What fuels the creative spirit? Passion – that’s right! Through Passion Pursuits, our short-form documentary series, we’re celebrating the diverse talents of Singaporeans who have overcome challenges and forged their own paths in the creative industry. YES 933’s Hazelle Teo joins us for this piece, talking all about her journey within the radio industry and exploring other ventures like acting and singing.
The clock strikes 6pm, signalling the end of the work day; time to head home. As your footsteps echo through the carpark while you make your way to your vehicle, the thought of the inevitable evening rush hour does little to ease the relief of finally clocking out.
With the press of the ignition button, the car roars to life and you take a slight pause to gather your thoughts as you wait for the vehicle to fully start up. In the midst of this, an enthusiastic voice rings through the speakers, providing a relaxing distraction – “你好, 我是迎霜!”
Every weekday, as thousands of people make the journey home along the Singapore highways, those tuned in to YES 933FM will have the bubbly Hazelle Teo as their companion. Hazelle is part of a trio of radio hosts for the station’s 双节坤佳 show that runs from 4pm to 8pm; working alongside fellow DJs Kunhua and Qijia (Evelyn Tan). She’s on-air on Saturday mornings too, with a special 30-minute slot to deliver the latest Korean news and most popular K-pop songs.
Having been on the radiowaves for nearly a decade, Hazelle is an experienced head within the industry. Many would point to her starting point being The Sound Makers 2016, where she placed in the Top 12, but not a lot know that her radio journey began earlier – as an intern at the very same station where she now works.
In actuality, radio wasn’t her first love; it was acting. During her teenage years, Taiwanese dramas were the rage and Rainie Yang became her role model. She even snagged a big role in 2015’s 7 Letters – an anthology film that celebrated Singapore’s 50th anniversary. She was cast as the granddaughter in Kelvin Tong’s segment: GPS (Grandma Positioning System), acting alongside local stars Zheng Geping and Hong Huifang.
“Fun fact, I signed up on Facebook to get casted for this movie. There was this casting call Facebook group that I joined and I volunteered myself. I believe that for every 50 resumes you send, you’ll only land one so I was super super lucky [to get the role].”
Eager to continue on the acting path, her internship at YES 933 was a way for her to get one foot into Mediacorp, and it suited her as well since she was a huge fan of Chinese music. But as it turns out, the radio bug bit her as well. Unfortunately, the completion of her internship did not result in her getting a job as a DJ. “I think last time I cannot make it”, Hazelle candidly says with a laugh.
Stubborn as ever, she joined The Sound Makers DJ search competition soon after. Hazelle put in a lot of effort for the competition, brushing up her Mandarin skills and showcasing to her former boss a fierce determination to join the station; the rest is history.
After almost 10 years in the space, there is a level of introspection from Hazelle based on her experiences. Lots of people will say that radio is dwindling in influence, but she does not believe that that is the case. Her take is the subject matter is more nuanced.
“I feel like less and less people are watching TV, but audio content is getting stronger and stronger,” she says. “In fact, I feel like a lot of people turn to radio for some sort of company. When they are alone or at work or when they just need some voices to tide them through their day…I feel like the shift (from visual to audio) would only get more and more obvious and more emphasis would be placed on audio works and the radio industry.”
Indeed, audio entertainment is bigger than it has ever been. The Joe Rogan Experience remains one of the most listened-to podcasts in the world, while locally, shows like The Daily Ketchup prove popular with Singaporeans. Hazelle herself hosts another local podcast called Hush Podcast with DJs Germaine Tan (987FM) and Azura Goh (Ria 897FM), which discusses various topics surrounding relationships, health, and wellness that are a little more taboo.
Much of why audio entertainment has seen such a surge in popularity is due to personalities being the driving force. People go wherever a personality they resonate with is. It’s why radio has been changing its strategy lately according to Hazelle, using social media to get followers to tune in to radio.
“In this day and age, it’s so different. Every day [that] I’m doing my radio show, I’m almost like making an Instagram reel [and] putting more content out there on social media.”
That suits Hazelle just fine who, as a self-proclaimed ENFP, gets excited to share with her audience whenever something happens in her life—whether it is something significant or even just sharing a good meal that she had. It isn’t without its tribulations though. With so many eyes on her platform, there is no doubt that almost every aspect of her life will be under the microscope, and that includes her love life.
That was perhaps her one regret when navigating social media. After a relationship had ended, eagle-eyed netizens were quick to notice the absence of her then-boyfriend, which made for some awkward questioning. Now she has learned from the experience and stays strictly private about her romantic relationships, only intending to announce it when she gets engaged.
You’ll find much of what you can find on her social media is all about the cool things that Hazelle is involved with. While being a radio host may be her main job, she keeps herself occupied with many activities, with her most recent endeavour being a music video for Chinese New Year – 哎哟大过年的你 不要那么LAZY.
哎哟大过年的你 不要那么LAZY is the second time she has made an MV for Chinese New Year, the first being the dragon-themed SING A 龙 Dance A 龙. Describing them as her passion projects, Hazelle noted how much fear she had when producing them considering how daunting it was to make a video with that high-level of production—getting the crew together, setting up the lighting and sound, among other things. But both experiences were something that she does not regret doing.
“Of course both times I still ended up having to take money out of my own pocket to fund my own passion project, but that’s ok because I got a lot out of it. Including new friends, a very happy happy journey, and many takeaways,” Hazelle enthused.
So what’s next for Hazelle Teo? Coming up is the Star Awards in April, where she will most certainly be up for an award. Beyond that, perhaps another song from her? Given how active she is, there is a definite chance that she might release a single in 2025.
But at the end of it all, Hazelle Teo still goes back to what she loves the most – hosting. It’s the medium that she resonates especially with, calling it “an artform in of itself”. It’s why she’s keen to learn from her contemporaries and create her own identity. And given how many people perk up when she lights up the airwaves at 4pm in the late afternoon, Hazelle has certainly done so.
Hear from Hazelle herself!
This was just a quick glimpse of Hazelle Teo’s journey! Wanna hear more tidbits about the radio scene from Hazelle? Watch the full episode on the Passion Pursuits YouTube channel, where we follow her along her day as a radio host.
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Cover Photo by Passion Pursuits.
