Wes Malik: The Voice that Provokes Positivity in Minds

Saad Zulfiqar Posted On December 7, 2018

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On an evening, while driving back home from work, I got stuck in a traffic jam. Fed up of all those horns blasting from the cars around me, I decided to turn on the music. But at that time I felt like I was tired of listening to the same old collection I have. So I tuned into the radio instead. And there his voice came that sounded amazing and nothing like I have ever heard before. He sounded smooth and positive so I couldn’t resist listening to his show. When I looked at the frequency, it was 89 MHz. I was so occupied by his show that I didn’t even notice the time it took the road to get clear.

I went home and did a little research about this show. It turned out to be Rush Hour by Awais Malik, a.k.a Wes Malik. I am not a big fan of radio but I loved his show. So I decided to interview him about his voice and how he came to be a Radio Jockey. Although he is such a famous RJ, he was a very down-to-earth and mood uplifting kind of person. He was happy to answer my questions.

What inspired or motivated you to become RJ?

My love of music inspired me to become an RJ. I wasn’t able to buy music so the only way to access it when I was young was through the radio. I listened to a station called Montreal’s 980 Hits and I was a fan of the morning show host, Gary James.

In the late night on the weekends I would listen to live broadcasts of the American Top 40 with Casey Kasem which introduced me to a lot of brand new music. I idolized him. I’d record songs off the radio and then tape my intro before the song and send those cassettes to my cousins in Pakistan.

Have you worked on your voice or was it God gifted?

Since an early age people said I had a great voice, so Allah blessed me with what I have today, and I did work on my inflection, my pronunciation, and my enunciation of words. Singing lessons, working with Television, and Radio has really helped me develop my voice and the way I speak.

Can you tell us about your journey as RJ, Voice actor, and narrator?

It’s a long story. We’ll need a book to cover it. In brief, Voice Acting came first because I worked in the advertising industry. I joined Pakistans second FM channel started by the PBC Radio Pakistan and started an English show on FM101 in 1998. I left FM101 to join CityFM89 before it went on air, hosted the first Breakfast Show for 3 years, created a magazine-style show called Generation X for 80’s and 90’s pop culture and music, created and co-developed The Drive Thru, and then took over from the existing Rush Hour hosts and expanded it to a 3 hour evening drive-time show. I started my own studio in 2007, expanded it in 2014, and made the third one in 2018.

Congratulations on the 20^th anniversary as a voice actor and your 3^rd studio. What are your future plans? Are you going to continue being RJ or will you focus on your studio?

I will always be an RJ, and I will always be working on my studio. They both go hand in hand. The focus for 2019 is to narrate more audiobooks specifically autobiographies and fiction.

What is the best thing about being RJ according to you?

I love it. That’s the best thing. I love the music, I love the feeling of knowing the whole country is listening. I love introducing new music to you, I love talking to people on-air, I love making jokes and cracking puns on-air, I love being entertaining and spreading positivity. I have the biggest crush on what I do. I get high off of hitting the post, delivering the perfect link every time.

What do you enjoy the most, voice acting or performing on the radio?

I’m passionate about both and enjoy them equally, voice acting gives me the opportunity to sound the way I want, and performing on the radio gives me the opportunity to interact with the Constant Listener. Voice Acting is a little more permanent, while the radio is an ‘in the moment medium’. You’ll never hear today’s radio show again but you might watch the cartoon I starred in years from now.

What skills should a person have to be a successful RJ like you?

Great Storytelling Skills.
Broadcasting Systems and software skills.
A great voice.
A positive personality.
Oodles of confidence
Knowledge of music.
Ability to speak to absolutely no one at all.

Do you see the radio trend flourishing in Pakistan or will it vanish in the near future?

The radio trend is flourishing, the amount of channels represent a broad industry now which is run by excellent professionals and it is no way in any danger of vanishing.

Do you believe that the coming of social media websites has hindered the trend of radio?

In my personal opinion, the dependence on the radio for music exploration has diminished and the listening of radio was and is now more limited to the car only. Social media hasn’t hindered radio in the least, latest figures show as podcasting is reaching millions, radios reach is still powerful and growing worldwide in developing and underdeveloped countries.

Any advice for the youngsters who dream to be a Radio Jockey?

Come for the fun aspect, stay to work hard. There is a whole lot more that goes into radio than just speaking in front of a microphone. And in life, if anyone tells you can’t do something, make it your life’s mission to prove them wrong. That’s what I did.