Biography
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Jojo
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Growing Up
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EthnicityIt used to bother me that I knew what my mother’s ethnicity was (Cantonese Scottish) but I couldn’t be sure about my father’s because he really is mixed. Apparently, Dad has Dutch, French, Portuguese and Chinese blood (and though we don’t know it for sure, maybe some Indonesian due to his Dutch ancestry) So go figure! There’s hardly a point even explaining all this but people always ask anyway so for the record it’s safe to say I’m a pretty mixed up kid! However, our outer appearance is not as important as what we carry within us. |
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As An AtheleteI grew up in Singapore and I was quite hyper active as a child so it’s a good thing I was on the running squad in school. At least all that energy could productively go somewhere. I was training 5 times a week. Doing as many sit ups as men in the army even for warm ups! It was pretty hard core being an athelete but it all paid off. I ended up getting national medals in x country and track and field for 3 solid years. |
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As A DancerIn between tuition, running training, ten pin bowling tournaments for kids, and skateboarding with friends in my neighbourhood, I had ballet and tap dancing classes every week. At some point, I also learnt traditional Hawaiian (hula dancing). I think dancing is in my blood. Just love it. |
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An Enquiring MindI always asked a lot of questions as a kid. My parents couldn’t shut me up because I talked so much (needless to say they were not surprised I became a radio dj in later years). I also write poems (yes, yes I’m a sentimental soul) |
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As A DaughterMum is the person or friend I call if something is bothering me in my inner world. And she always has time for her kids. She’s always there like a caring constant. Dad is someone who’s given me excellent advice all my life and is the first person I call for any issues in my outer world like my work or career. I am truly blessed to have such supportive parents and even though I don’t see my 2 older sisters very much because we live in different countries, we are all in touch with each other’s lives. |
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Life After UniversityWhen I was done with my business degree at Curtin University in Perth, I returned to Singapore and started post graduate studies in marketing as well as units in psychology by correspondence. Since I was still a student, modeling was great pocket money. It became a passport for me to travel so I love the fact that I got to explore different markets, different cultures. I met so many interesting people on my travels. I would spend months at a time in Bangkok (I learnt some Thai), Taiwan, Hong Kong, KL, even England (where I shot a reality series). I never thought all this would become a job but one thing led to another and I just went with the flow. Sometimes, you almost have to because you can’t plan everything in life And since modeling was a short term thing you can only do while you’re young I figured, why not? It eventually led to acting, tv hosting and producing. |
Rhythm Tapper
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I’ve been tapping since I was 8 or 9. Tap has its own language and it really trains you in rhythm. It’s also such a great workout (especially the more advanced toe stands etc) believe me, you can start sweating in minutes! It’s like being on a treadmill. It’s also such a unique dance form because it’s audio as well as visual. I studied the American syllabus in Singapore and several units from the New York Academy. I love jamming with drummers. It makes such an interesting and funky fusion. I have performed with the Aseana Percussion Unit and several different drummers for launches (Opening of Old Parliament House in Singapore with world class Flamenco dancer from Strictly Ballroom and Mission Impossible, Adidas World Cup, Intel, Malaysian International Aerospace, DMec, Asia’s largest document/content expo etc etc) Sometimes, I emcee an event and end up doing the opening gambit in tap. Really fun!  |
Being a Radio Deejay
After being a talk show host, I thought joining MIX fm would be easy. You just talk right? Well, no. For starters, I wasn’t prepared for the “technicals”. You have to work the panel, edit callers in between songs which can make your heart race because you need to get it all done in time. You’re dealing with rows and rows of blinking lights and 3 computer screens. Oh my goodness, it’s like Star Trek in there. So many buttons! So in the beginning, I was freaked out by how much I needed to learn just to work the system on my own. Once I got past that, I was really starting to enjoy myself. I was on the night shift for a year with most of my content revolving around celebrity news. It was a really good experience. It’s very different from being on TV. You rely on your voice to convey every nuance in emotion. Radio is such a personal medium and I learnt a completely different set of skills while I was there so no regrets. Radio also offered me structure since I had to be somewhere every day and unfailingly on time. After a year, I missed my nights and it was becoming too difficult to juggle my TV work so I decided to leave. However, I am continuiing to contribute content to MIX fm in the way of health/empowerment messages which air daily.
Twitter: jojo_struys