.1. Within six months she landed a spot on 5FM.

When she’s not telling jokes on stage or behind the mic, she’s an activist and a sex positive educator, with a particular passion for youth education and body positivity. She aims to make the world a safer, easier and more pleasurable place for women and queer people.

QUICKFIRE Q&A:

If you had to sum up yourself in 10 seconds, what would you say?

Outspoken, queer, brave and cynically optimistic. Not shy about anything. Gentle, vulnerable, spontaneous and hilarious.

Where were you born and raised?

In a forest on the KZN South Coast. I call it the Deep South…

In which towns have you lived and where are you living currently?

I left Port Edward straight after school and mostly lived in Durban afterwards. I went to boarding school in the UK when I was 15 (for a year) and floated around Greece for a bit at 21. I live in Joburg now.

Which languages can you speak?

I speak English and sarcasm.

What are your favourite towns or cities visited in SA and abroad?

It’s not really a town; there’s a little remote beach on Ithaca called Gidaki, which means goat. I camped there one night and I haven’t stopped thinking about it. Rome gets a special mention, too, and Barcelona. My home town, Port Edward, will always have a special place in my heart and I go back to visit whenever I can - I know where all the hidden gems are.

What are your hobbies?

Pole dancing, skateboarding, open water swimming, being in nature, singing in the shower, drinking wine, cooking, eating, playing guitar, reading books and throwing costume parties.

What is the craziest thing you’ve done?

I’ve travelled to several Greek islands via hitchhiking, that was pretty crazy. I’ve also performed music in bars and that’s always terrifying. And then jumped off the Blukrans bridge… I don’t shy away from crazy things - probably to a fault.

Which pets do you have, if any?

3 cats named Sam, Ernest and Emma. And about 50 house plants.

What’ll Google say you search for most often?

Recipes.

5 famous people, living or not, that you would have a kuier with?

Taika Waititi, Maya Angelou, Freddie Mercury, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Stephen Fry.

Favourite movies and / or series of all time?

The Office, Veep, Fleabag, Mean Girls.

Describe your home’s interior style?

An indoor forest.

Which hash tags best describe your fashion sense?

#bodypositivity #streetstyle #summerloving #ottd #thrifted

What is your ideal holiday, described in one line?

Plenty of sunshine, strangers who smile and freshly caught seafood.

Which things would you most want to learn to do?

Play the saxophone, learn a foreign language and learn to ski.

A hidden talent that you could probably get paid for:

I could probably earn my keep singing covers and playing guitar in a dive bar anywhere in the world.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

Teleportation.

Which sports, if any, do you watch?

RuPaul’s Drag Race. That counts, right?

Which causes are you really passionate about?

Menstrual security, sexual education, queer safety and climate change.

What are the top things on your bucket list?

See the aurora borealis, write a book, change someone’s life.

Which things in the world (and people) do you dislike?

Donald Trump and everything he stands for. Bigotry, homophobia, white supremacy, imperialism.

Which things make the world (and people) awesome?

The kindness of strangers, people who are vulnerable, open and honest, laughing through the pain, biodiversity, sharing meals with people you love, and extended, intense eye contact.

What’s your favourite thing about your 5FM gig?

I get to connect with the country on an incredibly intimate level and I’ve received feedback from listeners that makes me feel like my work really matters. Having a platform to talk to South Africans about sex, love and pleasure (among other weird and wonderful things) is a huge honour and responsibility that I take very seriously. Fun and games are important, but having an impact makes me feel like this opportunity has never been given to me in vain.