22
Glam Halal | MAY-JUNE. 2020
An
activist
at heart
The utmost joy in life for Heliza Helmi lies in providing
a helping hand for the community
BY CAMILIA REZALI
NUR HELIZA
Helmi, or better
known as Heliza
Helmi, is a singer,
actress, motivator,
TV host and
activist.
She has a knack for seeking
extraordinary opportunities.
Ever since she was little,
she has participated in
numerous contests and
tried everything under the
sun, be it a sack race during
kindergarten, dancing,
singing, poetry presentation,
public speaking,
debate or kayaking. And
get this - Heliza was
even a silver medallist in
a national taekwondo
competition
But it was her participation
in one of Malaysia’s
popular reality TV show
that thrust her into the
limelight. Her singing
talent saw her winning
the award for New Popular
Artiste during the 21st
Anugerah Bintang Popular
BeritaHarian in 2007. Later she
went on to being crowned the
Best Female Actor (Syurga Cinta) at
the 22nd Filem Festival Malaysia. In
the 2014 Anugerah Bintang Popular
Berita Harian, she was recognized
as the Most Popular Female TV host.
Today, Heliza has definitely what it
takes and is an influential artiste
with 1.9 million followers on
Instagram.
@glam.halal had the opportunity to speak
to Heliza where she shared her values, experience
and future endeavours. Read what keeps
this ever-cheerful 34-year-old lady going!
Do share with us about your life before
fame.
I hail from Kuala Terengganu, lived in
Terengganu until Year Five and then moved
to Taiping, Perak from Year Five until the
second year of secondary school. After that,
we moved to Tawau, Sabah where I completed
high school right up to university. When I was
in Sabah, I studied at Matrikulasi Labuan and
later continued at Universiti Malaysia Sabah
(UMS).
It was during university days that I got
involved with a reality TV programme. My
schedule has been very tight ever since. For
my studies, I always hoped to attain a Dean’s
List Award. But only after a long wait, apart
from my side career, did I achieve it. From that
moment I realised success was not measured
by the amount of time we have but measured
by how we use it.
What would you say is the trait that defines
you the most?
I would consider doing things that add value
to other people. As you may have noticed,
most of my involvement today concerns my
work as a humanitarian activist. I have a
deep love for volunteer work whether it is a
humanitarian crisis in Syria, the Rohingya,
Palestine or something smaller like helping
a friend in need. That is indeed my soul.
What influenced your interest in the performing
arts?
I was exposed to the performing arts since
young. When we were in Sabah, my father
would turn on the karaoke set on weekends
and we would sing from morning till noon.
I really enjoyed those moments. One time