Jovan Emmanuel Moonsamy's "big break" recently arrived when he joined the Lotus FM team, hosting the station's club-themed show, The Dance Lab, on Saturday from 9pm to midnight.
“It has always been a dream to make it on national radio. My advice to those who want to pursue a career in entertainment is to take to social media as soon as possible. Look at those who are where you want to be. Ask yourself 'what are they doing right that I’m not doing?' Sometimes we can learn a lot by just observing," said Moonsamy, a DJ and creditors clerk.
The 29-year-old, of Merebank, known as ‘The Quick Fixx’, has nine years of experience behind the decks.
He was raised in Merebank and said he had a passion for singing and dancing since age two.
“My mum says I could sing before I could talk. I'm not much of a singer now even though I try from time to time. But as a kid, I really thought I was going to become like one of those dancers in the movie Step Up when I got older. My passion for dance is what led me deeper into music. I was brought up going to church four to five times a week and the church stage was my first public performance platform."
Moonsamy said he had also monetised music from as young as 10.
"I started selling CDs at school. Everyone knew I had the best and latest music as soon as it was released. I did this up to matric and made some good cash on the side from it."
But a "more formal" education beckoned.
"I wanted to be a chemical engineer. I loved chemistry and used to top the class in it. But to study chemical engineering you had to have all As on your report. I didn't meet the requirement and went into civil engineering, so I could easily switch to chemical engineering after a year with the points I attained.
"My two brothers are both qualified engineers and I was in line to complete the trio. I was studying civil engineering and completed the first year but I didn't complete the degree because funds were a bit low and I had to get a job.
"The plan was to start working and to continue with my studies. I started working in finance and after about two years, I decided to switch and study finance instead. I've halfway completed my Bcom degree in financial management.”
While this was happening, his DJ career was growing, so he had no time to complete the degree.
“I'm glad it has come to this. I can't see myself doing anything other than entertainment. It's my greatest passion and it's a blessing to be in a career that I love."
From small gigs, he said he kept growing and learning over the years.
"It was only when I took to social media that my brand grew. I started doing Facebook Live streams in 2021, which did quite well, but my DJ career took off when I moved to TikTok."
He said he managed to land sponsorship deals and headliner slots at clubs and events.
“Some of the personalities I've been associated with included Deejay Nivaadh Singh; one of Trinidad's biggest artists, Rick Ram; Neal Rain; and DJ Tira."
Moonsamy said character development had helped boost his confidence.
“Dr Jordan Peterson, a Canadian clinical psychologist on YouTube, helped me understand how things work in the world, how people think, why people do the things they do, etc. It may sound completely unrelated to some, but when you’re in entertainment, understanding and building great relations is fundamental, and Peterson's guidance has taken my confidence and articulation to another level.”
He said the sky was the limit when it came to where he wanted to get with his career.
“I didn't think my career would even get to the level it has right now. I just kept pushing and let the world decide where I stand. I think the best approach I can have to this industry is to keep striving for greater heights. Hard work will always come with a reward.
"I look forward to finding out the potential of each of my talents. Performing at Ultra or Tomorrowland, acting, modelling, social media influencing, motivational speaking, and making my own music are just some of the things that come to mind when I think of my goals.”