By ANGELIN YEOH
alltherage@thestar.com.my
FOR Red FM radio presenter Fiqrie, there is no feeling quite like being able to play someone’s favourite song live on air.
“I think it’s nice to be able to play music for radio listeners. Different songs mean different things to people and being able to play their song gives me the opportunity to connect to listeners in such a personal way,” he says with a beaming smile.
Fiqrie says he’s pretty much on Red FM “seven days a week”. He hosts Edge On Red and then two different segments on weekend. On top of that, he also hosts our R.AGE On Red youth talk show on Fridays.
Call him a workaholic. He won’t disagree with you.
“I probably am (a workaholic)! But then again, I’m proud to say that at the age of 29, I really like what I do. It took me a while to get here.”
Before getting his big break on Red FM, Fiqrie says he was the guy everyone thought would never make it.
“Previously, I was a presenter at a local Malay-language station. When I decided to make the switch to English, I heard people say I wouldn’t make it. They said it’s different and I wouldn’t be able to speak naturally.”
Fiqrie, who graduated from UiTM with a degree in broadcasting, says it took him a while to successfully make the transition.
“Well, I learned to get better. I went for training courses on how to improve the way I speak and subsequently got better at sounding more natural.
“I guess it was really important for me to do that, because otherwise I’d never be able to hold a proper conversation with my guests and listeners.”
His determination to make it into the English radio industry paid off and he found himself working alongside some of his idols.
“I’ve always known that I wanted to be a radio presenter. I grew up listening to Patrick Teoh, Fly Guy and Lil’ Kev on the radio.
“Sarimah Ibrahim is also someone I look up to because she has also made the transition from Malay to English and she does it so well.”
Of course, Lil’ Kev and Sarimah are now his fellow presenters at Red FM.
“Yes, it feels surreal. I haven’t been able to grasp that reality yet. It’s a childhood dream come true.”
Speaking of dreams, Fiqrie says one day he would love to have Britney Spears as a guest on his show.
“I’d love to speak to her about her career and also how she bounced back after her breakdown. She has gone through so much and today she’s rated by Forbes as the second highest-paid female entertainer. She’s just such an inspiration.”
He adds that if he wasn’t a radio deejay, he’d probably do something involving music.
“I can’t play a music instrument and I’ve tried acting – didn’t like it. So yeah, I would love to be a pop music producer.”
Tune in to Edge on Red (7-10pm from Monday to Friday) on Red FM (104.9FM in the Klang Valley) and check out Fiqrie’s FB page at facebook.com/fiqrieisnowred.
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