Thembisa Mshaka

ANGELA YEE
On Air Personality-Shade45
Host-Lip Service, The Morning After
Sirius/XM Radio

1. Share something you do for work that’s harder than it looks.
   Interviews are definitely a lot harder than they look. I try to make it conversational, but every person or group I speak with requires extensive research. I make sure I read every interview, look at every video, and every blog post that I can find before I talk to guests so that I can have information that everyone else doesn’t know.  I hate to be redundant and ask the same questions that are always asked.
2. Describe a moment of sweet vindication.
   When I first started at Sirius, I had no radio experience. There were a lot of people who felt like I didn’t deserve the job and hoped that it wouldn’t last for me.  Some people felt like I didn’t have the schooling and it wasn’t fair that I should get the opportunity. But I worked harder than most, and I still do, and now I have my own morning and nighttime show.
3. What’s the most dangerous aspect of the waters you navigate?
   There can be a fine line between being a role model and entertaining my largely male audience.  I’ll have porn stars and strippers on the show, but I’m very non-judgmental. Some people may look at it like I’m not being responsible, but the truth is that these women are people too and stories they have can be damn interesting.
4. Who are your influences?
   I love Chelsea Handler because she’s hilarious and her interviews are off-center. And Chris Rock would be one of my all-time favorite people because he is well-versed on history and current events, and makes any topic or interview fun to watch.
5. What is your favorite creative food?
   I’m very simple when it comes to food. I’m also picky. I don’t eat red meat, pork, or seafood so I only get creative with dessert.  If I could live off red velvet cake from cake man raven, chocolate cheesecake, churros, and key lime pie I would.
6. Name two places you call home.
   Brooklyn, where I’m from and where I live now, and the Shade 45 studio.
7. What is your guilty pleasure?
   I love shoes, and there’s nothing I can do about it. Sometimes I take a break, but then I break down and buy 5 pairs at a time.
8. What book are you reading right now?
   Making Music Make Money by Eric Beall. I’m getting ready for an interview with him, and even though I’m not a songwriter it’s fascinating to read how to write songs that can become hits and get played on the radio.