Arielle Free

Summary

Arielle Free (born 29 March 1988) is a Scottish DJ and broadcaster. She is known for presenting on BBC Radio 1. Free also hosts the official podcast Love Island: The Morning After.

Arielle Free
Free in 2023
Born (1988-03-29) 29 March 1988 (age 36)[1]
Stirling, Scotland
OccupationRadio presenter
EmployerBBC

Early life edit

Free is originally from Stirling but moved to Glasgow when she was ten years old. She considers herself to be a Glaswegian. Free began dancing when she was eight years old, and attended the Dance School of Scotland at Knightswood Secondary School.[2][3][1]

Career edit

Film and television edit

Free acted in the Beauxbatons scenes in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005).[2][4]

Free presented the children's TV show Scrambled! on ITV.[1] While presenting the show on 3 October 2017, Free took part in a world record attempt for the most limbos achieved by a team of 25 people in three minutes. The team set a record of 142 limbos, verified by the Guinness World Records.[5]

Radio and podcasts edit

Free and Kem Cetinay have co-presented the official Love Island podcast Love Island: The Morning After since 2018.[6]

On 6 September 2019, Free began presenting the weekend early breakfast show on BBC Radio 1, which included Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings.[7] In January 2021, she moved to the weekday early breakfast show from Monday to Thursday.[8]

Free is also the voice of Radio 1's Dance live stream and can be heard on the stage 35 hours a week.

As a DJ, Free can often be found playing on Club and Festival bills as well as touring her own club night Free Your Mind. She also has a record label under the same name.

On 21 August 2021, Free and Lawrence Chaney, winner of the second series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, co-hosted a show on BBC Radio 1 in honour of the station's Drag Day.[9]

In August 2023, Free was suspended from BBC Radio 1 for a week, following an on-air incident that occurred during Charlie Hedges' Dance Anthems DJ set, which was broadcast live from Radio 1's Dance Weekend in Ibiza. Free had been asked by Hedges to leave the studio after expressing her dislike of the current song.[10][11]

Music edit

In January 2022, Free released the single "Soul Full" that she produced with Bristol music duo Mortimer. The song features vocals by Joe Killington.[12][13]

Singles edit

List of singles, with year released
Title Year
"Soul Full"
(featuring Joe Killington)
2022
"Free Your Mind"
(featuring Jake Shears)[14]
2023
"Levitate"
(with GotSome & Icarus)[15]
"Feels So Good"[16]

Comic Relief Challenge edit

On 5 March 2023, Free began the Tour De Dance[17] challenge to raise money for the charity Comic Relief. This was a five-day event where she completed 50 hours of simultaneous cycling and DJing, touring five UK cities. The challenge was completed on a vehicle powered by ten cyclists, with volunteers joining for sections of the journey in York, Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester, and Liverpool.[18]

Over £500,000 was raised for Comic Relief in Free's name by the end of the challenge.[19]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Curtis, Liam (30 July 2019). "Get to know Radio 1's Arielle Free". HITC. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Arielle Free". Music Musings & Such. 29 May 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  3. ^ "BBC Radio One star Arielle Free says she is a weegie and Glasgow made her streetwise". Glasgow Times. 8 February 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  4. ^ Greenaway, Heather (27 June 2015). "Harry Potter star Arielle Free on fronting her first T in the Park". Daily Record. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  5. ^ "Most limbos in three minutes (team of 25)". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  6. ^ Taylor, Frances (26 May 2018). "Kem Cetinay to host new official Love Island podcast The Morning After". Radio Times. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  7. ^ "Arielle Free to present new Radio 1 weekend early breakfast". BBC News. 29 July 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  8. ^ "Radio 1 announces new presenter line-up". BBC News. 6 November 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  9. ^ Lyons, Bev (12 August 2021). "Scots Drag Race UK winner Lawrence Chaney taking over Radio 1 for Drag Day". Daily Record. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  10. ^ Bashforth, Emily (2 August 2023). "BBC Radio 1 DJ Arielle Free 'suspended' after heated on-air exchange with co-host Charlie Hedges". Metro. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  11. ^ "Radio 1 DJ Arielle Free pulled off air after clash with presenter Charlie Hedges during live Ibiza show". Sky News. 1 August 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
  12. ^ "ARIELLE FREE RELEASES DEBUT SINGLE 'SOUL FULL' WITH MORTIMER & JOE KILLINGTON". Magnetic Mag. 17 January 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  13. ^ "AARIELLE FREE RELEASES HER DEBUT SINGLE, 'SOUL FULL'". Mixmag. 16 January 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  14. ^ "Arielle Free Launches 'Free Your Mind' & Catchy Single 'Technicolour Kenny' ft Jake Shears on Vocals". Clubbing TV. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  15. ^ "Levitate - Single by Arielle Free, GotSome, Icarus". Apple Music. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  16. ^ "Feels So Good - Single by Arielle Free". Apple Music. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  17. ^ "Arielle Free's Tour De Dance | Comic Relief". www.comicrelief.com. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  18. ^ "Red Nose Day 2023: Arielle Free finishes Comic Relief cycling challenge". BBC Newsround. 8 March 2023. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  19. ^ Radio 1's Tour de Dance for Red Nose Day, BBC Radio 1 Broadcast, 9 March 2023,

External links edit

  • Radio 1 Early Breakfast (BBC Radio 1)
  • Radio 1's Rave-Up with Arielle Free (BBC Radio 1)