From performer to flight attendant | I Went to Arts School
Haiky, a NAFA graduate and now a dedicated flight attendant, defied the norm by merging his passion for performance with his aviation career. From acting and dance to delivering top-notch service, Haiky’s journey shows how an arts education can elevate confidence and communication in any field, proving that creativity knows no bounds.
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00:00I'll be like...
00:04Hello, welcome aboard. Can I see your boarding pass, please?
00:08Right over here, sir.
00:10That's me.
00:12Hi, my name is Haiki. I went to Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts where I did my acting degree and diploma.
00:18And currently I am a flight attendant.
00:21I guess at a very young age, I started dancing.
00:32So that already exposed me to a form of art.
00:35And also my dad is a singer.
00:37He's not a singer. He sings casually.
00:39He was the one that encouraged me to keep performing.
00:42And to be honest, I'm not the smartest kid alive.
00:45I was never really fond of anything that was out there in the public school.
00:51And I got to know about NAFA through an audition.
00:55I would say I'm very blessed with quite liberal and understanding parents.
01:00Very supportive of me in whatever I do as long as I show interest and I keep doing what I want to do.
01:09I started at NAFA with literally zero theatre background.
01:13I actually auditioned with the mindset of like, oh, I'm going to be a film star.
01:18And then when I auditioned, one of the questions that they asked was,
01:21have you watched any shows before coming to NAFA?
01:25And I was like, yeah, I've watched Wicked, but I fell asleep.
01:27So I was like a little bit too honest.
01:29And they're like, you shouldn't say these kind of things.
01:31So I would say like the beginning of my journey in NAFA, in my diploma years, not very smooth at all.
01:37Our first ever voice class, we were doing reading of monologues.
01:42And I had like zero knowledge about everything.
01:45So I read mine, the lecturer told me to stop.
01:49And then he asked the guy next to me to read it.
01:52The lecturer then went back to me and be like, you have to read like that.
01:56If not, you're not going to make it in the industry.
01:58I was a young boy.
01:59So I was like, it makes you feel like, oh, you're not good enough.
02:03And I think that also was like a wake up call for me because I was like, is this what I wanted to do?
02:08This is just a push that I needed.
02:11And to me, it was the push I needed.
02:13I just wish they went about it in a friendlier way and like, you know, because we're kids.
02:21But moving forward, everything just went uphill for me.
02:24I mustered more courage.
02:27I was more confident.
02:29I was more okay to making mistakes.
02:34As a human, I learn things every day, right?
02:38But as a character, I have to unlearn everything.
02:41So I have to literally go out there, be raw, be vulnerable.
02:45I would tell myself, you have to be confident.
02:48You have to be confident.
02:49I think when I tell myself that one too many times, I don't know how my brain works, but I actually become confident.
02:55The more vulnerable I get, the better I become as a performer, if that makes sense.
03:01So all in all, I feel like the experience has definitely given me so much confidence.
03:07And a thicker skin, for sure.
03:10Yeah.
03:11But I would rate my experience in NAFA for four years, a good one.
03:15A memorable one.
03:20I was blessed that after graduation, I got into Universal Studios full time.
03:26My time in USS, probably the peak of my life.
03:29Like, peak, for sure.
03:31I forged so many beautiful friendships.
03:33The job was fun.
03:34I get to perform every day.
03:36I don't dread myself going to work.
03:38Well, most of the time, I don't.
03:40I've done it long enough for me to be like, okay, I think my time is up.
03:44I don't want to be comfortable yet.
03:46I'm not even 30 yet.
03:47And I just wanted to really do something that's outside my comfort zone.
03:51Something that is different from the past 20 years that I've been living.
03:55You know when you're in school, people ask you like, when you grow up, what do you want to be?
03:59And then my answer would be like, I want to be an actor or a flight attendant.
04:04So, I thought to myself, I'm like, why not give it a try?
04:08Since I've always talked about it when I was younger, I applied.
04:11I got rejected twice, actually.
04:13The third time, I got it and I was like, okay, this is going to be my new life.
04:19I get to see the world and I get to live my best life.
04:23So, I'm happy that I made that change in life.
04:28Yes, I would like to think I'm a good speaker.
04:31Because during training as a flight attendant, they advocate so much on service language.
04:36And I find myself going with so much ease because of my training in school.
04:42Because in voice class, you're like, oh, your diction is shit.
04:46Your pronunciation is shit.
04:47Your pacing is shit.
04:48Where's your tone up and down?
04:50So, that really helped me.
04:52You are talking to different passengers from different countries.
04:55The Westerners, passengers, they normally don't understand Singapore accents.
05:00So, I'll be like, hello.
05:01Or, no worries.
05:03Can I offer you a glass of water?
05:06But sometimes I get too much into it.
05:08I'm like, okay, I need to relax.
05:09Like, bro, relax.
05:12And it gets very embarrassing when I get called out.
05:17I still go for classes, like dance classes.
05:20I actually just signed up for a singing class.
05:22So, I'm very excited about that.
05:24I will just do record stuff here and there.
05:28In the hotel room, I'm performing for an audience, especially in the shower.
05:31Girl, it's a full-on Adele concert in there.
05:35So, at least I know as a performer, I'm still trying to enhance my craft.
05:43I definitely see myself opening up a studio.
05:46I just don't want to be a one-trip pony.
05:48I want to be like, oh, I'm a performer who's flown before.
05:51I'm a performer that is doing IT.
05:54What else can I do?
05:55So, that is the future that I'm working towards.
05:57And then, because that is the vision, arts will always be there.
06:02So, I will always continue to learn more things, watch more shows, go to more dance classes.
06:07There's no age limit for acting.
06:09There's no age limit for singing or dancing.
06:12Alright, fingers down.
06:19I'll just beep it, I'll cut it out.
06:25I'll just beep it.