The Red Carpet Treatment

07 September 2023 - Press release

Hosted by Jordan Stephens
Presented by Mastercard

Episode 5 out today with Clara Amfo

Available on podcast platforms and YouTube

 

The BRIT Awards with Mastercard are now over halfway through Season 2 of their official podcast The Red Carpet Treatment, and today launch the fifth episode with acclaimed broadcaster, television presenter and podcaster Clara Amfo.

In this episode, Clara speaks about the extensive list of celebrities she’s interviewed and seen perform live such as Elton John and Harry Styles, along with her recollections of meeting Kendrick Lamar and interviewing Rizzle Kicks. Also on the table for discussion are her getting BRITs-ready glam routine, her memories of the event over the years as well as taking a more general look at becoming a national broadcaster, the new artists that she’s loving right now, and being honoured with her very own ‘Clarbie’.

Check out the podcast episode here, available across platforms, with the video version on The BRITs’ YouTube channel.

The series is hosted by musician, actor and presenter, Jordan Stephens. The new series of the show has already interviewed Nicola Roberts, Olivia Dean, James Arthur andMimi Webb and later episodes will feature Mae Muller, James Bay and Fleur East.

The episodes, recorded against a backdrop of BRITs statues, will see Jordan welcome guests from the world of music and entertainment. They will open up about their own BRITs experiences, all things music, and what it’s like to have a career in the spotlight.

This is a unique podcast about celebrity, career milestones and personal growth. Clips from the podcast will also be made available on YouTube as guests strike a pose and reminisce about their careers to-date with Jordan. 

 

CLARA AMFO EPISODE 5: 

Interviewing celebrities

Clara:

A don…Sir Elton Don. Listen, let me say something…That one has contributed to the great British songbook in such a way that it’s gonna go on beyond him. Do you know what I mean?

 

Jordan:

Okay, so, which is the most memorable, really, of all of those?

 

Clara:

It’s tricky. But I will say…Elton John, because I got to go to his house. And that was a vibe. And he’s just got a room full of records. And it’s just amazing. And it’s all that history. It’s just fab.

Harry [Styles] was also fun, because it’s like, I’ve been to see Harry a couple of times, I think one of the last big ones was at Christmas, like a couple of years ago. And he was just a vibe, but I'm one of the few people who he follows on Instagram, which is quite cool. And his fans, they make these accounts called What Harry Sees. So they will make accounts where they follow everybody that he follows exactly. So they can kind of get his perspective. They can almost pretend to be him on Instagram. Do you get it? They'll make an account called Through Harry's Eyes and they will go through everyone that he follows and follow them so they can pretend to be him on Instagram for a day.

 

Meeting Kendrick Lamar

Clara:

Yeah, man. I have met King Kenny. He's incredible. Like, a really gentle, so softly spoken. And so considered with his answers. And just, considering, you know, I guess the pressure that might be on him, because at his level, especially when it comes to hiphop, he's just consistently good. Also, when it comes to live shows, no one's better than him live, in my personal opinion. He is truly the best.

 

Red Carpets and interviewing Rizzle Kicks

Jordan:

How many red carpets have you done?

 

Clara:

I think 119 or 120? Maybe.

 

Jordan:

What! You must be sick of red carpets.

 

Clara:

I enjoy it. It's fun, man. The good thing about red carpets, especially when it comes to The BRIT Awards. Everyone’s in a good mood because nobody's won or lost yet, and everyone's just vibing. Well, generally speaking most people are in a decent mood, if it's a music thing. If it's a film thing, it's like ‘Yeah, we've done the thing. You're about to watch it. It's gonna be a good time’. Generally speaking, most people.

 

Clara:

Do you know what’s really funny, actually? One of my first BRIT Awards I ever worked at, I met two young men, one called Harley, one called Jordan…Do you know it’s funny because these times I was working at KISS, and this is before I was working for the BRITs, and you two are very much charming, yet adorable little shit bags. I think you may have even been hosting the red carpet with Laura Whitmore. I think so. Or you were either there ready to perform, and I just remember asking you, quite a simple question and you really, really decided to answer it in the most roundabout, long, convoluted, arguably, pretentious way that you could. Harley was just sort of laughing to the side. I just remember you really, really went to town with your answer. And I was just, Okay, cool. But do you know what? It strengthened my muscle. Because that's the point.

