Backstage with Becca Dudley

MTV news host and model Becca Dudley has always been a source of sartorial inspiration in our HQ, with her unique spin on unisex street style. Whether it's channeling Americana skate kids in a bucket hat and sweater, or getting busy with an Egyptian style headpiece, we’re sold! Last week our press team dropped by MTV Europe’s Studios in Camden to shadow Becca’s filming process first hand, find out what life’s really like behind the camera lens and shoot her in her favourite pieces from our latest collections. We also figured it's time that the interviewer got interviewed… ——————————– How did you bag such a cool job? I was really lucky actually, I was with a modelling agency doing fashion and commercials, when suddenly out of the blue I got an email inviting me for a screen test. I was like excuse me what? They pretty much said “Oh just go be a presenter” so casual. I had no experience whatsoever and thought it went really badly, but apparently not! We hear you’re from a pretty musical background... I started playing drums when I was 11, I picked my school based on their music score. I don’t have lessons anymore so I’m really out of practice, but I do have a really musical family. I play drums, my mum plays bass, my dad plays electric guitar, my sister plays piano! Everyone sings, and my brother-in-law is currently playing Mufasa in The Lion King! We have a little music studio thing, we’ll just sit in there and jam away sometimes. Does this help you relate to your interview subjects and their creative process? I think it helps more with DJ work, like beat matching and working out BPMs. Although we did recently have the guy who plays McLovin in the studio, he plays drums in a band, so we had a little session. Have you always been a confident speaker or was it a learning curve? When I was at school I wasn’t very cool. I was really skinny, ugly and used to get picked on real bad.  So I didn’t really have any confidence, I hadn’t grown into myself! Then I studied styling and photography at the London College of Fashion, whilst working for Fiasco magazine, and interning for different stylists and PR companies. This was all in my third year, it was a real struggle, but really fun. You have a really distinct exciting style, what inspires and informs your fashion choices? I go through phases, at one point I was dressing like slutty gothic Barbie, an SGB! And then I went through a homeless nan phase, and now this look is like 12 year old skater boy vibes. I don’t really know what inspired it. It might be something to do with my boyfriend, he runs a street wear creative collective called Fresh Habits. I guess he’s influenced the way I dress, especially trainers. He’ll thank me for saying that! Do you still have a really hands-on approach to styling yourself at MTV? Yeah I style myself. I love presenting, it's 100% what I want to do but I kind of want to keep fashion always there. Whether it’s writing a blog, a column, anything just to keep myself engaged with the industry. Dressing up is one of the most fun things, and interacting with independent labels is key. What does a typical day involve? So usually I get picked up at about 10.30am, which is nice! They drive me to Camden’s MTV studios. I have about half an hour at the desk that I share with Bluey Robinson and Laura Whitmore, just sharing on socials and checking emails. After hair and make-up I’ll have a quick read through the script, head to the MTV newsroom and record. The process only takes about 15 minutes, it's super quick! Then I might run an interview afterwards, or there will be a celebrity in promoting a single. The other week we had Taylor Momsen, who’s like my secret idol. Who has been your favourite interview subject? I actually got to meet Pharrell Williams three times in one week, the first couple times he was really chatty and lovely, and he stayed with us for a decent time. By the Friday he was just a zombie, you could literally see the deterioration, but for me he was a big deal! I’m a fan of his, always have been, like way back with N.E.R.D and The Neptunes, but obviously now he’s a massive star. Despite your role in the spotlight, do you still get star struck? I’ve never completely frozen! I don’t really get star struck when I’m working because I know I have to go into presenter mode. Obviously I still get excited, when I saw Pharrell coming down the red carpet I was like OK, this is a moment.  If I’m not with MTV then I get nervous, for instance the DJ David Rodigan was on the same ferry as me on the way to Bestival, I just couldn’t let the moment go. He's influenced my musical tastes and my life so much, so I just went over and had a little chat, but I was so nervous, because you lose the context without a camera crew. We have to ask, what is your most cringeworthy interview story? Oh god! Well once I was at a red carpet convinced I was interviewing a singer, turns out she was an actress. I’m there like “So do you ever want to work with Adele?” and she’s like “Oh I don’t know how we would really work together”  I replied “Well maybe you can just be friends!" Stuff like that is pretty embarrassing, but I styled it out! Who is your dream interview subject? There are loads, but I’ve always said Kanye West, he is guaranteed to be an amazing interviewee. You just know every sentence is going to be ridiculous. In my eyes he can do no wrong, an interview with him would be pretty jokes. And also LL COOL J, because I’ve fancied him since I was 11! What part does social media play in your career? And which platform do you find most effective ? Social media in our age is pretty essential, whether it's for a business, kids, adults, everyone uses it. I started off with Twitter, I found it so great just getting yourself out there, making connections and contacts. I actually got quite a few jobs out of it, and  lots of DJ bookings. Now I’ve switched to Instagram, and hardly tweet! It's all about the visuals. Admit it, who is the most embarrassing person you follow? I'm guilty! I’ve just followed a million Victoria’s secret models for thinspiration. I love stalking. Do you have any exciting adventures planned for Summer? I don’t know yet, last year I did eight festivals, went to four, covered four. I traveled loads, Brazil, France, Iceland all in the summer, but I usually don’t find out if I’m doing any of that fun stuff until a month before. I really want to check out Boomtown, Secret Garden Party, Wireless and maybe Ibiza Rocks. Which were your favourite pieces from today and why? I love this Garfield men’s sweater, you could wear it with anything. Today I’ve styled it with high rise polka dot trousers, and a little tartan miniskirt with trainers. I love how in-your-face it is, but it still has that sportswear touch. And as always, I really love a bucket hat, it brings everything together! What would be your advice to any aspiring kids out there? I think the best thing to do is just network like crazy. If it’s presenting, make your own show reel and make it fun! If you’re trying to get into styling, shoot some things with your mates, even just writing a small blog as a way to express yourself helps. ——————————– Catch Becca presenting the daily news on MTV UK and follow her Twitter, Instagram and personal blog for regular updates.