“Media is truly my passion, it’s what I think I was meant to do (…)”.
An ambitious and passionate young woman, Florelle built her experience with some of the biggest radio groups. With a rich background and unwavering motivation, it was when she joined Claudy Siar’s team at Tropiques FM that she caught our attention.
Also a television host for several years now, she can be found on cultural programs mainly focused on Afro-Caribbean culture, but also at prestigious events such as FESPAM, Black Fahrenheit evenings, and numerous concerts.
Today, she is turning a page while continuing with determination in the media world, her field of choice. Whether on one platform or another, Florelle still has plenty of projects in mind and intends to keep making people talk about her. Humbly, she shares here her perspective on this passion, radio, her vision of the French media landscape, and her personal journey, which is sure to inspire many…
By SK,
WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND?
After high school, I studied Law because that’s what everyone in my family expected from me. In the end, I didn’t like it, so I decided to study Theater and then attended journalism school.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO RADIO?
It was Fred Musa from Skyrock whom I met and who encouraged me to go down that path. It felt like exactly what I had been waiting for, it was my breakthrough moment, because I had always loved this medium; we listened to the radio at home. I wanted it so badly that I never questioned whether it would work or not. That desire made me think, “I have nothing to lose.”
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED?
I started in community radio at FREQUENCE 3. I had a daily show and at the same time I worked as a switchboard operator at Radio FG. Back then, I was also sending demo tapes to stations like NRJ and FUN RADIO, real war machines in this industry.
One of those demos caught the attention of FUN RADIO’s local stations manager. It was a wonderful surprise when he offered me a host position in Tarbes, in southwestern France.
WEREN’T YOU HESITANT ABOUT LEAVING PARIS?
It was a period in my life when I wanted change, renewal. I was 27 and ready to leave. This opportunity was incredible for me because it allowed me to sharpen my skills and learn day after day about the profession I’m passionate about. I couldn’t turn it down, even though FG was also maybe offering me the chance to do some segments. In Tarbes, I would have my own daily show, so I thought it through and decided to go.
SO IT WAS IN SOUTHERN FRANCE THAT YOU REALLY LEARNED THE TRADE?
That experience was extremely formative because when you’re a daytime radio host, you have to self-produce, meaning you manage the technical side yourself and you’re also responsible for the station’s partnerships. At FUN RADIO, it was still old-school: they gave you the chance to learn on the job. Every day I was learning my craft. The first few days I was anxious because your boss listens to you regularly and tells you what works and what doesn’t. It was precise, meticulous, and honestly a thrill to work under those conditions. I did that for three years and it was very educational, I loved it.
WHAT MADE YOU LEAVE ALL OF THAT TO COME BACK TO PARIS?
After a while, you miss your family and your friends. So after my second season, I started sending applications to radio stations based in Paris. It only worked out during my third season. I had sent a demo to GOOM RADIO because the people running it (Roberto Ciurleo and Frédéric Pau) came from NRJ. It was a real blessing when you know that Roberto Ciurleo was behind NRJ’s golden years for several years. I told myself I could really learn from those guys and move up to the next level.
AFTER FUN RADIO, THE GOOM RADIO ADVENTURE BEGAN
Yes, after two and a half years at FUN RADIO, I moved on to GOOM RADIO. It was a completely different exercise because we were on the web and not live… so I learned to do radio differently. Of course, I missed live broadcasting and the adrenaline that comes with it, that feeling of being in the moment. But with them, I understood what it means to host a show from A to Z. At GOOM, all the hosts also did several different things on air. The more you do, the more you’re forced to learn, improve every day, and evolve.
ISN’T IT MORE REASSURING TO RECORD IN ADVANCE?
No, not for me. And I think every radio host would tell you the same thing because live broadcasting is truly exhilarating. There’s interaction with listeners, it’s different, more exciting, more electrifying in my opinion. This profession is a thrill, and on top of that, it’s addictive.
WHAT DOES A RADIO “SEASON” MEAN?
