Roll out the red carpet. The artiste is returning to the small screen, writes Syahirah Mokhtazar
“I NEVER really left the industry.
A lot of my fans thought that I have disappeared but that’s not true,” said popular TV host Sarimah Ibrahim, 38.
Prior to hosting the recent Anugerah Juara Lagu (AJL31) last month and Anugerah Skrin last year, the Malay-Irish artiste was fully committed to English-speaking jobs.
“For 30 years, I was doing the morning show on radio stations Red FM and Mix FM. My life was dedicated to waking up at 4.30 am and sleeping at 9pm.
“So my Malay fans kept asking what I was doing because they didn’t see me on TV. After my stint with the radio stations, I landed a hosting gig on ntv7’s women lifestyle talkshow Bella from 2015 to mid-last year.
“It was a good five years of doing all things in English,” she said. But she will be making a comeback to the Malay scene.
Sarimah will host her own talk-show (in Malay of course) called Sarimah Show on TV3, which will premiere on March 5 at 11pm.
The affable host has been appearing in short, cheeky commercials, teasing viewers on what’s #comingsoon.
On what her husband Tunku Nadzimuddin Tunku Mudzaffar thinks of her comeback, she said: “Oh he’s just super glad I’m not doing radio anymore, knowing I can now wake up at normal hours instead of 4.30am, haha!”
So does this mean she won’t be returning to radio in the future?
“Should an opportunity fall on my lap again, I wouldn’t say ‘no’, but it does require full-time commitment. So at this moment, I am more inclined towards being a TV presenter.”
BEYOND EXCITED
“After 20 years in this industry, I’m honoured and surprised that I still have the support from everyone to further my career. But I’m nervous and excited as well! It’s not easy to land a show with your name in the title,” she added.
Viewers will get to watch Sarimah engage with guests — both local and regional celebrities and people from all walks of life.
“This is a feel-good kind of late night talkshow. It’s not one of those gossip shows where you talk about people caught in rumour mills.
“We approach interviews from a different and more positive angle. For example, I will talk to celebrities to discover a different side of them and find out what they’re like as individuals.
“It has a similar vibe to what Ellen Degeneres brings to her show. There will be plenty of audience interaction in this hour-long show.
“I definitely miss hosting. When TV3 approached me to host ASK 2016 last year, I was elated.
“The day after the event, it called me to host AJL 31. I said ‘of course!’. The last time I hosted AJL was 12 years ago.
“But it was quite easy to get back into the groove — it’s like riding a bike. The only difference are the co-hosts. Back then it was with Najip Ali and Cheryl Samad.”
Sarimah co-hosted ASK 2016 with Alif Satar and worked with Awal Ashaari, Fara Fauzana and Fizi HotFM for AJL 31. She believes that bringing something unique to the table and good work ethics are key to a lasting career in any industry.
There will always be competition in the entertainment industry, with an influx of newcomers all trying to be the next best TV host or radio announcer.
But from her experience co-hosting ASK 2016 with Alif, she revealed that she likes working with younger individuals.
“They bring a different energy to the show. I may have different ideas and combining ideas makes for explosive entertainment,” said Sarimah, who loves going to the gym everyday.