She eats, sleeps and breathes radio – a medium she found solitude in and fell in love with growing up in Okatana, and a passion that later turned into a craft.
Lucy K, real name Luciana Rocco (née Kangombe), is no stranger to the world of entertainment.
She is one of the founding presenters of Fresh FM way back in 2007 alongside Azeal Zyla Matsoarelle, otherwise known as Cheeze KBVDP; Kanibal Ashipala; Mufaro Nesongano and Aina Aipanda (Nona Hiskia) to mention a few.
“While children now watch YouTube, have smartphones and TV, all I knew growing up was radio. We only listened to it at certain hours of the day – these were orders, because if you don’t do that, the battery dies quick and the budget will not allow us to buy a new one every time,” recalls Lucy K.
Chilling session
She is married to Italian-Omuwambo Massimo Rocco, whom she met at a wedding, and together they have two adorable canine babies, Zoey and Bella, who are four years old.
Like any young, energetic busy bee, Lucy K makes time to cook mean meals in the kitchen, and describes it as “unfortunate” that she does not know how to prepare one of her favourite dishes - Sushi.
“Sushi – I love it to bits but since I can’t prepare it, I would anytime prepare Ombidi and Oshifima (wild spinach and pap), which is my other ultimate favourite. Ring me anytime you want that; I am your girl.”
Okatana tales
Lucy K was born in Okatana, Epyenene some three decades ago in a loving home filled with unconditional love. She was passionate about school, although it was a daunting task to get there – something many Namibians can relate to.
“I would walk to school with other children from the village. It was always fun going to school, but the coming back was a different story. As the last bell rang, you had to make sure you run from class until you reach home because if you walk, the fast ones will get home before you and trouble would be brewing.”
“When we arrive late, parents always assumed we were playing around, instead of coming home. But the truth was we were just not fast, and there was always this boy who was faster than all of us, and he enjoyed leaving us behind.”
Growing up, Christmas period was special for her.
“Christmas was always my highlight because then, we get to eat salad, (potato salad; yes, it was a thing), rice with tomato sauce, and we would wake up to sweets, coffee and bread with red jam… now those were the days. We also got new clothes – church clothes of course – because we had to go to church.”
Career
Lucy K wears many hats and is somewhat a jack of many trades. Her broadcasting career started at Fresh FM, from where she moved on to Energy 100 FM and subsequently the national broadcaster – her current place of work.
“I got the job in 2007 at Fresh FM. At first, I only worked on weekends because of school, then I eventually got a slot to do 09h00 to 12h00. I had one segment that was loved by a lot of people. It was called ‘How well do you know your partner’ but it had a prank twist to it. Another would be ‘My taste in music’ and that’s what made Lucy K, really. I then went on to Radio Energy.”
She later joined NBC and hosted a show called ‘Lucy Squared’ with DJ Lucy (Lucy Kautwima) on National FM. In 2012, NBC TV was looking for an interactive sports presenter for the World Cup; I auditioned and got the job to become the leading lady in Namibia to host a sports TV show on national TV.”
She is currently an employee engagement coordinator at the NBC.
The other side of Lucy K
If she is not at work or on your screen hosting a sports show, she would be lecturing at the College of the Arts or planning weddings.
“Wedding Planning – that’s my other passion but because most weddings are on hold due to the pandemic, I found a new passion and really in line with keeping good hygiene in this trying times of Covid-19, which is wheelie bin (municipal rubbish bins) cleaning. Let’s keep them clean always, because they breed a lot of bacteria.”
She is also the chairlady of the Audi Club Namibia, because the four rings are her first love when it comes to wheels.
According to Lucy K
“Do what you have a passion for. What you love and you will honestly never work a day in your life. Your passion will fuel you and your love will lead you to whatever you endure – as long as you have that in place, you are good.”
- psiririka@nepc.com.na