Radio Queen

DJ Germaine Leonora Tan shares how she came to rule the airwaves, touching the hearts of her listeners with an air of authenticity

- Adriel Chiun

With a voice that is as smooth as the glide of molten butter on warm toast, radio DJ Germaine Leonora Tan is an aural delight both on and off air. In the past decade or so, the 987FM DJ has carved a niche for herself to become one of Singapore’s most celebrated jocks, with close to 42,000 followers on Instagram.

Beyond the airwaves, the Nanyang Technological University alumna’s story is one of intense passion—and perhaps a business acumen inherited from her entrepreneur parents, Vincent Tan and Josephine Teo, who are in the business of retail and electronic manufacturing. Her love of radio was first ignited in 2015, when she placed third in the 987 Radio Star competition organised by Mediacorp. While she did not end up getting a job at Singapore’s number one hit music station, it opened doors for her at Class 95, another radio station under Mediacorp.