Is Singapore's best-loved songbird Stefanie Sun ready for motherhood?

She did not explicitly admit that she and her husband are trying for a baby.

But the 33-year-old star expressed her desire for children when The New Paper spoke to her backstage at the Singapore Hit Awards on Saturday night.

"Naturally, it's the next step for us," said Sun with a wide grin.

"Now, it's shun qi zi ran (a Chinese idiom that means let nature takes its course)...You can't rush such things."

Sun and Mr Nadim van der Ros, a 34-year-old Dutchman, registered their marriage on March 31 and held their customary Chinese wedding banquet on May 8. The Singapore Hit Awards, an annual music event which recognises the best in Mandopop in the past year, was Sun's first public appearance on home ground since she tied the knot.

In front of a screaming 4,500-strong crowd at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, she emerged the biggest winner of the night. She clinched five of the seven accolades for which she was nominated, including Best Album Producer (for her latest album, It's Time) and Most Popular Female Artiste.

Looking elegant and graceful in a bare-backed toga dress, Sun was a picture of domestic bliss when compere-radio deejay Siau Jiahui asked her which of her current roles - wife, singer, lyricist, producer - gave her the most satisfaction.

"It's quite obvious right?" said Sun, beaming from ear to ear.

"Of course, it's..."

The famously reticent singer left her sentence hanging in the air.

But for her throng of ardent fans who erupted in cheers as she picked up her awards, there was certainly no doubt what the answer was.

Sun had kept her marriage under wraps until she was forced to make it public after the media found out and splashed the news in the papers in April.

The singer appears to be taking very well to married life.

"I used to think marriage was just a piece of paper," Sun told The New Paper. "But now that I've made the commitment, it really does feel nice and reassuring."

Does she have trouble spending quality couple time with her hubby, what with her hectic schedule and overseas engagements?

"We would specifically set aside Saturdays just for us, like a 'date day'," she said.

"However, we haven't had the time to travel together after our wedding."

According to entertainment portal Sina.com, Sun and Mr van der Ros did not have a long honeymoon.

Instead, in July, they went for a three-day holiday in Taipei, where the singer took the opportunity to catch up with celebrity pals A-mei, Dee Hsu and Christine Fan.

No vanishing act

She allayed the fears of supporters who are wondering if she will again disappear from showbiz to focus on her family.

"My family and loved ones have always been my top priority, and they will still be...In this aspect, I've always been a little self-indulgent," said Sun.

"But music has already become a part of my life. I won't cut it off."

She took a break in 2007 and returned to the music scene only early this year.

The Singapore Hit Awards, organised by MediaCorp radio station YES 933 and into its 17th edition, has long been Sun's playground.

Since 2000, she has been consistently picking up trophies at the awards ceremony.

But on Saturday, she was noticeably less confident about her chances of winning.

She was spotted sticking out her tongue and looking very anxious just before the presenters announced her name for the Most Popular Female Artiste award. "This is a very fickle industry after all," she said.

"I'm just happy to be doing something I like...and I feel I'm very lucky to be relevant after all these years."

Clutching her trophy on stage, she told the crowd: "I was actually quite nervous. Those singers nominated in my category are either younger or they have better figures than me."

Other contenders for the popularity award included S.H.E's Hebe Tien, gal pal Jolin Tsai and mainland Chinese diva Ding Dang, who had brought the house down earlier with a soaring rendition of classic soft rock anthem I'm A Little Little Bird.

Bossa nova chanteuse Olivia Ong was another big winner on Saturday.

She pipped veterans Kit Chan and JJ Lin to bag the Best Local Artiste prize, a first for the 26-year-old.

"I think this proves that anyone can have a dream," she told The New Paper backstage.

"However, I've been singing in Mandarin for only two years, so it's too early to say if this is a career milestone for me."

Local comedians Dennis Chew (playing his female alter ego Aunty Lucy), Hossan Leong and Michelle Chong (who stayed in character throughout the night as Ah Jiao, the protagonist in her coming debut film, Already Famous), provided plenty of laughs as presenters.

"Tom Price here has a very unique surname," Chong said with an authentic Malaysian accent as she presented an award with the handsome Hong Kong-based British-Chinese actor.

"It rhymes with NTUC FairPrice!"

This article was first published in The New Paper.