Megan Tan, the former host of 8TV Quickie is now going places with the new travel show, G Travel which is being aired on the new Astro channel 737 GOASEAN. Watching her speak in such a bubbly manner, one would find it hard to believe that she was a very shy kid when growing up.

In fact, Megan’s parents were quite worried at one point as she was so quiet and would only speak when spoken to. So, how did she come out of her shell? “My dad sent me to an English tuition class which encouraged poetry and drama. And then, I became involved in storytelling and debate. I even hosted the TV2 show Golden Kids Club when I was 10 years old. Slowly, bit by bit my personality sort of came out as I grew up.”

Winning the audition

When Megan won the 8TV Quickie audition for a co-host in 2010, life took a 180° turn for her. She was in her final year of studies doing psychology and communication at SEGi College. “That was their first ever open audition. Coincidentally, my dad contributed a lot to that win, my career and who I am today because he was the one who heard about the audition on the radio and told me to try it out.”

So, she went for the audition, queued up with hundreds of people, waited in line for her turn and did her best. “When I got the call and was told that I was among the top six contestants, I was beyond ecstatic and really happy! After that, we went through a series of assignments and then, I got the job. And I won the competition alongside Naqib [Naqib Nadhir Shamsuri].”

And that pretty much started Megan’s career although in the beginning, she thought of it as a hobby. She was still studying and had plans of taking up Masters of Psychology because she was always interested in child psychology and media as well.

Career options

Megan loves hosting various TV shows. “TV hosting was my first love. I always call it a blessing – I guess I was at the right place at the right time. I never thought I would be doing this.” She also discovered her true self along the way and grew from being a college student into a working adult.

Interestingly, Megan wanted to be a doctor during her high school days. However, watching a documentary on a caesarean surgery changed her mind! So, she explored other options and decided to take up psychology. “I have always been fascinated with people’s behaviour and why they act in a certain way. I have been told I’m quite an understanding person and I have a huge amount of patience with people and I am able to empathize a lot. I have an older sister who comes to me for advice.”

Megan believes she can definitely apply her knowledge of psychology in the future regardless of what her career will be. She also thinks it will be great to help children with disabilities and special needs. Being a positive person, Megan chose to surround herself with people who are more positive.

In 2011, Megan was selected to play the lead role in Sakura, a Malaysian telemovie on TV3. “I was very fortunate to be selected because the director was looking for a non-Malay and she took a chance with me which I am very thankful for. The character was half-Japanese and half-Malaysian so I guess she needed someone who looked the part to play the role.”

Megan learnt a lot from that experience because prior to that she never knew what acting was like. “It was very challenging for me because it was my first ever acting gig.” Her role involved a lot of crying and intense scenes and was emotionally challenging.

However, Megan says it was a good experience. “I’m always up for a challenge so that made me love acting as well. As a TV host, I get to be myself but with acting I get to explore different sides of who I am and just to be someone else for a change.”

Megan also plays a supporting role in another Malay movie called Antara Satu, which features Remy Ishak and Bront Palarae as lead actors. Although showbiz is not something that Megan planned for, she counts the 8TV Quickie audition a blessing and everything has worked out for her since then.

Finding a balance

Megan confesses to be quite the planner when it comes to time management. She used to make her own timetable to divide time for rest, reading a book, homework, playtime, etc. “I think it just came naturally to me, an inborn character perhaps. I never really struggled with time management.”

Hence, she is able to find a balance when working. She handles events back to back during busy periods and when more relaxed, spends time with her family. “You need to prioritize at the end of the day and see what is more worthy of your time and then, do that.”

Megan loves to unwind at the end of the day by watching TV. She also loves the beach and island holidays. In contrast, she also loves to visit cities. “Every year I try to take off for 2 weeks. Last year, I went to Gold Coast and Brisbane in Australia. It’s like a refresh button.”

To stay healthy while on the move, Megan has some basic habits – drinking a lot of water, exercising with the help of YouTube videos and sleeping for at least 6 to 8 hours a day. Although she indulges her sweet tooth with the occasional cake, chocolate and ice cream, she follows a healthy diet on a daily basis starting with cereal or a granola bar to kickstart her day. To stay youthful, she uses the basic beauty regimen – cleanse, tone and moisturize followed by applying sunblock.

Moving forward

Megan takes every new show and new project that she engages in as a new learning curve for her. She still feels like she has more to learn after being in showbiz for more than 5 years now. “I would say that this year, for instance, when I saw my name on the nomination list in the Anugerah Bintang Popular that was a wow moment for me. I’m just going to keep doing what I do and hopefully stay relevant and I’ll be able to do this for the rest of my life.”

Besides hosting TV shows and emceeing, Megan is in the midst of launching her lifestyle site that covers everything that she loves and believes in. “I hope to inspire people through this site by just spreading some positivity and the goodness in life.”

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