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Sonia Chew

Sonia Chew (born 28 December 1991) is a Singaporean host and radio presenter with 987FM. Sonia kickstarted her radio career in 2012 when she won the 987 Radio Star competition during which Rosalyn Lee was her mentor.[1] Since then, she has opened a restaurant-bar[2] on top of hosting numerous programmes and events over the years. As of May 2020, Sonia has 140,000 followers on Instagram.

Sonia Chew
Sonia Chew.jpg
Born28 December 1991
EducationDiploma in Film and Media Studies, Degree in Creative Producing
Alma materSt Anthony's Canossian Secondary School, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Chapman University Singapore (Dodge College of Film and Media Arts)
Years active2012 - present day
Partner(s)Jeremy Sng

Background  

Early life & family

Sonia was born on 28 December 1991 as an only child to Carolina Wu[3] and a father who worked as a video producer.[4] In an interview with T Singapore, Sonia shared that she had a variety of childhood dream jobs ranging from being a Singapore Airlines air stewardess to a lawyer - none of which however, was a career in radio.[5]

Education

An alumnus of St Anthony's Canossian Secondary School, Sonia furthered her studies at Ngee Ann Polytechnic after scoring eight points for her GCE O Level examinations.[6] She entered the 987 Radio Star competition during her university years at Chapman University Singapore's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts.[7] Sonia completed her university education despite juggling a part-time radio gig in her final year of studies, graduating with a degree in Creative Producing.[8]

Early career - Financial news reporter

Before her career as a radio presenter, Sonia worked at CNBC where she reported on financial news.[9]

Personal advocacy

Sonia has championed several social causes. In 2018, she was a part of the Samaritans of Singapore’s (SOS) #ThroughTheNight social media campaign. The campaign was run alongside Suicide Prevention Week. As a part of the campaign, Sonia publicly revealed that she once faced anxiety and paranoia that had led to bouts of insomnia.[10] That same year, Sonia joined several local personalities for the #LifeBeyondGrades campaign. The campaign reminds Singaporean students and parents that future success is not solely determined by grades on a report card.[11]

Radio (2012 - present day)

 
Rozz and Sonia pictured in 2019 for T Singapore. Photo credit to Tung Pham/T Singapore.

987FM - Radio presenter

Sonia joined 987FM as a contracted radio presenter after winning the 987 Radio Star 2012 competition under the mentorship of Rosalyn Lee (Rozz).[12][13] As of August 2019, she co-hosts The Shock Circuit from 4 PM to 8 PM daily with Joakim Gomez. Before The Shock Circuit, Sonia hosted a weekday morning show called The Bright-Side from 6 AM to 10 AM.[14]

Businesses

 
The entrance of IZY FOOK. Photo from IZY FOOK's FB Page.

IZY FOOK (2019) - Co-founder

IZY FOOK is a restaurant-bar modelled after a Japanese Izakaya. Sonia started up the restaurant-bar with the owners of Roast Paradise - a roast meat stall located at Old Airport Road Food Centre. The partnership was driven by a mission to protect Singapore's hawker culture while creating a "cool new hangout spot".[15] Among traditional bar bites, IZY FOOK also serves Singaporean hawker dishes such as Prawn Mee Pok and Salted Egg Chicken Wings.[16] IZY FOOK is Sonia's first venture into the food and beverage industry in Singapore.[17]

Hosting

Television & web series

Sonia was the host of the Toggle travel series Travel SSBD, a show where she had been sent overseas without a planned itinerary.[18] The fourteen-part series debuted on 26 August 2015 and won a bronze medal in the online entertainment category for the 2017 New York Festivals TV and Film Awards.[19] Apart from the award-winning series, Sonia has hosted a variety of television programmes and web shows since 2013.

 
Sonia in Jakarta for the Toggle web series Travel SSBD.
Year Company Character / Role Television Programme Refs.
2018 Channel 5 Host National Science Challenge 2018 & 2017 [20]
Toggle Video Host TravelSSBD Special Edition [21]
Channel 5 Host In My Backyard [22]
Toggle Originals Cast (Penny Wee) Trendsetters [23]
2017 Toggle Host TravelSSBD Deluxe [24]
2016 Toggle Cast member TGI...WTF (Thank God It’s...Wed, Thu, Fri) [25]
Toggle Host Travel Bravely [26]
Okto Host Get Active SG [27]
Toggle Originals Cast (Mandy Ng) A Selfie’s Tale -
2015 Channel 5 Celebrity guest on Episode 12 Body And Soul S3 -
Toggle Host Travel SSBD (Same Same, But Different) -
2013 Toggle Host 8 Days Shirtless Guy Search 2013 -
 
Sonia was the host for National Science Challenge 2017 and 2018.