 

Clara’s pre BRITs glam routine

Jordan:

So what's your glam routine pre ceremony?

 

Clara:

Getting a fabulous manicure. I always get my manicure to match the award. So I like to be festive. So one year I had red perspex on my nails. I had the Yinka Illori nail vibe. Yeah, that was really fun. My mate did nails for me last year, they were all black with the little Slawn design in gold. I like to be festive, honey.

 

Memories of The BRIT Awards

Jordan:

Does anyone faze you anymore?

 

Clara:

To be honest, not really. And I'll tell you, I'll tell you why.

 

Jordan:

Because everyone's just human and no one’s special.

 

Clara:

That’s the answer. People really are just doing their jobs to be fair, don't get me wrong, obviously when you got your legendary people…I do get a bit like ‘Oh my god’…but you're just doing your job. And you’re here to have a good time, and it humanises it, and also do you know what’s really lovely? I love seeing artists being fans of other artists. One of my favourite things to watch at The BRITs is like, people seeing each other and be like, Oh my god, I loved your album!

 

Jordan:

So what's it like being at a table at the BRITs?

 

Clara:

I've only been at a table a couple of times because usually I go and do the voiceover backstage. So you know when someone's getting their BRIT and you hear ‘this is the fourth win for Stormzy in three years. Here he is’. And then you’ve got to do the filler, and then they’re like, Oh my god thank you so much, I’m so happy-

 

Jordan:

Are there any memorable moments of winners? Like, what winner do you remember the most?

 

Clara:

Oh. I gave Dua Lipa an award and that was really sweet. And I remember she brought up her little brother and a little sister to collect her award with her and I thought that was really- Because she's the eldest child and you can tell she's very much went into big sister mode rather than pop star mode. I thought that was really sweet.

 

Getting into radio presenting

Jordan:

You began as a marketing intern at KISS. How did you get that job?

 

Clara:

I got that job from another internship at a TV company that went bust. They were just like, Oh look, I know KISS need a spare pair of hands, they need all the help they can get with marketing and stuff,  would you help out? And I was just like, Yeah, but it's just doing everything, like, I don't know, flipping getting sweets from up the streets to give out, like I don't know, shopping centres, flipping doing payroll, ordering stationery, all of that. All of that shit, I did it all. I was basically the assistant for the whole floor by the end of it.

 

Jordan:

Did you always want to be a presenter?

 

Clara:

I did. I always wanted to chat because I just love music. I love pop culture and a conversation. And I was just like, well, so hang on, so you can chat in between the songs? And this is the job. Wicked.

 

Clara’s mum’s opinion on her presenting

Jordan:

Is she critical about you as a presenter, though?

 

Clara:

No! She's always happy with the questions and the vibe, whatever we show. She’s just like, Just remember, you're representing us. Okay. You know, you have to look nice and that's always, I think -

 

Jordan:

A cultural thing?

 

Clara:

I think so. No, but the gag is, if you go to Ghana, yeah, on any given day, particularly around like Christmas, wherever, the girlies are out here. Wearing nothing. The girls are in the club, giving you a boob tube, a mini skirt, they're giving you thigh, they're giving you a leather, giving you body-ody-ody. It's in our DNA. I will say to her, you can't complain that you gave it to me, hun. I'm just- I'm working on what I got.

 

New artists Clara is loving right now

Clara:

I love Masterpeace. I think he's really fun. He's wicked. He's been around for a minute, but it seems like this year he's great. I love Rachel Chinouriri. I love the gentleness of her voice.

 

Barbie

Clara:

I’ve got an actual Barbie doll. A Clarbie, if you will. She's the best. I love her. She lives in a little box.

 

Jordan:

Did Barbie have an effect on your self-image as a child?

 

Clara:

Of course she did. But I think most toys, most mass media, do when you're a kid. You're a flipping sponge, aren't you? So everything you see, you take in as, Okay, well, essentially, this is what the world is. Whether you question it or whatever.