DANIELLE Chong remembers her mother recording videos of her and her sister during their childhood days.
She often pretended to be a news reader, and other times, she often taped herself role-playing as a Fly FM radio host.
“Back then, I was already listening to Fly FM, and I would be like: ‘Hey, it’s Danielle, Fly FM’,” she said.
“I can’t explain how much of a dream it was for me”.
Danielle found herself joining Flydol 2017 after her graduation from a local private university the previous year.
“I didn’t win, but they still offered me a contract to train and become a radio announcer. It opened a lot of doors.
“I was a part-time announcer from 2017 and joined them full-time with my own show in October last year,” the infectiously energetic Danielle told theSun.
Seizing her moment
Between being a part-time radio host and modelling, Danielle also became an established blogger and even started her own company.
“The company specialised in influencer marketing because I wanted to provide people like me with job opportunities and I did that for about a year,” she said.
“When I was doing marketing, that’s when Fly FM gave me a call and told me they were looking for new talents. I went in, delivered my demo and now I have my own evening show”.
On how much she perceives herself to have changed since 2017, Danielle joked that the question is “intimidating”.
“Now I have to self-reflect and be like: ‘Danielle! You have to tell the truth!’,” she said, laughing.
“I’ve changed, yes and no. The Danielle now is just as hungry, determined and hardworking as Danielle during Flydol in 2017. I’ve also learned to be a lot more patient, because in the entertainment industry, you can’t really push it”.
Ultimately, Danielle explains that not much has changed in the sense that she is still striving to be better at what she does.
“I want to be so good that people can’t say no to me. I’m working towards that”.
Perceptions and being resolute
Despite being thrust into the spotlight, Danielle was quick to realise that as a public figure, she has the power to not only influence others, but also the responsibility that comes with it, not only to the general public but also those who follow her.
“I don’t think people in this line of work think: ‘I want to be a good role model!’ We’re doing this for a living, but at the same time, people like me understand the responsibility we have to younger people,” she said.
“I do feel the pressure, like sometimes I get called out for things I post online. Every time I post a picture or video, I have to think: ‘Is this halal? Is this too much? Is this going to cost me my job?’,” she said with a nervous laugh.
“I think it depends on the intention, and my intentions are always good. I always want to make people smile and laugh.”
With how she presents herself online as a fun, no holds barred person, Danielle was asked if she wears a mask or different masks depending on the social or private situation she might be in.
Danielle said she doesn’t wear a mask, because everything that is seen and shown online by her is an extension of who she is, but they do not capture who she is entirely.
Recounting an incident in university, Danielle said she was once approached by a follower outside the library while she was reading a book.
“He came up to me and asked: ‘Oh my god, Dan, since when do you read?”
“It was funny, because I don’t show that side of myself online, but that does not mean it’s not who I am. I love to read, I love to pray, and do all these things that people don’t expect someone like me to do.”
When asked what is next for her now that her long-time dream of becoming a radio host has come full circle, Danielle mused that she wanted to have her own show where she is able to talk about things that might be a little controversial to Malaysians, like a podcast or a web show.
“I’m working towards making it possible.”
