‘A woman can be a strong voice, not always gentle’: Radio DJ and NDP’s only female announcer on making her debut

You may have heard her voice during this year’s National Day Parade rehearsals, but do you know the woman behind it?

One of the first voices you’ll hear at this year’s parade belongs to radio presenter Joanna François, who is making her debut as an NDP co-announcer.

She is also the only female announcer for the parade, alongside veteran male stadium announcer William Xavier — otherwise known as Mr X.

This role, she said, is both an honour and an opportunity to show that a woman’s voice can be strong and impactful.

A ‘strong voice’ for Singapore

François, 32, told Stomp she grew up watching the NDP and has been hosting live audio simulcasts of the annual event in her day job as a radio presenter with Power 98, where she has been for the past nine years.

When she first learnt she had been selected for the role, she was so overwhelmed that she burst into tears.

“This is a huge honour and I’m extremely grateful,” she gushed.

Wanting to give people a glimpse behind the scenes, she has been documenting her experience on TikTok and Instagram, with some of her videos garnering over 300,000 views.

As the only female announcer at the NDP this year, she said she is “really happy” to have been entrusted with the role.

“I think it’s important that a woman’s voice is present and I’m really glad that I got to show that behind the scenes — to show how a woman can be a strong voice, not one that’s always gentle,” François said, adding that the parade requires plenty of energy. 

In a setting as large as the 55,000-seat National Stadium, a 'normal’ speaking voice over its booming speakers is not enough — announcers need to apply the right techniques to match the high-octane mood of the event.

“We don’t often get to hear such voices, but I’m sure there are other women out there who have it as well,” she said.

Years of vocal training

Her confident, commanding stadium voice didn’t develop overnight.

Besides spending years working as a radio presenter, François said she has been singing since the age of 10. She has also undergone vocal training and English lessons, where mentors taught her fundamentals such as enunciation and diction.

She added that she watched past NDP footage dating back to 1998 to prepare for this role.

While she has covered the parades on air as a radio presenter in previous years, she admits that being a part of the NDP is a different ball game altogether. Participating in the parade’s “rigorous” production from behind the scenes is more challenging than she had expected.

“I have to be confident every time I’m in front of the microphone because there are a lot of people listening, and you owe every show a good performance,” she said, adding that consistency is required.

Dive in

She also turned to YouTube tutorials and online resources, which taught her techniques such as speaking in a lower pitch to achieve the powerful “stadium voice” required for the role.

The challenge isn’t following the script

With the role requiring her to stick to the script word for word, François chuckled with relief to say she has not made any major mistakes.

However, she admits there were times she has “fumbled” and wished she had said certain words better — highlighting that the most important aspect of her role is the delivery of each announcement.

“It’s about how you want to make people feel,” she said, explaining that different moments — such as leading the crowd in reciting the pledge or encouraging spectators to cheer on the athletes — require different levels of energy and enthusiasm.

Since rehearsals began, she said she has been continually refining her delivery based on feedback.

“I’ve been very privileged to have been around people who allow me to make mistakes,” François said, adding that as a first-time NDP announcer, every rehearsal has been part of the learning and growing process.

‘Using my voice makes me happy’

Despite taking on one of Singapore’s biggest stages for the first time, François said she never felt nervous about taking on the role of the NDP co-announcer.

Instead, she had to rein in her excitement.

“I was so excited. I had to control myself from being too excited,” she chuckled.

Since rehearsals began, François has been spending every Friday and Saturday at the National Stadium, balancing the demanding schedule with her full-time radio career and a master’s degree in communication and media studies at the National University of Singapore.

The long hours have only reinforced her admiration for the hundreds of people who work tirelessly behind the scenes to bring the annual spectacle to life.

“I’ve always been impressed by the teamwork and how everything comes together in the end, from the creative minds down to the individual performer and how their enthusiasm fills the whole stadium,” she said. “They’ve put together something so beautiful.”

To keep her voice in top condition, François takes extra care of her health by staying hydrated — drinking about two litres of water before each show and taking sips throughout — while also doing vocal warm-up exercises such as lip trills.

For her, the demanding schedule is a labour of love.

“Using my voice makes me happy, and it seems to make other people happy,” she said. “I believe in loving what you do.”

Growing up watching the NDP, François said she never imagined she would one day become one of the voices guiding Singaporeans through the nation’s biggest celebration.

“It is an honour to be part of anybody’s memory and to be a woman’s voice here in the stadium,” she said. “I hope (the attendees) don’t forget me.”

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