The statuesque model
waltzes into the
studio, and everyone
immediately gravitates
towards her.
She isn’t expected
for at least another 30
minutes.
“Oh, you’re early,”
says Her World’s
creative director
Windy Aulia. The
candid conversation
he then has with
the model-MTV
Asia VJ negates
any impression
one may have had
of Hanli Hoefer as
inscrutably aloof
off -screen.
She warms up
with a fresh spark of
energy in a one-to-
one dialogue with
doe-eyed shyness
on the one hand,
and unabashed
determination on
the other. She’s
articulate, and a
qualityofearthiness
comesthroughinher
expressiveeyesand
smile.
“Iwastwohours
lateformyfirstphoto
shootwithHerWorld
eightyearsago,”Hanli
recallssheepishly.“I
wasmortified,and
atthattimeIwished
thegroundwouldjust
swallowmewhole.”
“Imadeupforit
thistime,”shelaughs
bashfully.
At27,thegorgeous
Singaporemodel,
whostandsat1.78m
tall,hasfoundequal
successindifferent
areas–modelling,
commercialworkasa
hostandVJatMTV
Asia(ajobshehas
heldsince2013),and
hostingherownradio
showforthepast 1 ½
years.Hangingout
withHanliairson
Power 98 FMevery
Sunday,10am-2pm.
Andactingisalso
onthecardsforher:
Sherecentlyclinched
a leadingroleinanew
psychologicalthriller
thatwillbescreened
onToggleattheendof
thisyear.“I used to put
on impromptu plays
for my parents,” she
chuckles, adding
that she wants to
explore more acting
opportunities in the
future.
Despite her
growing popularity,
the Eurasian model
remains unaff ected by
the constant glare of
public attention and,
sometimes, judgment.
“I’m like any
other girl, just that
I might have a little
more experience with
being misunderstood.
But I get a kick out of
proving people wrong,”
she adds in jest.
“I don’t try to
make anyone like me,
nor would I pretend
to have it all together,”
she says earnestly. “I’m
very fl awed, but I’m
fi ne with that.”
Yet she’s picture-
perfect as she emerges
from the changing
room dressed in an
outfi t with understated
allure, displaying
elegant restraint in
couture that lets her
show off her well-
honed craft as a model.Pursing her
lips, Hanli tilts her
head towards a
repousse hand mirror
she’s holding. The
scene turns out to
have poetic parallels
with her past, as
she refl ects on the
growing-up years that
shaped the girl in the
mirror today.LIVING THE
INDIE LIFE
Born and bred in
Singapore, where
she studied English,
art and psychology
at United World
College, Hanli made
a decision not to
further her studies
after graduating with
an International
Baccalaureate
diploma.
“I wanted to
experience what life
had to off er and learn
what it was like to
make my own money,”
says Hanli, who also
speaks German. “If
I failed, I could still
go back to school. My
family were supportive
of my decision.”
With a dogged
determination,the then-teenager
knocked on the
doors of modelling
agencies, looking for
opportunities.
“It was such a
liberating feeling- that feeling of
independence. I
wanted to take control
of my life and not just
do what my friends
were doing. I wanted
to feel that I had a
choice,” she says
matter-of-factly.
At 19, Hanli
landed a contract with
modelling agency Ave
Management.
Three years later,
in 2012, the then
21-year-old yearned
for new challenges.
She auditioned
and won in the
regional MTV search
for a VJ that saw
her immersed in the
world of pop culture
and entertainment,
interviewing some
of the world’s biggest
music acts, including
American musicians
such as rock band Foo
Fighters, DJ Skrillex,
hip-hop trio Naughty
by Nature and singer
Jason Derulo, as
I WANTED TO TAKE CONTROL
OF MY LIFE AND NOT JUST DO
WHAT MY FRIENDS WERE DOING.
I WANTED TO FEEL THAT
I HAD A CHOICE.
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