LSA100: Trailblazer Awal Ashaari is deep in his ‘healing era’ right now

Awal Ashaari has had quite a year. Reflecting on all that’s happened — and his long-standing career for over two decades — the mega star is ready to take it easy, and keep it low-key.

Long before Awal Ashaari and Scha Alyahya attained their status as Malaysia’s iconic showbiz power couple, they too indulged in coffee dates during their idyllic courtship, just like everyone else. Awal’s love of coffee (and his penchant for trying out new coffees whenever he goes travelling) is a reflection of his desire for the simpler pleasures in life. It’s a little poetic then, that amid the whirlwind year he’s had — and a lifetime in the spotlight — Awal retreats to that simple pleasure once again.

Earlier this March, Awal’s very own café, The Great Coffee Club, officially opened in Shah Alam. (Around the same time, a series of legal cases were being filed against him.) In big, bold letters underneath the neatly trimmed name are the words SIP FOR A CHAMP! and, a little smaller, HELLO CHAMP! — a very on-brand move for the TV personality. Awal’s spirit hasn’t yet been knocked out by everything going on in between; he bounces back, like a champ.

“I told myself I’m not getting any younger,” he says, already visibly tired from even speaking about it. “These things have taken a toll on me — physically, mentally, and also financially. So, I thought, ‘Let’s just put the ego aside. Let’s meet in between and make amends.’ And I did. I learned there’s no point in being egoistic. In the end, people make mistakes. It’s better to just forgive and forget.”

This sobering line of thought can only come with being in the industry for as long as Awal has. For over two decades, he’s done just about everything in entertainment — from modelling to acting, TV hosting and working closely with numerous international brands — and now, he can add entrepreneurship under his belt. He’s come a very long way to be broken down so easily.

The Kardashians have always had their personal branding in check. In similar fashion, Awal’s too is built on, and grown through, his familial relationships. He and Scha (and their two children, Lara and Lyla, who each have their own Instagram account) have carved their names in the public eye, so much that more often than not, we find ourselves keeping up with them. In today’s fast-changing social media landscape, constantly adapting your personal image to get with the times is crucial — and both Awal and Scha are meticulously good at it. Neither has been doing much acting in half a decade. Scha has fully embedded herself as a socialite within the beauty and fashion world by now, having recently made an appearance at the 80th Venice Film Festival. Awal has found his niche in hosting, both on TV as well as on-ground. And of course, The Great Coffee Club — which could perhaps grow into a coffee empire in a blink. Who knows!

Awal describes meeting Scha all those years ago as fate. “I always meant to create a household brand for myself,” he muses. “And some of it I did plan, but some happened organically, like with Scha. I think that’s what people would say is rezeki, that Tuhan jodohkan I with her. Our branding grew even bigger after we got married.”

Now that all of the legal cases have been amicably resolved and Awal has turned his hand to his coffee business, he is ready to keep it low-key. He gracefully steps back, eager to pass the baton to the young and up-and-coming — while his own legacy, which he hopes to leave the next generation with, quietly grows. Below, Awal speaks to Lifestyle Asia about what he’s been up to so far, and what he’s got up his sleeve moving forward.

A lot has happened with you since we last spoke. How has the year been for you? Any standout moments that meant a lot to you, both personally and professionally?

Personally, well, in the work that we do in this industry, we can’t deny that a lot of people often try to take advantage of us, manipulate our work and so on. I ended up in some tricky situations. I had three legal cases pending earlier this year. I told myself, ‘Let’s just put the ego aside, and not continue the fight. Let’s just meet in between and make amends with them. And I did. A few months back, I had a meeting with them and discussed what we could do about this, like, ‘Let’s just forgive and forget.’ From that moment, I realised mediation — communication lah — is key. When you communicate, even benda messy pun can come to a solution. We settled the issue out of court. In the end, people make mistakes. So, it’s better just forgive and forget.

Career-wise, I am comfortable doing what I do best, which is hosting. I find the best show or the best program, and I do outside gigs as well. So, I can call that my career now, and not try to be something else. If I get any offers for acting, I just rest my case lah — I’m not gonna act anymore. It’s just not me. I can say that I’m more selective now in my journey. I know what I’m good at. If you look back over the years, I used to be the guy who wanted to do everything, or at least try. But now, I’m totally the opposite. I’m just gonna do what I’m comfortable with. Money is not a priority right now. You can have a lot of money and still not be happy. I can have a good offer but if it’s not a good feeling, I would have to drag myself to do something I am not comfortable with. And there’s no point in doing that — it’s just not worth my energy.

Tell us a bit about your café, The Great Coffee Club. How did that idea come about, and what made you decide to pursue it?