Events[28]

 
Sonia co-hosted the 2018 Countdown show with Chua En Lai.
Year Event Organiser Refs.
2018 Let’s Celebrate 2019 Mediacorp [29]
Fenty Beauty’s first anniversary at Sephora Sephora [30]
Montblanc’s 1858 collection launch event Montblanc [31]
MAC X SONIA Makeup Party Mac cosmetics [32]
WestGate Sephora opening Sephora [33]
2017 Clarke Quay - A Wander Soireé: Countdown by the Quay Clarke Quay [34]
Standard Chartered Marathon Standard Chartered [35]
2016 Mediacorp New Campus Opening Red Carpet Mediacorp -
Ion Orchard Mac cosmetics store opening Mac Cosmetics [36]
2015 2016 Countdown Mediacorp -
Clarisonic Launch at Sephora Sephora -
Benefit It’s Real launch event at Red Dot Museum Benefit Cosmetics -
Puma Night Run 2015 Puma -
3CE launch event at Sephora featuring Park Sora Sephora -
Too Faced Lip Mafia event at Sephora featuring PearyPie Sephora -
Guess Girl Model Search 2015 Guess -
FURLA store opening at Marina Bay Sands FURLA -
Heineken Cities Festival 2015 Heineken -
National University Rag and Flag Day 2015 National University Singapore -
Skechers x Sistar launch event at Ion Orchard Skechers -
Sloggi Undercover Summer Pop Up Events at Robinsons Orchard Sloggi -
Adidas x Sole Superior launch event at Zouk Singapore Adidas x Sole Superior -
KPMG Halloween Bash 2015 at Zouk Singapore KPMG Singapore -
Timberland’s 42nd Anniversary Event 2015 Timberland -
2014 Watson’s Media Product Launch 2014 Watson -
Sephora Beauty Night Out 2014 Sephora -
Poh Heng Hello Kitty Collection Launch Poh Heng -
AAPE Streetball Jam 2014 AAPE -
Disney Tsum Tsum Collection Launch by I.T Singapore I.T Singapore -
Maison Martin Margiela (MM6) Collection Launch MM6 Maison Margiela -
Localicious Roadshows MediacorpChannel 5 -
2013 Celio's Consumer Event Celio -
OCBC Cycle Singapore OCBC -
8 Days Eat launch Clarke Quay roadshow 8 Days -
2012 Race Me to the Stars Mediacorp -
Standard Chartered Marathon Standard Chartered -

