DAI Yangtian has an important mission to accomplish this year.

'In 2009, I hope to fall in love and have a proper relationship,' he said, with a wistful look in his deep-set eyes.

It might come as a shock to his legions of female fans, especially those who voted him Dude of the Year.

The 24-year-old, who pipped Caldecott seniors Christopher Lee and Tay Ping Hui for the top spot, confessed that he has not had a romantic relationship in nearly two years.

His last girlfriend, whom he dated before he joined MediaCorp, is a fellow Shanghainese.

Yangtian declined to reveal why they broke up.

'I'm a foreigner in Singapore and my family and close friends are not here with me, so it does get quite lonesome,' he said.

'It's worse, especially in the middle of the night, when I'm alone at home and it's dark and quiet all around.

'To be able to have somebody by my side, a special someone whom I can share my feelings with - that would be really nice.'

He hopes his future girlfriend is not from the entertainment industry, although he doesn't rule out the possibility of dating an actress.

He attributed his win to his fans, who sent in enough SMSes to ensure that he edged out the other nominees.

However, while he is delighted to win, he 'feels torn' at the same time.

'I know the age group of my core fans. They are all very young, in their teens and many of them are still studying,' he said.

'They don't have a steady income of their own, yet they are willing to send in so many SMSes and make so many calls just to support me.

'I appreciate their kindness, but I also don't want them to be overspending their parents' hard-earned money, more so in these times of recession.'

Yangtian is also poised to win Newcomer of the Year, as well as be among the front-runners for the Top 10 Popular Male Artistes, at MediaCorp's annual Star Awards, scheduled to be held later this year.