From sweaty gig venues to the iconic studios of Radio 1, Saunders has carved a career that bridges underground culture and mainstream radio with rare authenticity. Whether he’s spinning the next big thing before anyone else, diving deep into the personal stories behind certain songs, or interviewing many of our favourite artists (Billie Eilish, Halsey, Chappell Roan) one-on-one, Saunders brings a refreshing passion and perspective to what he does. 

In this exclusive interview for Principle, we sit down with Saunders to talk career milestones, which emerging act he’s currently co-signing, a musical trend he doesn’t fuck with, and what else he’s got up his sleeve.

Vest and Trousers Homme Plisse Issey Miyake / Shoes Kurt Geiger / Socks Uniqlo

You studied Broadcast Journalism at Nottingham Trent University and always knew this was what you wanted to do growing up. Who did you look up to?

I listened to a lot of Zane Lowe, and it was mainly Zane that inspired me to do what I do today. His unrivaled, infectious energy was inspiring and opened the doors to a lot of my musical taste that I have now. I was just hooked on it. It was a portal into another dimension, the way that Zane presented his radio show. I very much wanted to bring the same energy to what I do on air.

Your first huge radio gig was presenting the Sunday slot for Kerrang! Radio. What did you learn from that experience?

It was a really important experience for me. It was all pre-recorded, a lot of Kerrang! is. But it allowed me to practice and learn my voice on air, and learn who I was on air. Not to say that it’s different from who I am normally, but there is a certain exaggerated persona that I think you have to come forth with. You gotta be entertaining at the end of the day. It was a really good place to learn that. I remember this one moment on a Friday night. It was like 5 pm, and everyone’s getting hammered in the office, and I’m still in the booth just practicing. Someone came in and butted their head in and asked, ‘What are you doing here?’ I told them I was practicing, and they said, ‘Oh, that won’t last long!’ and ran out. Those doubts were the motivation I needed to achieve the goals I wanted to achieve.  So, yeah, that was a very important time for me. 

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People now know you for being a DJ on BBC Radio 1, where you started off hosting the 11 pm to 1 am slot, which focused on rock, alternative, and indie. You’ve since switched to the New Music show, which highlights various genres. Has this shift introduced you to other genres you wouldn’t normally listen to? Or have you always had quite an eclectic taste?

I’ve always had quite an eclectic taste, to be honest with you. The rock and indie stuff is my natural home. It’s what I grew up on, and it’s what I loved first off. But I think what that genre is really good at is energy, release, escapism, and relatability at times. I always like the harder, more experimental genres a lot of the time, especially when I found my way into rock and hardcore punk. It’s not just a ball of noise. It’s not just loud. It is quite a colorful genre, and that was pretty integral to show me the ropes of other styles. When I get on the New Music show, I’m in there fully formed in my taste. However, I don’t really listen to music taste-wise anymore. I listen to how it makes me feel. I listen to what the artist is talking about and how that could impact someone hearing it. It’s more of an emotional listen than it is necessarily an enjoyment listen, a lot of the time. But then again, music doesn’t always have to be that deep, and so you kind of have to have an ear on both sides of it. 

Has there been any musical trend that you still cannot get into?

I still don’t like ABBA, and that’s not because I don’t appreciate the influence of ABBA, but it’s just never ever been something that I’ve got on with, I guess. I think ABBA probably counts as a musical trend in some way. 

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What rising artist are you currently co-signing that you believe has a bright future ahead of them?

There’s a really great band called KEO who just released their debut single. A lot of people love the music, and they sold out their whole UK tour very quickly off the back of it. There’s some early heat around those guys, and I don’t like to jump on early because it’s just important to let these bands grow. Sometimes you can jump on new music early, and it can kind of put a bit too much weight and expectation on an artist when they need the space to just grow a bit more. But the music felt pretty undeniable.

What is it you look for in new artist’s emerging? What is it about them that sometimes captures your attention early on?