References / Citations

  1. ↑ Kee, Lynette. "Rosalyn Lee and Sonia Chew Tell Us How They Adapt and Cope Under Pressure". The New York Times Style Magazine: Singapore. July 12, 2019. Accessed on 5 August 2019.
  2. ↑ Yip Jieying. "987FM DJ Sonia Chew Opens Mod Singaporean Izakaya Selling Atas Mee Pok". TODAY. June 14, 2019. Accessed on 5 August 2019.
  3. ↑ momma_chew. Instagram. Accessed on 12 May 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.instagram.com/momma_chew/
  4. ↑ Wong, Phin. "A history of resilience: Sonia Chew says do not underestimate millennials". CNA Luxury. Accessed on 12 May 2020.
  5. ↑ Kee, Lynette. "Rosalyn Lee and Sonia Chew Tell Us How They Adapt and Cope Under Pressure". The New York Times Style Magazine: Singapore. July 12, 2019. Accessed on 5 August 2019.
  6. ↑ Wong, Phin. "A history of resilience: Sonia Chew says do not underestimate millennials". CNA Luxury. Accessed on 12 May 2020.
  7. ↑ Tong, Elizabeth. “Beauty tips by 987FM DJ Sonia Chew”. Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore. March 16, 2018. Accessed on 8 May 2019.
  8. ↑ Kee, Lynette. "Rosalyn Lee and Sonia Chew Tell Us How They Adapt and Cope Under Pressure". The New York Times Style Magazine: Singapore. July 12, 2019. Accessed on 5 August 2019.
  9. ↑ “KOPI WITH SONIA CHEW”. Solidspace. September 10, 2016. Accessed on 8 May 2019.
  10. ↑ “Send an SOS via social media: #ThroughTheNight campaign to reach out to at-risk youth”. Today Online. September 11, 2018. Accessed on 8 May 2019.
  11. ↑ Tan, Celine. “Would You Share Your PSLE Score On Social Media? These Celebs Did”. Today Online. September 15, 2018. Accessed on 8 May 2019.
  12. ↑ "Chapman Singapore Senior Wins "Radio Star of the Year". Chapman University, Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. October 3, 2012. Accessed on 5 August 2019.
  13. ↑ Kee, Lynette. "Rosalyn Lee and Sonia Chew Tell Us How They Adapt and Cope Under Pressure". The New York Times Style Magazine: Singapore. July 12, 2019. Accessed on 5 August 2019.
  14. ↑ 987FM. Facebook. February 25, 2015. Accessed on 5 August 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/987fm/photos/a.10150633551112029/10152740980372029/?type=1&theater
  15. ↑ Lim, Chantelle. "Singaporean Izakaya IZY FOOK (一起福) Takes Food To A Whole New Experience". STYLEGUIDE. June 20, 2019. Accessed on 5 August 2019.
  16. ↑ Yip Jieying. "987FM DJ Sonia Chew Opens Mod Singaporean Izakaya Selling Atas Mee Pok". TODAY. June 14, 2019. Accessed on 5 August 2019.
  17. ↑ Lim, Chantelle. "Singaporean Izakaya IZY FOOK (一起福) Takes Food To A Whole New Experience". STYLEGUIDE. June 20, 2019. Accessed on 5 August 2019.
  18. ↑ “Travel SSBD”. Toggle. Accessed on 8 May 2019.
  19. ↑ "Mediacorp bags 12 awards at New York Festivals Awards". Channel News Asia. May 3, 2017. Accessed on 6 August 2019.
  20. ↑ “National Science Challenge 2018”. Toggle. Accessed on 8 May 2019.
  21. ↑ “Travel SSBD Special Edition Episode 1”. Toggle. Accessed on 8 May 2019.
  22. ↑ “In My Backyard”. Toggle. Accessed on 8 May 2019.
  23. ↑ “Trendsetters”. Toggle. Accessed on 8 May 2019.
  24. ↑ “Travel SSBD deluxe”. Toggle. Accessed on 8 May 2019.
  25. ↑ “TGI...WTF (Thank God It’s...Wed, Thu, Fri”. Toggle. Accessed on 8 May 2019.
  26. ↑ “Travel SSBD Travel Bravely”. Toggle. Accessed on 8 May 2019.
  27. ↑ “Get Active Singapore”. Toggle. Accessed on 8 May 2019.
  28. ↑ “Sonia Chew”. Toggle. Accessed on 8 May 2019. Retrieved from: https://celebs.toggle.sg/en/celebs/the-celebrities/female/sonia-chew-6145870
  29. ↑ “Marina Bay Singapore Countdown 2019 - Let’s Celebrate 2019”. Eventfinda. Accessed on 8 May 2019.
  30. ↑ Chew, Sonia. “Chillin with my boo…”. Facebook. October 1, 2018. Accessed on 8 May 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/SoniaChew987/photos/a.601754083199187/2275997685774810/?type=3&theater
  31. ↑ Chew, Sonia.  “Had a killaaaa time…”. Facebook. June 25, 2018. Accessed on 8 May 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/SoniaChew987/photos/pcb.2089933957714518/2089933821047865/?type=3&theater
  32. ↑ Chew, Sonia. “What an incredible turn out…”. Facebook. May 21, 2018. Accessed on 8 May 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/SoniaChew987/videos/2035953079779273/
  33. ↑ Chew, Sonia. “I always have the most..”. Facebook. January 30, 2018. Accessed on 8 May 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/SoniaChew987/photos/pcb.1882415711799678/1882415165133066/?type=3&theater
  34. ↑ "CLARKE QUAY - A WANDER SOIRÉE: COUNTDOWN BY THE QUAY". Mynewsdesk. November 23, 2017. Accessed on 17 October 2019.
  35. ↑ Chew, Sonia. “When else would you get…”. Facebook. December 3, 2017. Accessed on 8 May 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/SoniaChew987/photos/a.601754083199187/1805889682785615/?type=3&theater
  36. ↑ Chew, Sonia. “INSANE crowd at #MACIon’s…”. Facebook. December 16, 2016. Accessed on 8 May 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/SoniaChew987/videos/1303271939714061/
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