Touching lives through his voice

Mariselle StofbergMost people have misconceptions about radio presenting; they believe that to succeed in the industry all it takes is to sit behind a microphone and have a chat about anything. For Jean-Louis Knouwds, a popular breakfast show presenter at Afrikaans radio station Kosmos 94.1, there is more to the art of radio presenting than just having a good voice. A good radio presenter is someone who is up to date with current affairs, someone who knows what is going on around them, in the region and across the world. “You need to think on your feet when the opportunity arises. Women say men can’t multitask, but clearly, they haven’t met a radio presenter yet,” says Knouwds, who believes that radio presenting is the pinnacle of multitasking, as things do not always go as planned when working on air. While preparation is something that every radio presenter worthy of the title swears by, the truth is, no matter how prepared or magical they sound on air, they can never predict when something will go wrong, or when a technical glitch will slip in. “I think that is why I love radio presenting so much because no day is ever the same,” says the Grootfontein native who matriculated at PK de Villiers Secondary School in the southern town of Keetmanshoop. Inspired by his grandmother, whom he considers his biggest inspiration in life, Knouwds says his insatiable drive to succeed is grounded in hard work, perseverance and humility – three traits that his role model taught him.Despite working for Kosmos 94.1 since 2015, and for Channel 7 a year before that, the youthful presenter still gets a kick from performing for an audience, whether on radio or stage. It does not matter whether it is behind a microphone or on stage behind the mask of a character – performing is what makes his heart beat faster, he says. “Touching the hearts of an audience or moving people emotionally, to an extent that they experience empathy for the character, is a feeling only a few of us will understand.”Armed with a performing arts honours degree from the University of Namibia, and currently pursuing a masters’ degree in the same field, it’s no surprise that his lifelong dream is to be an actor. “I still aspire to have a lead role in a series or movie. I love acting and enjoy doing theatre performances, but I would like to push myself out of my comfort zone and start doing film. I have done a little bit of film, but I would love to do a lot more and grow a brand in the industry. I always wanted to be a soapy star and to host my television show. That remains a dream of mine,” Knouwds says. He advises anyone who is starting out in their career to have a dream and a vision of where they are going and where they want to be. “Don’t be satisfied with who you are today. Never think that you have arrived. Don’t become complacent. You can never arrive. Keep working on yourself, keep dreaming, keep striving to be better, to accomplish more. Yes, you will have disappointments along the way, but you need those as well to learn and grow stronger. Every ‘no’ is a ‘no’ closer to a ‘yes’, so take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Keep your eyes on the prize and don’t let stumbling blocks demotivate you or stop you from accomplishing your dream.”Knouwds’s biggest achievement to date, alongside hosting the breakfast show, is how his voice has transformed after he enrolled for vocal and performance training.“It is motivating to listen to yourself and to hear the growth you have made since day one. Having been able to work my way up from the so-called graveyard shift to hosting the show that every presenter dreams of probably takes the cake in terms of my achievements.”Despite his achievements and accomplishments in the industry, his biggest fear is failure. He explains why: “I am very success driven and therefore my biggest fear is not getting where I want to be. It is always nice to be in a comfortable place, but being comfortable is not growing. To grow, sometimes you need to take a leap of faith and try something you haven’t done before. My biggest fear is being my own saboteur, a failure and not being good enough.”

Touching lives through his voice

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Republikein 2025-08-28

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Touching lives through his voice

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Republikein 2025-08-28

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