In August 2019, after four years of dating, Maya Jama split from rapper boyfriend Stormzy. Even now, five months later, their relationship remains in the public eye, an obsession of certain media outlets, and rumours surrounding their separation continue.
Such a media storm threatens to overshadow the achievements Jama herself has made since last August, both personal and in the business world, though the sheer scale of such achievements should make this rather impossible.
She kicked off October alongside the Lucozade Sport Energy brand, creating an advert centring on the #PositiveJourney which aimed to promote good energy and positive thinking in Mental Health Awareness month. In the same month she was also the featured cover girl for the October edit of the Evening Standard Magazine.
In November, the final episodes of the hit itv2 show “Don’t Hate the Playaz” aired; she’s been a regular team captain since its first broadcast in October. In late December, Jama also began promoting her new brand sponsorship deal with Aussie Hair products, launching as their first-ever celebrity ambassador, before taking herself away on a luxury holiday to Dubai. She made sure to be back in time for a close family Christmas, celebrating in her hometown of Bristol.
All this Jama has done whilst continuing to host her Radio One programme, “Radio 1 Anthems”, which airs Friday and Saturday from 10-1pm. Indeed, this is just a brief snapshot of her 2019. We may find a more rounded picture of the young icon on her social media pages, where she refrains from commenting on her breakup and instead chooses to use her considerable platform to encourage discussion, motivation and most importantly happiness amongst her 1.3 million followers. Her Instagram is flooded with her smile, and this in itself is a testament to the spirit with which she conducts herself – single or not.
With Valentine’s Day, and the relationship pressures it brings, still on many of our thoughts, it may be useful to keep Maya Jama in mind, and remember how much you could achieve in five months.