A season in radio is basically a year. Some stations hire you permanently like any other company, but often you’re hired on one-year contracts that may or may not be renewed.
THEN YOU LEFT GOOM FOR TROPIQUES FM. WHY THE CHANGE?
Everything was going well, yet I don’t know why, but at that moment something was missing for me, especially musically. Compared to TRACE TV, where I had previously worked as a music programmer, I didn’t really find myself at GOOM. There wasn’t enough diversity in the music. I wanted something else. I wanted to do radio with my full identity, with the mix that comes from my origins on one hand, and from cultural mixing on the other: when you live in France, grow up in the suburbs and partly in Africa (Congo), and have friends from everywhere… I missed that diversity. I wanted to reconnect with myself.
Besides, sometimes I felt like the token Black girl, even though nobody ever made me feel that way directly. But it came from me internally; culturally, affinities and common ground are not always the same. Still, I had wonderful experiences and met amazing people, but at that point in my life, it was no longer enough for me.
WAS IT CLAUDY SIAR WHO RECRUITED YOU?
Yes. One of my friends was a music programmer at Tropiques. To be honest, for two years already, since my time in Tarbes, I had been sending demos hoping to join that adventure. I asked her to make Claudy Siar listen to them… without success at first. Then one day it clicked and I started during the summer of 2011. Usually they make you start in the summer to test you out. You fill in temporarily and management sees whether things go well, and if a spot opens up, they keep you on. That’s exactly what happened for me. In September I was on air during weekends, then I had the chance to substitute during the week, and eventually I got a daily time slot. I kept going season after season until June 2014. It was amazing to be back live, the listeners welcomed me warmly, and everything went wonderfully on air. Plus, they gave me the afternoon slot, which I was already used to.
WORKING AFTERNOONS ONLY MEANS A FEW HOURS ON AIR, NOT A FULL DAY
It’s true that people often told me, “Oh, but you only work four hours, that’s not much!” Yes, but there’s work beforehand and you need to stay focused during those four hours. And we don’t just do the show, we also handle social media, phone calls, listeners, and so on…
It’s exciting because it’s a profession where you constantly challenge yourself since you always want to be good and entertain listeners as best as possible. That’s our job: accompanying people in their daily lives, because they listen even secretly while at work (laughs). It’s a communication profession where human relationships are extremely important, with listeners but also with your team because we’re all connected to one another. Everyone has to do their part for the machine to run smoothly; otherwise it doesn’t work. For me, someone who has always loved people and who is a real chatterbox, it’s perfect.
OUTSIDE OF RADIO, WE ALSO SEE YOU ON TELEVISION?
Indeed. Alongside Tropiques FM, I was also a columnist on the show Tantine on the channel Télésud. I started both activities around the same time. It was Rio, the current morning host at Tropiques, who introduced me to it. The chemistry with the producer and the rest of the team was immediate. So for a year and a half, I did both. It was an insane pace.
TÉLÉSUD AND TROPIQUES FM ARE MEDIA OUTLETS MAINLY FOCUSED ON AFRO CULTURE. WAS IT PERSONALLY MORE FULFILLING FOR YOU?
Without a doubt! Thanks to the morning show Tantine, I realized that in the Afro world there are so many entrepreneurs, African musicians who have toured with the biggest artists, yet nobody talks about them. People from the Afro world genuinely wanted to appear on the show because it was an incredible showcase, as Télésud broadcasts throughout Africa and Europe as well. And honestly, there aren’t many media outlets where they can promote themselves. Sometimes I even connected my radio guests with guests from the TV show.
Then I had to stop doing Tantine because it became incompatible with my schedule due to new activities at the radio station. Later came Africaine & Parisienne on Demain TV.
BEYOND THE TECHNICAL ASPECT, WHAT DOES THIS PROFESSION REPRESENT FOR YOU?
