Fresh from welcoming the great Bilie Eilish to her Radio 2 show, Jo was upbeat about the state of contemporary pop music and the current crop of role models on worldwide display. In assessing and celebrating the whole breadth of music, she rests easy knowing that children of today have pop stars who are very mindful of the messages and images they project on to their audiences. It remains reassuring to know that beyond Eilish’s soaring talent is a moral accountability for the issues that she raises within her music. For a figure of Jo’s calibre to wax lyrical surrounding a contemporary artist is incredibly significant and it’s great to know that the future of music is in good hands.
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No stranger to live music, Jo has spent a lifetime charting Britain’s emerging love affair with the music festival. Although it seems a long time since the days of John Peel’s Glastonbury tenure, Jo has been in the unique position to witness firsthand the BBC’s evolving attitudes towards new music. From small caravans to extravagant, vibrant sets hosting live music of their own, the BBC’s coverage of Glastonbury has exceeded all expectations and Jo remains extremely proud to have charted such a journey. Glastonbury itself has always remained on the cutting edge of music and Emily Eavis’s prominence in the running of the festival has ensured this. From Beyoncè in 2011 to SZA in 2024, the festival is no longer for the hardcore soft rock fans but for everyone right across the board. For Jo, this is only ever a good thing and each year she is filled with anticipation to discover what genres Emily can deliver.
Despite the natural evolution of Glastonbury, Jo has forever remained on the cutting edge of new music and in 2005 was chosen to join the BBC’s broadcasting team for the mammoth Live 8. Having never been involved with a production on this scale before, she was absolutely petrified as she reported live from backstage at Wembley. This was one of Fearne Cotton’s first live broadcasts and both of them were equally terrified as they handed back and forth to main presenter Jonathan Ross. Surrounded by the cream of music including: Sir Paul McCartney, U2, Elton John and Mariah Carey was a surreal experience for the radio presenter. Yet this was just one of the highlights from a career which has spawned so many.
Today, Whiley remains as happy as ever at her spiritual home of Radio 2 and feels that she has gone full circle, returning to discovering new artists and offering them a platform. An experienced playlist curator, Whiley takes incredible care in selecting the music for her show which is a perfect blend of new and iconic music that suitably provides the soundtrack to weekday evenings. The station might be different and her audience might have marinated in the memory of past musical phenomena but Jo’s passion for music is as palpable as her Evening Session tenure. With freedom to cultivate new trends and new artists, as of 2024, she’s still thriving on the unique ability to celebrate and champion music.
Any celebration of the British music festival wouldn’t be complete without a contribution from the queen of British radio who has charted the very evolution of the phenomenon over the past thirty years. From kids with guitars in the nineties to the smorgasbord of talent on display at hundreds of sites across Britain, the music festival now caters for all. Always reflecting the music of the time and the world we live in, whether it’s Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds or the Isle of Wight, these events act as a barometer for our understanding of popular culture. It was a great pleasure to welcome the great Jo Whiley back to Beyond The Title and long may she reign over the very best in British music.
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