All ready to party

IT LOOKS like it’s going to be another party to remember as music lovers from around the region prepare to descend upon Sunway Resort City for the sixth annual MTV World Stage concert this Aug 16.

The MTV World Stage has been a defining regional music event, featuring the hottest local and international acts performing live for their adoring fans.

But no one is closer to the action both on- or off-stage than the two people who will be hosting the event, MTV VJs Alan Wong and Hanli Hoefer.

Both Alan and Hanli were recently in Malaysia to meet with fans and to promote the World Stage. They also found time to sit down with local media.

“It’s really exciting,” Hanli said. “Last year was our first World Stage together, so in coming back, it’s a different kind of energy and confidence because we know what to expect.”

Alan added: “KL really is like our second home, as [we’re up for] a lot of the music festivals that happen here, and for World Stage and media rounds. It’s so comfortable, and last year’s World Stage was so exciting.”

Just the day before, Hanli and Alan had visited several colleges in the Subang Jaya area.

The students were given challenges to complete – everything from answering simple questions to doing push-ups – and were rewarded with some of the first money-can’t-buy passes to this year’s event.

“It’s always really cool to meet anybody who considers him/herself a fan of MTV,” Alan said. “It’s so great to meet these fans and hear them talk back, as opposed to, you know, us talking to a camera.”

The two were also there to hype up Unlock #worldstagemy, the social media-based campaign where fans could unlock details about the event by sending out a certain number of tweets with the hashtag.

Within the first six hours of the campaign, fans had reached the target of 15,000 tweets and revealed the names of the first two artistes coming to perform on the World Stage – local songstress Yuna and K-Pop boyband Boys Republic.

“It was a really big success,” Hanli said. “It was the top trending topic in Malaysia and one of the top 10 trending topics in the world.”

Both Alan and Hanli said that more social media Unlock campaigns are planned for the future, and that they are looking forward to revealing who the other two performing World Stage acts will be.

Asked who their dream line-up for a World Stage concert would be, both hosts revealed their eclectic tastes in music.

Alan cited Michael Jackson, Boys II Men, Elvis Presley, Bob Marley and The Whalers while Hanli named The Beatles, Spice Girls, Jason Derulo and Iggy Azalea.

Besides the World Stage, the two are also working on their programme, The MTV Show, which is in its third season.

“We have two new segments,” Hanli said. “One, which I host, is called Say What?. We get influencers from around the region, [and] we get them to have a discussion about trending topics in their expertise.

“So, for example, you can have your favourite fashion blogger from Manila talking with a top model from Singapore based in New York, and we all do this on Google Hangout. It’s very conversational, like a gossip session.

“We feature it on TV, but we also upload the whole thing on our YouTube channel.

“At the same time, our guests can watch the Google Hangout and ask live questions. It’s very exciting.”

Alan has his own segment, called the Nice Guy Movie Review show, which he hosts as his alter-ego, Mr Nice Guy.

“It’s a different spin on movies,” Alan explained. “It’s a character that I play as a movie reviewer.

“[He] is just someone that loves to talk movies, but perhaps in a less nice way. He’s just a little sassy, and it’s an opportunity for me to have fun and talk incessantly about movies.”

To fans looking to get tickets to the World Stage, the two hosts are quick to list down the ways to do so.

“First of all, they have to stay tuned to our website (worldstage.mtvasia.com), and our Twitter and Instagram platforms,” Hanli said. “We’ll also be giving out passes on The MTV Show.”

Alan added: “Around June 16, there are going to be a bunch of games, platforms and contests for people to be able to win their tickets.

“Always stay peeled and aware. You never know when you might be gifted some passes!”