Everyone has to have a backup plan. If you’re not relevant in this entertainment industry, what should you do moving forward kan? So, it got me thinking, ‘What if I don’t get any offers anymore after this? Or people don’t want to see me hosting anymore? What is the thing that can be secure for me, to provide for my family?’ We tried a few things — we tried fashion, accessories, and cosmetics — but these things are seasonal. And of course, I want to do something that I like. Something I can enjoy, and something that kita boleh cherish even if I’m no longer in the industry. And that’s when the café idea popped up. It could be something I leave for the fans, so they can visit and enjoy the coffee. I met my [business] partner in the UK. He’s a fan of mine, and he was like, ‘Oh I have a business proposal to share with you.’ So, I believe there’s a blessing in disguise in these things. When it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.

 

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How has the response been so far?

The response has been overwhelming. For me, it wasn’t so much about the marketing. It was more to do with the positioning of the café — the location, because during our discussion, I thought of setting it up at the more ‘hyped up’ areas like Hartamas or Mont Kiara, where all the ‘cool’ people hang out. But you know, that doesn’t necessarily menjamin (guarantee) that the café will be successful. So we were like, “Let’s find someplace where people just lepak, or ‘healing’ over a cup of coffee.” My partner suggested Seksyen 13 in Shah Alam. To be honest, I was a bit skeptical at first. But we went on with it anyway. After we launched and saw the response, I got it — the location is a score! Yeah, the response has been overwhelming. People who go there are not only coffee drinkers, but non-coffee lovers pun came to support. I feel so excited, and very grateful for the support.

What are some future plans you might have for The Great Coffee Club?

Next plan, of course, is to expand. We’re looking at somewhere in KL, because right now we only have the one in Shah Alam. And a lot of them are like, ‘Oh, so jauh Shah Alam.’ But for that plan, we have to put it on hold dulu. My business partner said that we have to make sure the one that we have betul-betul successful, and then we open another branch. We also have a lot of inquiries to franchise out the café, but for now, we just don’t want to be greedy and rush into things.

How has the shift been, going from the entertainment industry to being an entrepreneur, running an F&B business? What’s your biggest takeaway from all of it?

I am so lucky to have my partner. He’s very well-versed in the F&B business. When we decided to do it together, I already made things clear to him that I can only do ‘this’ much — in terms of marketing, positioning and planning to get the word out. But for day-to-day operations, financials and everything else, I don’t have the expertise. So he agreed to take care of all that, while I handle the marketing. If you ask me to run the café, I don’t think so. (laughs) At least not yet. I’m still learning. To be honest, F&B is hard work.

The biggest lesson, I would say, is not to trust everyone you meet. If you trust a person too much, akan ada saja the moment that makes them gelap mata (run amok). They think we won’t notice. They might have an attitude, so they will do work sambil lewa (idly). Trust is very subjective, and when you put your trust in someone 100%, they could end up stabbing you in the back. So, in whatever you do, you have to be hands-on and know what’s going on. Not micromanaging — but at least ambil tahu (take note). From time to time I will check the café, in terms of cleanliness and appearance, because at the end of the day, it reflects my brand.

And speaking of your brand — being a public figure such as yourself, what are the challenges of juggling between the public persona you put out, while still staying true to yourself?

How do I say this? Mmm, the longer I’ve stayed in the industry, it has kinda shaped me to be someone who is ‘netizen-ready’, if you know what I mean? Due to my past experiences — well, I was very outspoken, and there were repercussions. Whenever I used to read netizen’s comments, I tended to start a fight. I tried to stand my ground — but when you do that, the after-effects from your actions will also create a reaction from the people.

So, being a public figure shaped me to be more mature. I ignore people’s comments now, and if I read something nasty about me, I just brush it off. Along the way, I learned that as a celebrity, you shouldn’t ‘fight’ with anyone. Sometimes you just have to chill and tutup sebelah mata (close one eye). The more you say, the more bad press you get. It has kinda moulded me to be someone mellow. Me and Scha, we always think ahead before we want to do anything. How things are gonna affect our career, how it’s gonna affect our life and our family.

I know it’s a bit depressing — you feel like you can’t be yourself or say whatever you say. But this is how we cari makan (earn a living), so I think this is the price we have to pay for being here. Whenever we’re travelling outside the country, we can just be crazy and let it all out. But when we’re back, this is the persona that we have to carry. After all, we wouldn’t be here without our fans, so this is the least that we can do — menjaga imej kami (take care of our image).

Share with us some of the highlights in your career so far, and the most important lessons you’ve learned along the way.

