YOU will know him for his karaoke family-friendly hits such as Friends and Love Follows Us.

But what you probably don't know is that Hong Kong singer Wakin Chau (formerly known as Emil Chau) is one strict father.

The father of two admits he often finds fault with son's choice of girlfriends.

Said the 48-year-old singer of his son Andrew: 'He's mine, okay. Before he turns 30, whoever he falls in love with, I'll have trouble with.'

Wakin, who has to date released more than 40 albums, said it was a 'headache' for him when Andrew first started dating.

'I would ask him if he would please do something for me or the family, and he would say he doesn't have the time.

'He used to be very obedient before he had a girlfriend, but now he will always tell me he has to go help his girlfriend with her stuff.'

FAMILY PORTRAIT: Photo of Wakin's family taken in 1996

Wakin was in town to promote his One Wakin Live In Singapore concert scheduled for next February.

On Saturday, he took to the stage at the Lee Guitars concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

He performed a medley with Chinese acoustic guitar designer and performer Jonathan Lee and Taiwanese singer A Yue.

Other singers at the show included Tanya Chua, Cheer Chen and Mayday.

Andrew, 18, and his girlfriend, an Australian, have since broken up.

Said Wakin: 'We argued about this a couple of times. I said he shouldn't be dating this early. Overnight he didn't belong to the family, he belonged to someone else.'

Wakin said he had hoped his son would date an Asian girl so she could communicate better with him.

His wife of 22 years, American Constance Woods, speaks fluent Mandarin.

Wakin said: 'Suddenly a family picture came to mind. And all four generations of people in the photo are Westerners, and I'm the only Chinese.'

But the singer, who also has a 13-year-old daughter named Anya, was quick to add that he doesn't expect to keep a hold on his son forever.

'I may be having trouble with Andrew dating now. But after he turns 30, and he's still alone and single, I will kick him away and say, 'Why don't you go out and marry someone?' the singer said with a laugh.

Being a family man, especially when it comes to his active participation in charity concerts, has certainly been a boost to his career.

He said: 'My music creations work with my family status. I wrote a song for my son (My Dear Babe) that became very popular.'

'Hard father'

Wakin revealed that even though he's funny and self-deprecating on stage, at home, he's a self-confessed 'hard father'.

'I'm a serious father. I love to help my children with their homework. I get a lot of satisfaction from teaching them maths. Pi is 3.14, right?'

Then he promptly went on to give a lengthy explanation to this reporter about what pi really means.

Wakin believes being engaged in his children's schoolwork is his way of giving them a leg-up.

He said that when he was in school, he 'didn't understand a lot of things' and wished his teachers had explained things better.

But he agreed that it's not easy for his son growing up in his shadow.

He said: 'During high school and junior high school, I think my son used my name for his own credit. He would tell everyone that he is Wakin Chau's son.

'Then later, his schoolmates hated him. Even his teachers hated him.

'He told me during a men's talk over drinks one night: 'Because my father is Wakin Chau, they beat me up. I hate being Wakin Chau's son,' he said.

While fatherhood may be a challenge for Wakin, where his music career is concerned, he said he's at a stage where he's 'calm, balanced and happy'.

The stage for his concert next year will be styled like a rooftop.

'The roof, for me, is actually a romantic place. I go there to escape and sing my songs. That's the concept here. There'll be a huge screen and blue skies with clouds and clouds of white.'

But, of late, detractors have criticised him for rehashing old material at his shows.

Unlike most artistes, he does not plan to release a new album before this tour.

New is old

Wakin said: 'My new thing is always my old thing. The last time, it was my 20 year-anniversary concert. I had all my different songs from 20 years of my career to show to my audience.

'This time, I'm showing songs that really influenced me when I was younger. Like songs from the Beatles.'

When asked what he would say to fans who are thinking twice about going to a concert that will not showcase any new songs, Wakin seemed nonchalant.

'I'm not arrogant or anything but I don't think I need to do any extra promotion. For the last 16 years I've been competing with other singers.

'I used to look at the music charts, see where I was, and ask why are others selling more records than I was.

'I hated doing that. I don't need any of that now.'

FYI

WHAT: The One Wakin Live In Singapore Concert 2009

WHERE: Singapore Indoor Stadium

WHEN: 7 Feb, 2009 7:30pm

TICKETS: $168, $148, $128, $108, $78 are available from Sistic (Tel: 63485555).

This article was first published in The New Paper on Dec 4, 2008.