Inspiring others

Former singer and rapper Mizz Nina is settling comfortably into her role as TV host, writes Bibi Nurshuhada Ramli

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Hosting comes naturally to her since she had worked as a radio announcer for seven years for Red FM, Fly FM and Wow FM.

She recently came up with her own talk show,

“I never saw myself hosting a programme with an Islamic perspective. This is definitely something I didn’t plan, but it’s an experience I’ll never regret,” she said.

is produced by content creator team DOPS TV, which has churned out various Islamic programmes, now available for viewing through its online channel dops.tv

Mizz Nina, who is also the founder of DOPS TV, said: “We’ve always wanted to spread the beauty and message of Islam through various types of programmes, be they online or on the small screen. “We’ve received overwhelming response from viewers saying that the shows have helped improve their relationship with God.

“Even if it affects only an individual, it is enough to motivate us to produce even more inspiring programmes.”

STRONG CONTENT Comprising 10 episodes,

is an Islamic lifestyle talk show that covers various topics from current affairs and real life events, to lifestyle and knowledge.

It aims to inspire youths as well as older viewers.

The show’s co-producer Ili Zuhair Amdan said: “For example, one episode is about coping with loss, which Mizz Nina had experienced when her brother passed away in 2007.

“The episode discusses on depression and anxiety with psychologists and professionals giving advice on how to overcome it,” added Mizz Nina.

Another episode touches on the issue of hoarding, enabling viewers to identify if they are hoarders or not.

“Each episode is linked to Mizz Nina’s current interests or experiences. Viewalso ers will learn more about her journey towards understanding Islam,” said Ili.

Referencing and

aims to not only inspire and entertain but also give back to the less fortunate.

“In one of the episodes, we joined hands with some organisations to relocate a homeless woman to a better home,” said Ili. Another organisation the

team worked with brings the underfor privileged umrah every year.

“To inspire viewers, we also interview successful people who share with the audirecipe ence their for success. The content suits everyone.”

is DOPS TV’s biggest project to date, for which the team designed every element from scratch, beginning from the content and the set, up to the guests and managing a live audience.

“We went through our content again and again to make sure that our end product is perfect. We didn’t want to cover someis thing that deemed too sensitive,” said Mizz Nina.

“The whole project took us about three months to prepare, but even during the recording, we had to make changes.”

SPECIAL GUESTS

Mizz Nina is proud of the line-up of guests they managed to gather for the show, comprising celebrities, renowned Islamic scholars and experts, and inspirational idols from various backgrounds.

They include Fashion Valet co-founder Vivi Yusof, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 first officer Ahmad Hakimi Hanapi’s widow Asmaa Aljuned, activist Syed Azmi, singersongwriter and humanitarian Faizal Tahir as well as Ambank chairman and Mizz Nina’s father Tan Sri Azman Hashim.

“Everyone was great but for me, my ad was the most special,” she said fondly, Years ago, Mizz Nina never expected that she would host a programme with an Islamic perspective.

adding that it was a smooth-sailing filming process.

It was both memorable and touching, since it was her first time interviewing him and she got to know him better from the experience.

“It was easy to get him on board, but when he learnt that I’d be the one interviewing him, he just laughed his heart out,” Mizz Nina recalled with a smile.

team made sure to choose guests who are relatable both to Malaysians as well as audiences around the region.

“That’s mainly why we chose to conduct

in English — so that it can be marketed globally,” said Ili. “We also made sure to select contents that can relate to global audiences.

MORE TO TELL

The team behind wishes for it to be given a second season because there are many more topics they wish to highlight.

Mizz Nina added that if possible, she would love to interview American stars Janet Jackson, who had converted to Islam, and Lindsay Lohan, who has shown a deep interest in the religion.

“There are many other notable people we’d love to have on the show, like Yuna, Neelofa, Professor Dr Muhaya Mohamad or Mufti Menk. Ultimately we want people with stories that can inspire others,” she said.

will not be available on dops.tv but there, viewers can check out one-minute snippets or bloopers from the show.

Ili said: “For now, it’s on Astro Oasis, but we hope that in the future, other TV stations, local or regional, will pick it up as well.”