COCO Lee’s concert organisers had earlier billed her latest gig as “possibly her last in Singapore”, sparking speculation that the vivacious pop diva might soon be retiring from showbiz.
But at her concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Saturday night, the 35-year-old Hong Kong-born vocal powerhouse made no mention of leaving the entertainment industry. And she gamely confirmed her wedding plans in front of a 7000-strong crowd. “A date has been fixed,” she exclaimed jubilantly,beaming from ear to ear.
“I’m getting married at the end of October next year.”
There is a high chance she and her fiance will be back on our sunny island to exchange nuptials.
Amid rousing applause from her fans, Lee said: “We’re down to two locations for the (wedding) venue, it’s going to be either Hong Kongor Singapore.”
Playfully teasing the audience, she added: “If you cheer louder, we might just decide to do it here!”
Engaged since 2005 Lee, who grew up in San Francisco and holds both US and HongKong SAR passports, has been engaged to 51-year-old Canadian businessman Bruce Philip Rockowitz since 2005.
Mr Rockowitz is the president of a trading firm in Hong Kong and chairman of the Pure Group, a lifestyle brand in Asia that owns the chain of Pure Yoga studios.
On Friday, the couple graced the official opening of the brand’s first Singapore Pure Fitness gym, located in swanky new Orchard Roadmall Knightsbridge. She was in top form during her three-hour concert, one that displayed an impeccable set of pipes, effortless falsettos and showcased Lee’s vast repertoire from a music career spanning 17 years.
It was clear that her die-hard supporters had been waiting a long time to see their idol live again.
It is evident in the way they sang along enthusiastically to her hit ballads such as I’m Still Your Lover and Really Want To See You. The singer’s last ticketed gig in Singapore was at the Suntec Convention Hall in December 2000.
Between songs, the curvaceous songbird did not hide her tender affections for her significant other.
In a thank-you speech to family and friends, she praised Mr Rockowitz as “a really wonderful man”.
Then, as cameras panned to show her fiance seated among the audience, grinning, Lee said cheekily: “Hmm, who’s that good-looking dude? I want to date him out.”
Dazzling, too, were the flamboyant outfits she donned. Makingnoless than seven costume changes, she morphed effortlessly into different well-known characters.
There was cutie pie Barbie, complete with blonde curls andbig pink ribbon. There was also Tang Dynasty’s renowned concubine Yang Guifei decked out in a majestic purple gown and Egyptian queen Cleopatra covered in peacock feathers with a goldmohawkperched on the head. But nothing could beat her yellow skintight leotard when it came to being the most attention-grabbing. Not only did it bare lots of skin, it showed off Lee’s enviable voluptuous figure and lean, sculpted legs.
There were moments when Lee veered into risque territory, peppering her banter with sexual undertones.
When she got a Singaporean man to propose to his girlfriend on stage, she quizzed them after they’ve kissed: “What? Notongue? Okay, later.”
Before she kicked off the first bars of her song Sweet Baby, Lee told the audience: “Should you feel like making out during this song, feel free to. Just remember to keep your clothes on.”
This article was first published in The New Paper.
