Seated on a Washington Park bench, cloaked in a black abaya, legs crossed and feet donning an old pair of gray running shoes, Rosa Jad reflects on her off-camera success.
It was this time last year, during the holy month of Ramadan, that Jad decided to step away from her career as KS 107.5's Hip Hop/R&B on-air personality.
The abaya, made by London designer Saeedah Haque, is an emblem of Jad's latest career endeavor as a young entrepreneur.
"I realize I'm one piece of this entire puzzle with all of these beautiful women, female Muslim entrepreneurs around the world," Jad said. "[Haque] opened up a new lane for girls who wanna be swaggy in the mosque. She showed me that there's other women like me all over the world who are trying to start businesses. Growing up, there were only the traditional abayas. This makes me feel so much more in my skin as a Muslim woman."
Like Haque's clothing, Jad is embarking on her own journey in hopes of trailblazing new paths for Muslim women like herself to be fully represented in Western media.
Jad is launching RoRos Global Enterprises Inc., a media production and development company that will distribute original curated content across pop culture, music, sports, fashion and beauty to both English and Arabic-speaking audiences.
Courtesy of Rosa Jad
The platform's first show, The Rotation, is a variety game talk show hosted by Jad's media persona RoRo. The show will air weekly on all social media platforms.
The first season of The Rotation will feature artists such as rising R&B singer Phabo at Washington Park, Denver-born Iranian American Pop/R&B artist YaSi, Lizzo's DJ Sophia Eris at Larimer Lights, Latto's DJ Von in downtown Denver and even Colorado State Representative and former mayoral candidate Leslie Herod inside of the Colorado State Capitol.
"I'm a hometown kid from Denver who knows the city in and out," Jad said. "I'll always applaud and appreciate Denver. Every single up and coming artist has stopped by venues like the Ogden Theater and I've been really lucky to catch that wave. And if Denver didn't provide that, I wouldn't have been able to have that experience."
The seven-segment variety game show that will be distributed in English and Arabic.
It will feature a variety of sit down studio interviews, food reviews, lifestyle segments that touch on beauty and cuisine among Middle Eastern women, live studio performances and behind the scene footage with artists such as Jessie Reyez at Summit Music Hall, Blxst at the Ogden Theatre, Rema at the Bluebird Theater, Blk Odyssey at Larimer Lounge and Latto at Ball Arena.
Since leaving her post at KS 107.5, Jad said she's learned a lot about what it's like to be outside of the studio, on her own and away from the mic.
"I've never been more isolated. I've never felt more alone. I've never felt more scared, anxious, you know, leaving everything," Jad said.
Jad said she walked away from radio because she had had a realization about herself.
"I love everything that I did there. I grew up there. I became a woman there," Jad said. "I just got to a point in my life where there was a lot of me that I wanted to represent. I had to look at myself in the mirror and ask 'Who do I wanna be and what do I wanna do for the rest of my life?'"
With a résumé like Jad's, a jump to a larger media conglomerate seemed like the next likeliest move. She packed her bags, took a trip to Los Angeles and spent time scouting her next career move alongside friends in the industry that she'd met in Denver.
"Whether it was Denver, LA or New York, I realized I'm still the only Arab in the entire room. I'm still the only Muslim in every room," Jad said. "I'm out there and I'm in a room with Kid Cudi, Leonardo DiCaprio, Justin Bieber and Lewis Hamilton. All of these people and I'm like 'What? I missed prayer for this?'"
Jad has prayed throughout her entire career in entertainment. It's how she returns "back to center" while being in the glamor of media and entertainment.
"On Fridays at the radio, when my job was 10:00 a.m to 3:00 p.m., from 11:40 to 1:20, I would voice track, go to the mosque and come back," she said. "At the radio station, in between songs, in between meetings. My boss would walk in and I would have my foot in the sink as I'm washing to pray. During Summer Jam, I was fasting two years in a row [for Ramadan]. I was backstage eating really quickly and then going on stage and presenting Kendrick Lamar. Everybody knew that Rosa's Muslim."
Living as a Muslim, Arab-American woman in Denver meant that Jad would not often see others like herself, especially in the entertainment business.
"The experience I would say is unique. I've always been allowed the freedom to champion both sides of myself. Going to prom and playing basketball while also going to Friday prayer, celebrating Eid, wearing abayas and stuff," Jad said. "But it was also, I'm not gonna lie...it's a lonely experience. I didn't realize the lack of [representation] there was of me until I got older and thought 'Where is my place?'"
At the time, Jad's parents weren't too sure about letting their 17-year old Muslim daughter pursue a career in hip hop radio. But she credits them for giving her a chance to figure life out. As long as she did well in school, kept up with her prayers and respected the "old ways," then she was good to go.
"That's really what I wanna create is like a safe haven, especially for Middle Eastern women from all over the world to connect online," Jad said. "This is the new way, digital media, and I just play one part of the story."
Courtesy Rosa Jad
Working in news media for so many years, Jad has gotten the opportunity to observe what happens behind the scenes. More specifically, she's seen just how difficult it is for women in the industry.
"A large reason why I also started this show was because of the lack of respect in the press media, especially for women who were getting badgered with bad and overbearing questions," Jad said.
Near the end of her KS 107.5 tenure, Jad started what was known as "Rosa's Risky Rotation," the beta version of what is now going to be The Rotation.
Artists knew who she was because of her time on the radio but were happy to come on her show because of the reputation she gained over the years.
"All of these large guests were still coming back and doing interviews with me because they just enjoyed an enjoyable, safe press interview," Jad said.
Two early career interviews stood out the most to Jad: Saweetie and Kiana Ledé.
"When the women came into the interview, they were very timid, shy and scared. That's when I realized the press doesn't treat women correctly," Jad said. "I'm the press to them, I'm an op. They don't know I'm the same age as them or that I have their back. We were all strangers and we were able to create these bonds that truly lasted forever. I learned that this is more than press. This is a sisterhood and this is needed. The show's core is really about sisterhood and it's about humanity before it's even about Islam itself."
The 28-year old has visited Washington Park for years, calling it her safe space, where she can be anyone but RoRo or the KS 107.5 radio host. She admits she's scared to embark on the next chapter of her career, but it's just because she cares deeply about what it could mean for people like her.
"My biggest goal with the show is that I hope that little Arab girls can see this and feel inspired to do whatever they wanna do, regardless of the cultural stigma of who we are supposed to be," Jad said, holding back tears. "I really do this show for RoRo: the younger version of me that has been screaming and fighting and clawing to have her voice be heard. She's the first Arab American talk show host. She's crazy, she's wild, she's powerful. RoRo was everything that I needed growing as an Arab American living in America."
Correction: A reference to a streaming production company has been removed to reflect that it is not involved in producing The Rotation.
