Sitting with Snoochie Shy for a few minutes, I realise that she had asked me more questions than I had her. I guess it comes naturally to the 25 year-old; as a TV and radio presenter, Cheyenne Davide is more comfortable asking the questions rather than answering them. After I bring this to her attention she explains, “When I’m interviewing other people I don’t get nervous — the camera is my best friend; but when people ask about my life I get a bit… hnn!” If there’s anybody I would have down as a nervous person it would not be Snoochie Shy (name puns aside).
Before we start the interview, Davide tells me that she is struggling to speak due to her orthodontic-induced speech impediment from her new braces: “I can’t even say my own name right now, it’s so hard”. Of course, I already knew about her braces before meeting her; as would anybody else who follows Davide on Instagram. “I’m very honest with the people that follow me,” Davide tells me, “I can say, ‘Look, today I’m having a bad day but tomorrow I’ll be fine.’ Even by telling someone, ‘Yo, I have got a lisp at the moment,’ it makes people realise that you’re actually normal!”
Despite insisting she is a normal woman, her CV is no mere feat. I knew asking her to summarise her job title would not give me a simple answer; she’s a TV and radio presenter, hosting for Radio 1Xtra and MTV, a DJ and, on top of that she has two secret fashion campaigns coming out soon. It surely must be tough to pick a career highlight for someone who has a whole catalogue of uber cool experiences, but Davide decides on her job hosting the Yo! MTV Raps: “that was so sick because it’s such a big deal in America”. The job that she is most renowned for, both nationally and internationally, is her hilarious interview with viral sensation Big Shaq who caught some feelings for her live on air and deemed an unfazed Davide “scintillating” mid-chat.
After consistently achieving great milestones in her career, I ask Davide what platform she feels she holds now for her generation. She really is deemed a sensei to young women who aspire to achieve the success that she has over the years: “I recently hosted a presenting workshop for a group of 12 girls and I taught them how to do radio. I’m going to do another one,” she tells me before adding that she regularly responds to Instagram direct messages from budding presenters asking for advice.
Her wealth of knowledge and experience really do appoint her as a master. I was curious to know if, despite this, she struggles to be taken seriously as a young woman in the male-driven entertainment industry. “I’ve had it before, more so when I was coming up and especially with DJing, where guys would try and condescend me and try to set up for me. Whereas then I wouldn’t say anything, now I’m very much like, ‘Excuse me. I know what I’m doing.’” She’s right. If there’s one person to not underestimate, it’s the “scintillating” Snoochie Shy.
