No one is one dimensional. Everyone has things they excel in, things they need to improve on. However, some are unusually multitalented, like news anchor Ivan Tai (戴靖航).
Ivan became a news anchor for RTM News three years ago on 29th September. However, he has also dabbled in acting, and he’s good at it. In fact, he recently got shortlisted for the New Artist Award (Artis Baharu MeleTOP) on Astro’s “MeleTOP Era Awards (Anugerah MeleTOP ERA 2021)”!
Ivan was shortlisted for the award thanks to his performance in “A.I in Love”, a Malay drama which was aired earlier this year. The 4-episode drama, starring Janna Nick, received tremendous praise after it was broadcasted. Aside from the plot and the show’s clever way of blending animation with reality, Ivan’s acting skills stood out enough that he was nominated for the award. He will be competing with 19 other artists for the title. However, he is notably the only local Chinese actor who was shortlisted.
Although Ivan ended up working as a news anchor, he has always been interested in acting. He joined a drama class at the age of 7 and majored in radio, television and film studies. “A.I in Love” is not his first work. He was also in the 2014 movie “River of Exploding Durians (榴梿忘返)”. “A.I in Love” however, is his first Malay drama. He was asked to take up a role in the drama when RTM started its filming last year.
Shortly after its broadcast, Ivan became very popular among the Malays who enjoyed his performance. The number of followers on his social media shot up and he received interviews from major Malay and English media. Ivan once mentioned that he was recognised on the street although he was wearing a face mask.
His nomination was a pleasant surprise and Ivan took to Facebook to express his joy. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been on TV as an ‘actor’ and this show is also my first Malay (drama) so it’s a pleasure to be shortlisted,” he wrote. Ivan also announced that this is not the only nomination he was celebrating. “A.I in Love” had also been shortlisted for the best “Drama MeleTop” award. “I should be too happy to sleep tonight,” he joked.
MeleTop and ERA radio, the two programs in charge of the awards, will be announcing their finalists on 5th October. Until then, the audience can vote for their favourite finalists in hopes of helping them win. Voting began on 5th October and will continue till 19th November, 6pm sharp.
To be nominated for such an award is a real honour, so we can definitely understand Ivan’s joy and celebrate with him. Congrats on the nomination, Ivan! We hope you’ll win!