Little by little, I realized that I wanted to do radio not only to speak to as many people as possible, but because I found meaning in this calling. Questions of identity and the representation of Black people in the world affect us when we live in France. The older I get and the more experience I gain, the more these questions speak to me. I’m not about activism or communitarianism at all, but I do this job because I want people to hear and see more French people like us. I think that alone can raise awareness, influence people, or open doors.
Let’s be honest: in France, I feel these issues are taboo, that they make people uncomfortable, even though there’s nothing wrong with them. We’re simply pointing out a gap. It’s a shame that we don’t see all these talented and ambitious people. I think things will change, but for now, thankfully there are social networks.
SO YOU WANT TO HELP THINGS EVOLVE AND ALSO CREATE YOUR OWN PROJECTS?
You have to have the courage to take the leap, but honestly I think it’s just a very small step to take. The more I move forward, the more I create projects. Before, I was simply executing, even though I always had ideas in mind. Recently, with former colleagues from Tropiques, we launched the web series “Dans ta radio”. I think it’s interesting to show people what goes on behind the scenes at a radio station because we experience some pretty crazy things that make us laugh and could make everyone laugh as well. We also wanted to spotlight those artists who make Caribbean — and therefore French — music shine around the world, even though nobody talks about them in France. People often reduce it to Zouk, even though that music is incredibly rich. It’s not just that; it’s one of the most diverse music genres, just like African music.
ARE THERE ANY PERSONALITIES WHO PARTICULARLY INSPIRE YOU?
Yes, and my references are really diverse. From Laurent Ruquier to Thierry Ardisson to Oprah Winfrey. I’m very interested in people’s journeys, what they’ve done and what they’ve been through. I actually read Oprah’s autobiography. She is my absolute role model because of everything she has achieved.
LOOKING AT YOUR JOURNEY, DO YOU THINK YOU HAD MORE OBSTACLES TO OVERCOME?
Of course this profession isn’t easy, especially when you’re young, a woman, you know nobody, and you want to create your own opportunities. People often look at you sideways.
And if I have to talk about my skin color, it was never really a problem. Or maybe nobody ever said it openly and I never found out (laughs).
WHAT ARE YOUR ORIGINS, AND HOW HAVE THEY HELPED SHAPE YOU?
My father is Congolese and my mother is mixed-race French-Senegalese. I lived in Congo-Brazzaville from the age of 3 to 10. I don’t remember it very clearly, but my regret is having forgotten Lingala. So I received an African upbringing there, a more European education from my mother, and together they make up my identity.
Then, like many people of my generation, I was influenced by the United States. I loved going on vacation to my cousins’ place to listen to hip-hop, R&B, and soul music. We watched all the MTV music videos. That’s how I discovered artists like Naughty by Nature, Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, and TLC… At the same time, I also loved dance music groups.
My father listened to a lot of reggae and was a huge Stevie Wonder fan; he wasn’t really into Koffi and company (laughs). My mother listened to a lot of funk and disco, so for me, music was everything.
Still, I’m interested in more than that: a bit of politics, lifestyle, and right now what fascinates me most are people my age who are creating businesses and projects.
WHAT’S NEW FOR YOU RIGHT NOW?
I’m going to take part in the show “On n’est plus des pigeons” on France 4 and produce reports for them.
Tropiques FM is a chapter closing. I have other things I want to accomplish by myself, other ambitions. But that doesn’t mean I won’t come back one day. I want to do more television, and radio is very close to my heart, so I want to propose new ideas. This station (Tropiques) has enormous potential; I think it could offer even more than it currently does. Among other things, it should be more connected to what is happening and being created within Caribbean culture.
Otherwise, I’d also love to work with Africa. I’m not sure how yet, but I’m thinking about it.
SO ALL YOUR PROJECTS REMAIN WITHIN THE MEDIA WORLD?
Media is truly my passion, it’s what I think I was meant to do — at least it’s what I don’t do too badly (laughs). Even though it’s not an easy field because there are many called and very few chosen, I move forward with determination. When you look at Oprah Winfrey, her childhood and her journey, she was never destined for such an incredible career. Beyond her personal life, the context at the time was absolutely not favorable for Black people.
