She's a guitar-strumming, fresh-faced beauty who has won over audiences with her laid-back renditions of Yuna's Terukir Di Bintang and will.i.am's Heartbreaker.

Statuesque and lithe, The Final 1 contestant and resident babe Hashy Yusof has since earned herself a string of admirers online. Netizens have gushed about her good looks and dreamy voice and professed their interest in dating her.

Based on first impressions, the 18-year-old admitted that most people think of her as "loud" and "a party animal".

But that couldn't be further from the truth.

Hashy, a third-year aerospace engineering student at Temasek Polytechnic, told The New Paper that not only does she still have a 7pm curfew, she is exceedingly shy and soft-spoken.

Her seemingly introverted and quiet nature is hard to miss on the reality TV singing competition, which airs every Wednesday at 8pm on Channel 5. She's one of the Top 11 vying for the prize of $50,000 cash and a $50,000 recording contract.

"I'm very reserved and quiet, and I have confidence issues. I don't think I speak well and I have trouble with interviews. Sometimes I feel like breaking down because they scare me, but I don't know why," said Hashy, who wears braces and is currently single.

Hoping to speak less It was also the reason, apart from interest, that she chose to pursue an engineering course - in the hope that she gets to "speak less".

"The other contestants have also picked up on (my reservedness), especially (fellow contestant) Yuresh Balakrishnan, who told me not to be too hard on myself and assured me that I have no reason to not believe in myself," Hashy said.

Joining The Final 1 has helped her overcome shyness.

She said: "Even my mum told me, 'Wow, you're speaking to people now'. I've grown a bit."

Music also plays a big part in helping her express herself.

"Sometimes, I feel like I can say it better through a song," said Hashy, who looks to indie pop-folk singers Feist and Ingrid Michaelson as her musical inspirations.

On the show, Hashy also has a more feminine image and usually appears on stage in dresses. But she is not a "girly" girl and it's a style she has trouble getting used to.

"I'm usually in jeans. Dresses make me uncomfortable. But I'm slowly accepting it now," she said.

Even less "girly" is her ambition of becoming a pilot. She hopes to get a flying licence in the future, something she had to put on hold because of The Final 1.

"I've always been interested in aeroplanes and in becoming a pilot. I am still going to try to pursue that," she said.

But that doesn't mean a career in music takes a backseat for the aspiring singer.

"Music will always be something that I want to do and hopefully I'll do well in this competition to pursue that dream."

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