I think it’s being able to access a deeper level in the writing. Let’s just use indie as an example. A lot of people can write an indie record that feels, quote unquote, relatable. But not many people can write an indie record or music that feels like it truly connects on that kind of deeper, almost lonely level. Can you access the feelings? Can you communicate the feelings that someone feels that your listener feels when they’re on their own after a big event in their life has happened, or whilst they’re going through something? That’s a really hard thing to channel, and those artists that can access those kinds of deeper echelons of emotion often really click and connect with me. It’s also an intelligent ambition to blend ideas and styles, and genres. It’s hard just to sit in one lane and continue to be really successful and really great. You do have to have a bit of manipulation there and evolve in your sound while still staying true to what you really love. There are a lot of different elements that go into it, and that’s why not everyone gets to become the biggest artist in the world, but those that do manage to find that formula often do go on to have the big time. 

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We’ve had so many good albums this year. What have been some of your favorites so far?

FKA Twigs Eusexua was amazing. That was really, really good. I enjoyed The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow as well. That’s a wicked record. On the more rock side of things, a band called Spiritbox released an album called Tsunami Sea. Gaga’s Mayhem slapped. Bon Iver’s Sable Fable is probably my album of the year so far, mainly because Justin Vernon is opening himself up in a way that he’s never done so before. A lot of Bon Iver music that you listen to doesn’t have or isn’t kind of gardened with in-depth lyricism. It’s quite ambiguous and allows you to kind of imprint your own emotion onto it. 

At this point, you have interviewed so many huge names. Have you managed to interview anyone on your bucket list? And who else would you love to speak to?

Well, we did Chapell Roan in LA. That was definitely a big bucket list one. She’s had an amazing career so far and a very interesting come-up up and getting to dive into her life was awesome. That was a really, really big one. I’d love to chat to Gaga as well. I think Gaga grew up in a turbulent time in pop music, but has emerged on the other side. She’s a world-beater, an inspiration, and one of the greatest of all time. I interviewed Alex Turner. He’s one of my idols and one of the all-time greats. If I could bring someone back from the dead, it would probably be Kurt Cobain.

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What else have been pinch-me moments?

Presenting Glastonbury is definitely one of those. Standing alongside legendary broadcasters like Jo Whiley and Lauren Laverne, big BBC institutions in their own right. When I did my first one, I was still very fledgling. I was new to the BBC and Radio 1 and still had a lot to prove, but they very much took me under their wing. That first class experience, alongside them anchoring the coverage, was amazing. Interviewing Alex Turner, definitely, and Matt Helders, actually. Arctic Monkeys are my favourite band of all time, so getting to interview them was an awesome pinch-me moment. My first show on Radio 1’s New Nusic show, getting to step into the slot on the radio station I always wanted to do, was the dream for me. That was the thing that I had my sights on since I was 15 years old. 15 years of hard work and we got there. Those are the three big moments.

Outside of presenting and radio, is there anything else you really want to do in your career?

There are some things brewing that are gonna come out later this year that will not have me in a different lane as such, but I’ll be able to own in my own right a lot more with producing something visual, something that’ll be working with artists. That’s probably as much as I can say at the moment. I’m excited to launch and really get going. I really wanna bring back a live experience for people as well, a gig night, a rave, some kind of unique idea around that. I used to run a night in London. It was very successful, but I had to step away from it because it just became too much with everything else that was going on. But getting back to DJing and being in the middle of the dance floor again is definitely something that I wanna get back to. 

Vest and Trousers Homme Plisse Issey Miyake / Shoes Kurt Geiger / Socks Uniqlo

Lastly, if you were in an alternate universe when you’re not doing radio or presenting, what are you doing? 

I’m probably on stage acting, to be honest. Maybe that’s something that I will do in the future when it feels right. I think just being in front of people and performing and entertaining, hopefully making people laugh, or just feel something in some way, is what I feel like I’ve been put on this planet to do. Maybe the alternative universe becomes reality at some point. 

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