Nina Mae Harper

The day before my album presentation, on 29 May, I found myself sitting in a huge Á Punt radio studio in Valencia, headphones on, guitar beside me, about to be interviewed live on air.

It was 40 degrees outside.

I had picked up my mum on the way to the studio, and somewhere between the heat, the nerves and the logistics of getting there, we made a last-minute emergency stop at a Chinese bazaar. We emerged with a Spanish paper fan and a battery-powered mini fan, which. is essential equipment when your mother is at serious risk of fainting in the Valencian heat.

---

Then we raced to the studio.

Walking into the enormous Á Punt building felt surreal. This was proper broadcasting territory: massive studios, control rooms, cameras, technicians and people rushing around doing their jobs. My mum was taken care of in the sound engineer’s room, where she could watch me through the window, while I settled into the studio with my headphones and guitar, ready to be live on cultural programme La Vesprada.

And then they introduced me.

In Valencian.

Live on radio.

I sat there thinking: Oh God.

I don’t speak Valencian, and I understood very little of what was being said. Luckily, they then played one of my recorded songs and switched to Castellano.

Much better.

Although the questions were coming at me pretty fast. Very long questions, too. My brain was working overtime, frantically trying to process every word, translate it, work out what they were actually asking and then formulate a sensible answer, all while remembering that this was LIVE RADIO.

Somehow, I managed!

And once I got into the rhythm of it, I actually started to enjoy myself.

I also got to play two songs live in the studio: “Grains of Sand” and, of course, “A Long Time Coming,” the biggest single from my debut album. Playing live in that setting was scary, but also incredibly exciting. There is something very special about sitting in a radio studio with just your voice, your guitar and a microphone, knowing that people are listening as it happens.

Afterwards, Mum and I were given a full tour of the TV studios. We even got to watch a news programme being filmed live from the sidelines, which was fascinating. It was a real behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of broadcasting.

But perhaps the funniest part came afterwards.

My guitarist Toni told me that he had been listening nervously to the interview and thought I sounded completely natural and spontaneous. Then he casually informed me that I had just been interviewed by Ximo Rivera, a very well-known local TV personality.

I had absolutely no idea. Probably for the best.

As a Dutch woman who doesn’t watch Valencian television, I had walked into the studio thinking: What a nice chap. And wow, he has prepared so well for this interview. How professional! Haha

I hadn’t been nervous around him at all.

Because I had no idea who he was!

In retrospect, that was probably a good thing. I was able to just be myself rather than worrying about who was sitting opposite me.

So: 40-degree heat, emergency fans, live radio in a language I don’t speak, two live songs, a tour of the TV studios and an interview with a famous Valencian TV star I didn’t recognise.

Not a bad day.