Age: 23
Occupation: Freelance writer/film-maker
Star Sign: Cancer
Favourite singers: Gladys Knight

When did you first start to sing?
I was born with music in my veins. I sang everywhere I went, especially when my dad would put his old skool soul hits cassette on as we drove around in our Ford,I would wear my purple heart sunglasses and actually believe I was Roberta Flack or Karen Carpenter.

If you couldn't sing, which talent would you most like to have?
I would love to have a brilliant eye for the camera and take to film-making as easily and seamlessly as music.

How do you maintain your voice?
Contrary to popular thought, the throat needs to be oiled a bit and warmed before I start belting out the Whitney Houston type ballads. Downing too much hot water doesn’t help…I just make sure I eat well and have something oily to grease up the voice box, then I keep my hot sweets around for when I need that extra heat!

If you were to describe yourself with one song, what would it be, and why?
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cindy Lauper….every single line breathes all 23 years of my life…

What is your favourite food?
Teriyaki chicken and Inari sushi!

Name one body part you are proud of and tell us why.
My curly hair. It’s natural and the envy of every lau aunty in the Tampines area who spends $85 weekly to get a magi mee perm!

Tell us 3 things that we don’t know about you.
I was once a mean drummer. But now I’ve gotta pick up them chops again…and I used to pay my drum teacher with my own home-made butter and toffee cakes for his little girls. I speak Malay so fluently because my old tuition teacher considers me her “anak” and she’s my Malay Mak…literally part of the family. I can bend my fingers into the shape of a curry-puff!

What external qualities do you look for in a guy?
A man who is truly a great friend.

Which is the most memorable thing you’ve ever done for your dad/mum?
When I was young I used to pretend I was a waiter with a towel draped on one hand and a tray and scrawled menu on the other…I would take orders for water- iced or plain and wait on my parents.

What is the worse thing a friend could do to you?
Cheat.

How would you like to be remembered when you’re gone?
“Mathilda? Oh man…she was one heck of a lady…a funny girl who really lived and loved the world and was never afraid to take a chance”

If you can be anyone in the world, who would you choose to be? Why?
Arundhati Roy. How many other women were amazing Oddissi dancers turned architects, turned scriptwriters turned activists with gorgeous curly hair and a mischevious smile? But I think I’m not too bad as myself anyways.

If you were granted three wishes, what would you wish for? Why?
I’d wish for a million wishes and then keep on going from there. Among them would definitely involve all those 80’s toys I miss like He-man and Thundercats and finding a way to stop multi-national companies from exploiting cheap labour.

If you were stranded on an island, what are the 3 things you would bring with you?
James Bond, Macgyver and Jamie Oliver. Let the boys figure out what to do while I take a nap beneath the coconut tree…I’ll just enjoy the fruits of their labour!

What made you join this competition?
Hope. That I could change my life and step onto the world’s stage and do right by my parents.

Tell us about a lucky charm that has been with you throughout the competition.
My Strepsils!

What qualities do you think the next Singapore Idol should possess?
Someone who has put in his/her hard work in Singapore. A real and a true performer who lights up the stage and sets people’s ears on fire with his/her voice.

What are some things you have learnt from this competition?
Patience. Diplomacy.

Who is your favourite judge, and why?
I wouldn’t like to deprive the others of my affection…

If you win, whom would you thank first?
God.