HER new album may be titled Ready For Love, but love is the last thing on Tata Young's mind.

In a recent phone interview with The New Paper from Bangkok, the sexy, curvaceous 28-year-old singer revealed that when it comes to relationships, she's 'not taking it seriously at all'.

'I'm very focused on my work now. It'll be really hard for me to keep a boyfriend.'

The 'love' she is ready for, she emphasised, refers to the wholeheartedness she pours into her music.

After thrilling listeners with catchy tunes such as Sexy Naughty Bitchy and El Nin Yo, she is back with a third album for international release, featuring her trademark groovy dance tracks.

It's likely that a broken engagement may be the reason for her current disinterest in romance.

In November 2007, she got engaged to Mr Prem Busarakamwong, the son of one of Thailand's biggest Muay Thai promoters and sports equipment moguls.

A lavish traditional ceremony was held for the lovebirds. Not surprisingly, it was covered extensively by the Thai media. Mr Prem reportedly presented his fiancee with cash, gold, cars and land worth more than 100 million baht ($4 million).

But less than a year later, they called off their wedding, originally slated for August last year.

No reasons were given.

Over the phone, she sounded reluctant to discuss that particular episode in her life.

She said: 'To be honest, I'm not comfortable talking about my personal life. It (the engagement) just didn't work out.'

She added that she finds it 'difficult to maintain a relationship'.

'I've begun to realise that the only relationship we can truly rely on and trust is the one which we share with our family.'

Before Mr Prem, she had a highly publicised relationship back in 2003 with Thai tennis star Paradorn Srichaphan, a former world top 10 player.

Though brief, their courtship became a major talking point among the Thai people, primarily because of Tata's frankness.

Her readiness to publicly admit that she was in love with Paradorn challenged the polite, obedient image of Thai women, reported The Nation newspaper.

Too frank

Some conservatives criticised her openness, calling it 'unacceptable'. But she stoutly defended her right to speak her mind.

Said the singer, who has an American father and a Thai mother: 'I'm not 100 per cent Thai; neither am I 100 per cent American, but I know my parents have taught me to be outspoken. 'They've been very supportive, always encouraging me to be opinionated.'

She added that as times change, 'Thailand is changing too'.

'You'll notice that these days, people in Thailand are increasingly encouraged to be more outspoken.'

While her relationship with Paradorn is history, she said that they 'are still good friends'.

'Of course, we're not on the phone all the time, but we chat from time to time,' she said.

She has even met his wife, Miss Universe 2005 Natalie Glebova, who was a contestant on The Amazing Race Asia 3.

Paradorn married Miss Glebova, a Russian-Canadian, two years ago.

'I've met up with her (Glebova) a couple of times. She's beautiful and a wonderful person,' gushed Tata.

Mention that it's amazing that she and Paradorn can keep a firm friendship following their break-up and Tata laughs.

She said: 'Oh, we were both young back then. It's nobody's fault as to why we broke up. So what's the point of being angry with each other?'

Since bursting onto the Thai pop scene at age 15, Tata has sold 14 million albums worldwide.

She is best known for her inspirational upbeat number I Believe, a top-20 hit single across East Asia which was selected as the official theme song for the 2007 Asian Cup, the continent's premier football tournament.

The often provocative, raunchy image she displays has garnered mixed reactions.

Thailand's Ministry of Culture banned the music video of El Nin-Yo! in 2006, deeming it 'too sexy'.

Like most of her videos, this one for the first single from her second English album, Temperature Rising, featured the sexpot cavorting suggestively in various stages of undress.

A particularly scorching scene has real flames licking a wall behind her as she gyrates on a bed, exhorting: 'I need rain, rain, rain. I'm burning up in here.'

The sprinklers turn on, leaving her drenched.

Naturally, her predominantly male fans lap it up. She has made the list of FHM Magazine Thailand's 100 Sexiest Women for three consecutive years, from 2005 to 2007.

She is no stranger to Singaporeans either.

In 2006, while in town to promote Temperatures Rising, she performed at Dragonfly, St James Power Station, sending the usually reserved local audience into a frenzy with her signature seductive grooves.

In 2004, she was part of the judging panel for the Miss Singapore Universe competition.

Beyond music, Tata has set her sights on being an advocate for environmental and social issues.

She was recently appointed the spokesman for the United Nations' My Ozone Wish Campaign, to increase public awareness of ozone depletion.

She said: 'I would love to be a humanitarian figure like Angelina Jolie. She has done so much for the refugees in the world. She (Jolie) is definitely a role model for me.

'The only thing I can't achieve is having so many kids like her. I don't think I can ever have that many.'

This article was first published in The New Paper.