Up close and personal with Malek Ali

WHO better understands the power of radio its ability to draw you in and provide pure, emotional connection than a guy who spent much of his childhood craving companionship? When Malek Ali was a boy, his other siblings were far older than him, and where he lived in Kampung Pandan in Kuala Lumpur, there were no neighbourhood kids to hang out with. That meant spending most of his time on his own.

Malek at play was him kicking a ball against the wall. To amuse himself, he completed a term's worth of schoolwork within three days. His parents were proud of that feat, but to Malek, that was more an escape than an achievement. “I was a very bored child, absolutely bored. It was like that since I was born until I was about 11,” he recalls.