Behind the Mic with Collin Aglaé AKA Oriji   |19 September 2022

Collin ‘Oriji’ Aglaé

‘I have learnt that there is no such thing as a bad story, but bad storytellers’

Collin Aglaé, better known as Oriji, is a popular voice on Paradise FM radio, especially on his two hit shows ‘Chart Attack’ and ‘The Cruise’.

Seychelles NATION met up with Oriji who shares his love and passion for the radio.

Seychelles NATION: When did you start as a radio presenter and what pushed you to take up this career?

Oriji: I started working for Paradise FM on September 4, 2017 to be exact. So, it has been five years now. Since I was at school the thought of working with the radio crossed my mind for a while. But I was still trying to figure out like how one starts to work in this sector. At school nobody taught us how to do this job or even how to get the chance to do so. There was no media school at that time and we could not get proper training to become a radio presenter. I was already thinking about doing music and using programmes that manipulate voice. So, as soon as the chance came knocking in 2017 I said to myself, why not.

If you were to ask me, since when I wanted to work on the radio, I would say since 2014 after I finished school. Myself and Fastidious (Roger Volcère), and his brother Johnny Volcère, we were members of the ‘Soldiers for Christ’ group at that time. We started playing with cameras. I was sort of their guinea pig, and they told me that it would be good for me to go on TV. I wanted to be on TV, and I actually applied for a TV job. After a voice test they said that I would be better on the radio instead. So, that is when I joined the radio family. Originally, I wanted to be a radio producer, but when I saw that they were looking for TV producers I decided to apply. I thought they did not really want radio producers. Hence, as I mentioned, after the voice test they told me that there were spots available on the radio. From there, I started working on Paradise FM. Currently, I work with Paradise FM as a presenter but I also do video productions. In terms of shows, I do ‘Chart Attack’, ‘The Cruise’, ‘Partners in Rhyme’ and ‘Youth Beat’, which is a TV production. I also hosted the ‘Know your Candidate’ programme as well during the last general elections in October 2020. In December, I presented the Paradise FM Music Awards. So, basically I have my feet in both TV and radio.

Seychelles NATION: Tell us how your experience has been so far?

Oriji: I do not think that I could have asked for a much better job than this. Maybe there is, but for me I do not think so. If your passion is music and developing programmes, manipulate voice and music, this is the place to be. My experience so far has been interesting and positive. It has opened many doors also. I have learnt a lot, but I also acknowledge that there is still a lot to learn.

Seychelles NATION: What do you think are the qualities needed to become a good radio producer presenter?

Oriji: Your voice. Most definitely. It is very important to have a good voice. However, the main quality I would say is that you need to be an excellent story teller. I have learnt that there is no such thing as a bad story, but bad story tellers. I say this because, you can give 10 people the same story, some of them will make it very interesting while some would not want to listen to their version of the same story. This for me is the main thing I have learnt since I have been here. You just have to have a good voice and be a good storyteller.

Seychelles NATION: How are the reviews towards your shows and yourself as a producer presenter?

Oriji: Generally speaking, in life you cannot please everyone. Despite this, the reviews have been mostly positive. When we are around we follow each other’s shows, and we get to know who the usual audiences are across the different shows. Of course, some do get negative reviews. Some audiences prefer this or that presenter. But in general it has been mostly positive.

Seychelles NATION: What is your relationship like with your audience?

Oriji: Well, I can describe my relationship with my audience in this way. For those who listen to ‘The Cruise’ they know that we do it in a fun way. The audience even came up with the idea of ‘The Cruise Bus’. This was not my idea. It is like you are in a club but you do not get to see anyone physically. It is the same when you are in a WhatsApp group and Facebook. You do not know most of the people in the group but you are friends with them. So, I look at it this way, we do not know each other at a personal level, but when we come on the radio it is like we are meeting each other, we are hanging out as if we are friends who meet every day. We check on how everyone is doing and what everybody is up to.

Seychelles NATION: What are the programmes that you host?

Oriji: I am currently hosting ‘The Cruise’.  This show starts at 3pm and finishes at 6pm. Before it was hosted from 4pm to 7pm. ‘The Cruise’ is mostly for entertainment. For example, we play music, talk about movies and even life hacks that can help you in your everyday life. Well, the name originally was supposed to be in reference to a cruise ship; but, the audience decided otherwise. They wanted to be in a bus instead, because for them it is like we are taking a journey together by bus every Sunday. So, I said ‘Ok, zot ki dir ki pour fer’. ‘The Cruise’ is where we do our Top Ten tunes from which people vote for their favourite tunes during the week. On Sunday mornings when we come in we have to count the votes and then give the results between 12 noon and 1pm. We used to do it from 10am to 1pm.

I also do ‘Partners in Rhyme’. This is from 8pm to 10pm on Wednesday nights. This is different from ‘The Cruise’ because this is where we bring into the studio someone who does any form of art. I do not want to say an artist because we think of only musicians when we use the word artist. We sit with this person and we talk about the art itself and his/her journey in the field of art. It is not really an interview, but a conversation instead. So, for two hours we get to know the artist.

Of course, I do ‘Chart Attack’ on Sundays.  The name speaks for itself.

Seychelles NATION: Radio and television are two different mediums. How do you manage to switch comfortably from one to another?

Oriji: I think the key to this is to be well prepared at all times. Also, you must be prepared to paint a picture inside the audiences’ head using your words. This is very difficult actually. Most people think this is something easy, but it is not. This is because if you do not know what you are talking about, you will not be able to paint the picture. So, it is difficult to do it at times. However, as long as you are well prepared and know what you are going to be talking about in detail, you should be OK. It is all about preparation.

Seychelles NATION: Is it difficult to operate all the equipment in the studio, knowing that you are deejaying, producing and presenting at the same time?

Oriji: The first time one enters the studio, it can be very scary. You are thinking, what if I press the wrong button? However, once you get used to it, it becomes a habit and you tend to do things without realising. You do not have to think twice about which button to push. But at times mistakes do happen. You can forget to switch off the mic. Then your audience will call you and tell you that your mic is still on.

Seychelles NATION: What have you enjoyed the most as a radio producer presenter during the last five years at Paradise FM?

Oriji: The thing which I have appreciated the most is when I was not working with Paradise FM I always said that SBC should have a chart show. And voilà, when I came here we managed to get it started with Paradise FM Music Awards. I am proud to say that the ‘Chart Attack’ show and the awards are my initiatives. But, I must say it was a team effort to get it up and running. Today, we are all proud of these two programmes.