Kiwi-born UK radio host Zane Lowe.
Since he started broadcasting on Apple Music's Beats 1, 24 hours ago, New Zealander Zane Lowe has possibly become the most listened-to radio DJ in the world. Here's a recap on his brilliant career ...
1. His father is Derek Lowe, one of the original Hauraki Pirates who brought commercial music radio to New Zealand in the 1960s, and was later involved in the country's first talkback station Radio Pacific and private radio company Radioworks.
Lowe junior has said his father's off-air broadcasting background wasn't
a factor in his own rise - he didn't do any radio in New Zealand before he left for London in 1997.
2. A teenage rap fanatic, he as a member of hip-hop trio Urban Disturbance who put out one well-received album, 37 Degrees Lattitude, in 1994. Lowe later formed Breaks Co-op with Hamish Clark. Their trip-hop debut album Roofers came out in 1997, just as the pair departed for the UK. A second Breaks Co-Op album spawned the single The Otherside which was a double platinum hit in New Zealand in 2005. Unable to tour with the band due to his media commitments, Lowe wound down his involvement in the group by the time of the band's third album. Yes, both Urban Disturbance and Breaks Co-Op are available on iTunes.
3. A job as a tape operator at Auckland music channel Max TV led to an on-air role. Eventually Lowe scored his own show on MTV Europe, shifting to London station Xfm in 2000 then BBC's Radio One in 2003.
