Boom! And it seems like practically overnight the name Nuriyyih Gerrard is on everyone’s lips. She’s one of the morning voices the younger demographic enjoys on 94.1 Boom FM and she hosts the GT&T Jingle and Song Competition as well.
To Nuriyyih, a former radio announcer and producer at the National Communica-tions Network (NCN), it is “humbling actually,” for a normal girl who is simply doing what she loves. “It …warms your heart because you’re thinking, wow, people appreciate what I do. Then you have that sense of confidence that you made the right decision.”
But the Boom station is not Nuriyyih’s only claim to fame. The 21-year-old is also an actress. She has performed in, among others, Link Show 28 and 29, Shattered Hopes and Dreams, a play directed by Gem Madhoo-Nascimento and written by Yusiny Maxwell and as Natalie in the award winning play Ensnared.
Nuriyyih sees it as fate. She says, “Everything I do happens for a reason, every step that I have taken in my life has been a stepping stone to the next thing. Every piece brings me closer to fulfilling my overall purpose in life, which is working with youths who are traumatised; to motivate people, inspire people, fix broken wings. Being exposed to all people would make my ultimate goal a little more realistic.”
Even her name seems to have been part of a larger plan. Chatting with The Scene, the Scorpio born East Coast resident revealed the name Nuriyyih was given to her by her father. It is of Baha’i origin and means ‘light’ or ‘intelligence’; her middle name ‘Kamal’ means perfection.
The eldest of three children, she says she was always the timid one of the trio. “I am chatty,” she said, “but not outspoken. Always humble at the most.” She describes her younger sister to be the feisty one who challenges seniority, but says her brother is also quiet.
Growing up in a Christian household meant sibling fights were short and she mentions that after a quarrel they would cry then pray for forgiveness. Today, they are inseparable. “We are very close, like three peas in a pod. I don’t have friends that know me better,” she says.
Childhood memories also include visiting her grandmother’s poultry farm in Sophia. There she had extensive fun with the animals, running the vast expanse of land, climbing the many fruit trees and picking their produce.
Over the years she developed a sense of confidence in herself from emulating the outgoing behaviour of her sister and she used this to pursue many goals in life, for example drama.
When asked how it is she decided to venture into the performing arts, Nuriyyih told The Scene that if anything, she picked it up from her parents. Repartee and sarcasm were abundant in their household. And she recalls as a child, impersonating actors on the television screen, unintentionally honing the actress inside.
Unintentional, because Nuriyyih never planned on getting involved in drama. She recalls that her sister wanted to become a writer when she was young and so their father, promoting this ambition, signed her up for drama classes and playwrighting sessions with Gem Madhoo-Nascimento, who was offering an open drama workshop for youths.
By 2006, Nuriyyih and her brother joined the workshop drawn to it be the amount of fun their sister seemed to be having. Nuriyyih became more and more involved in the productions and in 2007 she wrote a play with her sister called Painful Consequences which was based on improper garbage disposal and its repercussions. The play gained a lot of support from both government and non-governmental organisations and was staged in schools all across the country.
Nuriyyih and her sister also shared the stage in Shattered Hopes and Dreams, which was dubbed such a success that Nuriyyih attained the National School Drama Festival’s Best Actress Award while her sister was accredited with the Best Supporting Actress Award. The play was later adapted into a movie which was sponsored by the National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS) and Carifesta 2008.
The latest additions to her trophy shelf are the Theatre Guild’s Best Actress Award of 2011 and the National Drama Festival’s Best Actress Award of 2012 for her role as Natalie in Ensnared. Natalie, the main character, was raped and never really let go of her traumatised past. Nuriyyih expressed a connection to this character because they both hold a lot of Christian values and being a Christian is a very important identity for her. So why drama? “I love drama because I love being able to transform into different characters, different body languages and personalities. It’s like stepping out of your body and into the body of a totally different person. I really enjoy being on stage and performing,” she says.
And radio? Nuriyyih describes the transition from NCN to HJ Boom FM as an uneasy one. She needed to consult with many people before making such a life-changing decision but it is not one she regrets. “It [NCN] was my first job. It was where I learned and crafted my skill as a broadcaster and an on-air personality. I forged a lot of relations with people at NCN. It moved from just being an office and workplace to a second home and parting with family is never an easy thing but with every decision I make in life, I always consider how it would positively affect my future and this was one,” she says.
She says at HJ it is always vibrant and energetic, especially with the ‘freshness’ of the concepts the producers come up with. “Like the motto says: ‘next generation radio’. You are surrounded by a second family who now understands this generation and how future generations will be based on the raising of this one. I love being a part of that and there is more room to be me on 94.1,” she says.
Nurryyih draws inspiration from her mother whom she admires for raising three children into adulthood. “She worked hard, made sacrifices, gave advice… guidance…,” she says. Nurryyih describes her mother as a very ambitious woman who never handed in the towel and used a lot of reverse psychology in disciplining her children. “Her mantra is to prove people wrong,” she says. Her mother taught them many Christian values and how to be confident in themselves and their work.
Nurryyih seeks to surround herself with positivity. “People’s experiences in life are very powerful. I have been fortunate enough to be surrounded by positive people, who encouraged me in my endeavours and support me as I strive to [become] established, doing positive things, leaving a mark on the earth; that’s the kind of life I want to leave behind.”
She also wishes to venture into poetry, professional dancing and increase her involvement in drama. She believes that you have to do what you have to do, so that you can get to do what you want to do.
One of her life’s goals is to create an organisation to help young people, which will be Christian-based with its motto centred on John 14:6 “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” She already has a name for it: ‘Reach for Life’, but if it doesn’t pan out she would be just as happy working with children in another setting. She sees a role for herself in healing and motivating children spiritually and creating activities that will facilitate their growth.
