Background and career
Alexander Zane Reed Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, radio host and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence through presenting on XFM and MTV Europe (MTV Two), developing a DJ career by opening sets for bands and eventually landing a slot on prime-time radio on BBC Radio 1 from 2003 to 2015. In 2015, he was hired by Apple to be the Creative Director of their new world-wide music station, Apple Music 1.
Born in Auckland, Lowe attended Auckland Grammar School and was a presenter on local music station Max TV. Zane was a member of Urban Disturbance, an early 90s hip hop group whose standout hit was "No Flint No Flame" and Breaks Co-Op, alongside Andy Lovegrove and Hamish Clark. Lowe and Clark formed Breaks Co-Op in Auckland, releasing the electronic album Roofers in 1997 before they both left New Zealand to travel and pursue other interests. Both later developed their careers in the United Kingdom.
Lowe relocated to the United Kingdom in 1997. He initially worked at the Record and Tape Exchange in Notting Hill before being asked to cover for a show on XFM, going on to host XFM's Music Response. In 2003, he joined BBC Radio 1. As a DJ, he has played sets at festivals including Coachella, Future Music Festival in Australia, Glastonbury, Creamfields and Bestival. He has toured with artists including, Skrillex, The Prodigy, Kasabian and The Weeknd and opened shows for both Muse and Foo Fighters at their concerts at Wembley Stadium. As well as being a regular performer at Ibiza and Mallorca Rocks, Lowe is also musical director for the brand.
Lowe started his career on MTV UK before moving to MTV2 Europe (now MTV Rocks) presenting shows such as MTV News (1998–2001), MTV News Daily Edition (1999–2001) and Brand:New (1999). From 2002 to 2015, he presented Gonzo, the channel's flagship music show.
Lowe's BBC Radio 1 evening show was broadcast from 2003 to 2015. The show developed a number of features including the "Zane Lowe Meets" interviews. On 15 February 2015 it was announced that Lowe would be leaving BBC Radio 1 in March 2015 to launch a new station with Apple. Lowe presented his last show on 5 March 2015.
At the 2015 Apple WWDC Keynote, Lowe was introduced as one of the DJs of Apple Music 1 (previously Beats 1), a radio station part of Apple Music. He was also the host of the Apple Music show Planet of the Apps.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
