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INSIDE STORY

Winning such a prestigious title means that the listeners out there are in massive numbers and it’s truly awesome

 

SHANE HERFT

MEET THE

MAN

BEHIND

THE

VOICE

“Believe it or not, I was actually an introvert when I was growing up,” says Kalvin as he sits with his leather jacket lazily draped over the table beside him, his elbows on the desk, chin on his fist and a smile so bright.

Shane Herft, better known as ‘Kalvin’ on daytime radio, gets candid about his life before becoming a radio presenter.

“You could say I was a walking contradiction,” he acknowledges, jovially. “I loved the idea of public speaking and acting, but hated and shied away from the thought of doing it in public to an audience that could see me,” he reveals.

The 22-year-old is an old Peterite and was recently named Radio Personality of the Year – a title he won competing against some of Sri Lanka’s most popular presenters in Living’s social media survey.

This friendly lad isn’t the least bit haughty despite winning such an accolade; on the contrary he is humble, friendly and jovial – he even cracks jokes at his own expense. Shane is the typical boy next door.

As for winning Living’s title, the young radio host smiles and shrugs self-consciously: “It means a lot to me and I feel extremely honoured. In radio, you don’t realise how many people are listening because you can’t see them. So winning such a prestigious title means that the listeners out there are in massive numbers and it’s truly awesome.”

So who is Kalvin?

Ashwini Vethakan sits down with Sri Lanka’s favourite radio presenter to ask him about his favourites, dreams and ambitions in a tête-à-tête that sheds light on the man behind the voice.

parallax background

Winning such a prestigious title means that the listeners out there are in massive numbers and it’s truly awesome

 

SHANE HERFT

MEET THE

MAN

BEHIND

THE

VOICE

 

The most embarrassing moment on air was when I forgot my own name at one point

 

ON THE AIRWAVES

STRANGEST REQUESTS OR CALLS WHILE ON AIR
There was one person who wanted me to give this ‘shout out’ to his spouse: ‘Beef rice.’ Saying that nickname on air was pretty uncomfortable.

YOUR PREFERRED GENRES TO PLAY ON AIR
Anything from the early 2000s onwards.

SONGS YOU HATE AND AVOID PLAYING
Music by BTS – I don’t hate all of it and sometimes, even vibe with some of their songs. But I only play their music because there are so many requests.

MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT ON AIR
The most embarrassing moment on air was when I forgot my own name at one point. I swear those two split seconds felt like an eternity!

HAVE YOU EVER FORGOTTEN HOW TO PRONOUNCE A NAME ON AIR? IF SO, HOW BAD WAS IT?
I struggle when it comes to Spanish song titles and I’ve had my fair share of mispronounced song titles on air. Let’s say I probably invented a new Spanish song at some point!

 
Shane-Herft-living-magazine-inside-story-Kalvin-6

DIGGING DEEP

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
I’m a lover of life – a person who doesn’t mind taking the time to stop and smell the flowers once in a while. The way I see it, life is something that should be lived to the best of one’s ability and of course, one needs to share happiness with others as well.

MOST UNFORGETTABLE MEMORY
Any time I spent with my grandpa.

HOW COME?
I’ve always shared a very close bond with my grand­father. I don’t really know why I gravitated to him more than anyone else. He’s always been one of those cool grandads that you could brag about.

YOUR BEST MEMORIES OF TIME WITH YOUR GRANDFATHER
One of my best memories of him was when I was in the nursery. When stage fright got the better of me during a play, he took me aside and said: “Whatever you do, do it with the heart of a warrior.”
His words resulted in me getting my first tattoo above my heart, which reads Laoch – meaning ‘warrior’ in Irish.

THINGS YOU’VE LEARNED BY WORKING IN RADIO
I’ve learnt speaking skills because I can’t afford to say everything that pops into my head! Patience is another – I was a bit of a hothead before my career in radio.

MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT SO FAR
When I met my girlfriend for the first time before we started dating, I stepped on her foot while we danced.

THE ‘BEST’ MISTAKE YOU’VE EVER MADE
Starting to work at a young age. There was a point when I thought I’d never make it because of how young I was and my inexperience. But I guess I’ve done pretty well for the past couple of years.

YOUR PURPOSE IN LIFE
To be content with what I have and start a family soon.

BEST ADVICE YOU’VE RECEIVED
Everything is going to be alright; maybe not today or tomorrow but eventually.

YOURSELF IN THE NEXT 20 YEARS
I like to think I’d still be in radio – perhaps working in production or writing music. I would also like to have my own family by then.


ABOUT KALVIN

DATE OF BIRTH
20 August 1998

EDUCATION
St. Peter’s College

FAMILY MEMBERS
Dad (Shirley)
Mom (Deepthi)

HOBBIES
Reading
Writing
Sketching

ALWAYS WANTED TO BE
A singer

AMBITION
To live a full life

LOVES
Family
Girlfriend (Rishnee)
Cake

HATES
Arrogance
Homophobia
Disrespectfulness

PET PEEVES
People who talk over each other
Rude people
Bullies

MUST-HAVE THINGS
Book
Phone
Wristwatch

ROLE MODEL
YouTuber Seán McLoughlin – “I’ve been watching him since my pre-radio days and always admired his life story. He started at the bottom with nothing and made it to the top as ‘somebody.’

MOTTO IN LIFE
Show more love

 

 

COMPLETE THESE
SENTENCES

When I dance, I look like something I don’t want to see on a videotape.

If I were a superhero, my superpower would be healing.

The actor who would play me in the movie of my life would be Eddie Redmayne. I relate to him a lot for some reason.

What I notice first when I meet someone is their hair.

I recently laughed out loud when someone commented on my weight.

You know it’s going to be a bad day when the first part of your work for that day goes downhill.

I’m saddened when there’s no cake.

Social media should be used carefully.

One change I would like to see in Sri Lankan radio is a bigger spotlight being placed on its radio personalities.

KALVIN’S FAVOURITES

COLOURS
Black

Navy blue
White

COMIC BOOK HEROES
Spider-Man
Iron Man
Batman

FAVOURITEMOVIES
Spider-Man
Harry Potter
The Notebook

FAVOURITE TV SHOWS
Friends
Lucifer
The Simpsons

INTERNATIONALMUSICIANS
Justin Bieber
Harry Styles
Ed Sheeran

SRI LANKAN MUSICIANS
Daddy
Doctor
BNS

RADIO PERSONALITIES
K-Dee
Kelly Summer and Kody Style
Kris Fade
Nick Grimshaw
Ryan Seacrest

 

RECENT SONGS
Confirmation – by Justin Bieber
Lights Up – by Harry Styles
Slow Dancing in a Burning Room – by John Mayer

PAST SONGS
Can’t Help Falling in Love – by Elvis Presley
Ring of Fire – by Johnny Cash
I Want to Break Free – by Queen

DAYS OF THE WEEK
Friday
Saturday

TRAVELHOTSPOTS
Hikkaduwa
Dickwella
Mirissa

CUISINE
Italian
Sri Lankan
French

BRANDS
Saint Laurent
Tom Ford
Givenchy

GLOBAL ICONS
J. K. Rowling
Elon Musk
Steve Jobs


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