I managed to build a household brand for myself in the local entertainment industry. It’s not very easy to penetrate, and not easy to maintain, but I made this organic brand for myself. When people talk about the industry — about fashion or work, or hosting — my name will pop up, so that is one thing that I cherish even sekarang, and what I’m proud of. Me and Scha, we’ve always planned to build our brand, so that even when we’re no longer in the industry, we can do something with the brand. So, if you ask me, the branding that I created for myself is what I wouldn’t trade for anything.

Did you plan it? The branding that you created, was that somehow your end goal? Or did it just happen organically?

To be honest, I kinda planned it. I used to work in advertising before. I was with Leo Burnett, so I would see people invest a lot of money into creating and positioning their brand in the market. It’s very important — they invested millions to make the brands known. So when I quit the agency and stepped into the entertainment industry, I reminded myself that I needed to create a brand, to become someone who’s well-known for a particular expertise. So, yeah, some of it I did plan, but some just happened organically, like with Scha. People liked us more after we got together, and I think that’s what people would say is rezeki, that Tuhan jodohkan I with her. Our branding grew even bigger after we got married. And then we had children together, then lagi our branding grew.

The way media — especially film and TV — is being consumed today has changed so much from when you first started. How do you navigate that shift, especially with the rise of Gen Zs in both the audience and the market?

Scha and I actually talk about this a lot. Like with my way of hosting a show, I would tanya dia, “What do you think of the show?” We always give input to each other. Scha would be like, “Oh, maybe you shouldn’t do this or, or that doesn’t look ‘current’ enough. And you can’t use certain language maybe.” And I would be like, “Oh, but that’s me. It’s my signature, I grew up with so much pride in my job, so I wouldn’t say something that doesn’t feel like me.” But that’s the trend now. You need to be current, speak the ‘street’ dialect, or the ‘Gen Z dictionary’. Because if I keep the style as it was ten or fifteen years ago, the audience might think, “Which era is this? This is lame.” People like something catchy, teasing, ‘vibing’. So, we have to always remind each other.

For Scha, too, when she’s acting, if she needs to get the K-drama vibe or inject something that’s in trend. Nowadays, it’s not the old style where you went for casting, and you get the part, study it and prove yourself on the screen. The acting style now is also different. You have to relax and not overdo it. And the way you speak to your audience, you have to be casual and direct. So, nak tak nak (whether you like it or not), you have to play along with all that to be relevant.

What are your hopes for the entertainment industry in the future?

I wish everyone could play a role in elevating this industry. Our industry is really small, and we are always stuck in the same place. Tak kisah lah old-timers or newcomers, celebrities, KOLs or even the audience itself. We all have to play our role to menaikkan taraf (upgrade) our industry. I can only play a small role myself, but there are a lot of very influential people who can play a bigger, more important role in this industry. Bukan glamour saja. We come here to educate, influence, and show a good example to people out there. Being ‘famous’ brings with it a huge responsibility. You must bring an input. The industry that we built a long time ago needs to be elevated, not mocked. I hate when people say, “Oh, biasa lah artist, it’s just an occupation.” But being an artist is what got me to meet my wife, have our kids, and let me live comfortably. So, when people degrade artists, it makes me upset.

So, what’s next? Are there any upcoming projects or plans you’d like to tell us about?

Like I said, I am a bit selective now. If I get an offer that can elevate my value, I’ll do it. But I won’t do something that won’t have a positive impact either on my career or to the audience. Moving forward, Scha and I have a dream: we want a brand that can stay. We hope we can influence and maybe generate a talent agency, just to help groom more people to be ‘celebrity-ready’. We don’t want to waste the branding that we have now. We hope we can contribute to our kids, or the younger, up-and-coming generation. When we exit, we want to leave a legacy — something that can be reminded of us.

LSA100: 100 Malaysians, 100 Milestones

Lifestyle Asia KL introduces LSA 100, an annual list that recognises Malaysia’s most influential names and celebrates their talents, contributions, successes and milestones. As the bellwether of style, travel, design, entertainment, business, sports, and more, these 100 Malaysians represent the next generation of go-getters who are paving the way for sharing their know-hows with the world through the power of digital media. LSA100 comprises five categories namely The Rising Aces, The Trailblazers, The Disruptors, The Tastemakers and The Navigators. Find out more about LSA100 Class of 2023, HERE. 

editor-in-chief & creative direction MARTIN TEO | interview IZZATI SAADIN | assisted by RONN TAN & MALLIE MARAN | photography ERIC CHOW | videography SIMON TAN | video editor JACKIE MAH | makeup SHIYO JOO using YSL BEAUTY | hair CODY CHUA | stylist AZZA ARIF | wardrobe MARCIANO by GUESS | special thanks SWISSE MALAYSIA