Despite his initial reservations, Soo's father eventually relented after seeing her passion for music.

But first, she had to promise him that she would keep clear of the industry's sleaze.

"Especially at smaller competitions, you really need to be careful. They can offer you anything. They'd put it in a very nice way: 'I think you have potential to win, can you come out with me for dinner, maybe we can chat about it.' I just tell them I don't do this kind of thing," she says.

Soo claims she has not taken up such offers and if she goes to dinner with the men, her parents tag along.

"I've heard stories of other girls getting into this sort of stuff, but I don't blame them because everyone wants different things," she says.

"It's all up to your conscience - as long as you think it's okay, then go ahead."

The shady requests extend beyond Malaysia. She has been asked by producers if she is the sort who would "pei chi fan" (a phrase which could also mean sleeping with someone).

She admits she has been tempted before, especially because the market is competitive and it is expensive to launch an album. But Soo claims she has stuck to her conviction to make it on her own. She took a RM1 million (S$396,000) loan to fund her career.

"Yes, the amount of money I can save is probably very significant (if I accede to their sexual requests), but it will wash away all my hard work.

"I refuse to lose my dignity and I don't want to take shortcuts," she says.

"The market in Taiwan is so competitive. RM1 million is not a lot. I spent half of it on advertising. To have my song played on a Taiwanese drama serial cost me RM$5,000 per episode.

"To have the weather forecaster hold my CD - just to hold it - I also have to pay. It's all about the money and product placement," she says.

Convincing her parents to be her guarantor for the bank loan and to allow their home to be used as collateral was no mean feat.

She says: "I quarrelled with my parents, my fellow artists said I was stupid and crazy, and asked if I was sure I wanted to do this.

"But I told my father this is a gamble, I need to go. I was already 27 last year, and if I didn't go out and explore other markets beyond the domestic, I feared that I would miss my chance."

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