Joshua Simon (radio presenter)

Last updated

Joshua Simon
Born (1990-06-12) 12 June 1990 (age 32)
Singapore
Alma mater Ngee Ann Polytechnic
Occupations
  • Radio DJ
  • music artist

Joshua Simon (born 1990) is a radio presenter and music artist from Singapore. He currently presents the evening show on Kiss 92FM. He was previously a DJ on One FM 91.3 from 2012 to 2016. [1]

Biography

Born in Singapore, Joshua is of mixed ethnicity, having an Indian father and a Chinese mother. He studied film at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. In 2012, he joined Hot FM 91.3 (which was renamed One FM 91.3 in 2015). In 2016, he moved to Kiss 92FM, [2] where he presents the evening show, 'Josh's Goodnight Kiss'. [3]

Also a singer songwriter, he was one of 17 artists from around the world who sang on 20th Century Fox's official YouTubers' cover of the song 'This Is Me' from the movie The Greatest Showman , recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London in 2017. [4] A similar collaboration with 20th Century Fox happened the following year, Simon represented Singapore in a Queen Medley recorded at Metropolis Studios, London, in a marketing effort for Bohemian Rhapsody. [5]

In 2019, Joshua was set to give a talk at a TEDxYouth event on 29 June when he was asked by Singapore Polytechnic to remove and edit his speech's LGBTQ+ contents. In a statement released by Singapore Polytechnic, a spokesperson said that "certain parts [of the speech] relating to his sexuality might be inappropriate for the target audience." [6] Joshua decided to withdraw from the event, refusing to censor his talk and to set a precedence for future LGBTQ+ speakers. The incident sparked controversy and intensified conversations on LGBTQ+ discrimination in Singapore due to Section 377A of the Penal Code. Simon's speech was supposed to occur on the same day as Singapore's only pride gathering, the annual Pink Dot festival, where celebrations are contained to one area of the city. [7]

Joshua Simon released his debut album, Filthy. The 10-track record has been streamed over 150,000 times on Spotify and was hailed by local music publication, Bandwagon Asia, as "one of the best to come out of Singapore". [8] However, his debut album failed to make any impact on the charts.

In 2020, Simon released the iridescent anthem 'All I Wanna Do' amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. [9] "I believe this will be an exhale for every person who finds it. Recording this song has brought so much colour back into my life," said Joshua Simon. Reflecting on his past relationships, Joshua sings about his desires and fears of falling in love again. By the end of the track, he breaks this tension to find the joy he's been searching for, in himself. "This song is my attempt to turn a human moment into an emergency shot of optimism. I think we all need that right now, especially with what's going on around the world today," added Joshua. The song sports an early 2000s synth-pop sound, with deliberate callbacks in rhythmic delivery to Joshua's earliest music inspirations – Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and Madonna. [10]

In December the same year, he launched SG Boys, a podcast focusing on LGBT+ issues, with a journalist and a student as his co-hosts. Melanie C of the British girl group The Spice Girls and American singer Lauv were among celebrities who appeared on the programme as guests. "When you're denied a space, you're going to create your own space," Simon was quoted as saying on Reuters. [11]

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Gerald Koh, better known by his stage name Boy Thunder, is a Singaporean radio personality. He once worked as a radio host for Singapore-based music station Hot FM 91.3 and hosted the evening show Taking You Home with Adam Piperdy and Joshua Simon from 4 - 7.30pm. In June 2014, he joined rival station 987 and hosted the night show "Itchy Pyjamas" from 8pm to 12 midnight. Currently, he is hosting "Get Up", along with Kimberly Wang from 6am-10am every weekday.

Danny Yeo is a Singaporean host, theatre director, writer and lecturer. He has over a decade of experience in hosting TV, as well as being a former radio DJ, and writing books regarding topics such as culture, youth and psychology. He is also a World Vision goodwill ambassador in Singapore. In the year 2010, he was nominated for the "Best Director" award in The Straits Times' theatre awards.

Medalina "Maddy" Barber is a Singaporean radio presenter and former actress. She is currently the co-presenter of the breakfast show on Kiss 92FM together with Jason Johnson and Divian Nair, and was previously a presenter on Perfect Ten 98.7FM and Hot FM 91.3.

Arnold Gay is a radio presenter and former television presenter from Singapore. He is currently presenting the breakfast show on CNA938 together with Yasmin Jonkers from June 2019. He previously worked at Singapore radio stations Class 95FM, Power 98 FM and Kiss 92FM, and was a broadcast journalist at various TV stations including Channel NewsAsia, CNBC Asia, Bloomberg TV and Reuters TV.

Jason Francis Johnson is a radio presenter from Canada who had co-presented the breakfast show on Kiss 92FM in Singapore together with Maddy Barber and Divian Nair. He was previously a movie and music reviewer for the Singapore newspaper The New Paper.

Shan Wee is a radio presenter and media personality from Northern Ireland who presents the lunchtime show on Kiss 92FM in Singapore. He was previously a presenter on Singapore radio stations 987FM and One FM 91.3.

Caroline Jane "Carol" Smith is a radio presenter from Singapore. She currently co-presents the morning show on One FM 91.3 with Lavinia Tan. She was previously a presenter on Class 95FM from 2007 to 2011 and with Kiss92 from 2017 to 2022.

Jillian Kimberley "Jill" Lim is a radio presenter from Singapore. She was a DJ on Kiss 92FM morning show but had since been removed from the show and took up a new role in marketing as she announced on Instagram. She has since returned to presenting on Sunday mornings on Kiss92 as of February 2023. Prior to her current role, she was previously a presenter on One FM 91.3.

Darryl Ian Koshy, better known by his stage name Dee Kosh, is a Filipino-born Singaporean former YouTuber, radio and internet personality, actor and singer, who has been convicted on sex offender charges.

References

  1. ↑ When DJ Josh faces DJ Jill, The New Paper, 19 February 2016.
  2. ↑ Radio DJs who are singers and musicians in their own right, The Straits Times, 5 February 2017.
  3. ↑ Joshua Simon, Kiss92 FM, SPH Radio, retrieved 4 December 2017.
  4. ↑ Singaporean DJ Joshua Simon in multi-singer cover for musical film The Greatest Showman, The Straits Times, 17 November 2017.
  5. ↑ "Joshua Simon joins Jugs Jugueta, William Wei and more for Queen medley – watch". 23 October 2018.
  6. ↑ "Singapore Poly explains why TED talk by radio DJ Joshua Simon did not take place on Saturday". 3 July 2019.
  7. ↑ "Singaporean Radio DJ Exits Tedx Event After Requests to Cut LGBTQ Themes from Speech".
  8. ↑ "Thrillers: The 4 best albums of the year so far". 2 August 2019.
  9. ↑ "All I Wanna do – Joshua Simon on Hear65".
  10. ↑ "Joshua Simon Launches New Single "All I Wanna Do"". 24 April 2020.
  11. ↑ Foundation, Thomson Reuters. "Taboo-busting Singapore podcast gives gay men a voice". news.trust.org. Retrieved 26 December 2020.{{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
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