Sayang.

The Malay word for darling is a term of endearment usually used for a partner or spouse.

But that's what local singer-songwriter Taufik Batisah, 31, calls his mother.

"What can I say? I'm a mummy's boy because I'm the youngest and my mum dotes on me.

"I've realised that she's the closest person to me," The Final 1 judge told The New Paper over the phone recently.

Taufik and his two brothers were brought up by his mother after his parents divorced when he was 13.

He said that he was always inspired by his mum's determination. She had worked as a cleaner to support the family.

Said Taufik: "I'm sure she had her frustrations, but she never took it out on us."

Now, Taufik's mum doesn't need to work anymore - she stays with Taufik, who is taking care of her.

And his mum is sensitive to her son's emotions as well.

Madam Normainah Bachok, 60, is supportive of her son's career and she knows him well enough not to press him for details when he gets into "stress mode".

He said: "I don't go to anyone.

"I'm the kind who would work off my emotions at the gym or by skateboarding."

But when life gets too much, he turns to his "sayang".

Taufik recalled: "I really hit rock bottom about a year ago."

Declining to go into details of what got him down, Taufik continued: "The moment I stepped into her room, her motherly instincts must have told her exactly how I felt.

"I lay down beside her on her bed and she just started stroking my hair. It was like I was a kid all over again and I immediately felt like I was in my safe haven."

Taufik said that if he were to marry, it would be important that the future Mrs Taufik Batisah gets along with his mother.

"I will not be unfair to my future partner or my mother," he said.

"She would need to have tremendous respect for my mother."

But, added Taufik: "My mother is not the 'Cinderella's stepmother' kind. She is a very reasonable person."

- Catherine Robert

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