For someone who spends his life talking to the world’s biggest stars, Zane Lowe is remarkably un-Hollywood.

The Kiwi broadcaster and musician greets people warmly, talks openly about self-doubt and still sounds faintly surprised by the scale of the career he’s built.

“It’s been amazing. Steep learning curve, as I expected it to be,” he told Stuff in Sydney ahead of the Vivid Festival, where he is a keynote speaker.

“It’s been incredibly rewarding. I mean, I’ve got to work with some heroes.”

Those heroes include some of the most famous musicians on the planet. Artists Lowe now speaks about the way most people talk about old mates.