Radio was holding me back from poetry, says media personality Maritza
In 2012, she said poetry was not paying, but all that took a 360 degree turn over the years. She said she now pockets millions from it, the reason she quit radio this year.
Media personality Maritza says poetry is her passion
NewVision Reporter
@NewVision
Former media personality turned full-time spoken word artist Martha Byoga alias Maritza has stated that her time on radio held her back from her one true passion, poetry.
While appearing on her former employer, KFM, on Friday, July 21, 2023, she explained that before joining radio, she handled public relations for Open Mic, one of the spoken word platforms she worked with.
So, during media interviews, they started selling her the idea of becoming a radio presenter that she bought into in 2012. At the time, poetry was not paying, but all that took a 360 degree turn over the years that now she pockets millions pursuing it, the reason she quit radio this year.
“I did radio for nine years and for all those years, I felt radio was holding me back. For two years between 2012 and 2014, I made only sh400,000 from all the spoken word poetry gigs combined. But the first two months after quitting radio to focus on poetry, I made sh2m,” said Maritza.
Maritza’s last radio gig was with Next Radio that she quit in March 2023 after just one year to focus on spoken word poetry. Initially, she worked with XFM where she co-hosted The Xzit and left in 2019 to join KFM that she left in 2022 to join Next Radio.