LOVE is everywhere on Tanya Chua's latest album.

All the 10 songs on the Mandarin record If You See Him are about that elusive thing - with lyrics running the gamut of emotions, from the uncontrollable dizziness of falling for someone to the heart-rending pangs of a withered relationship.

In real life, however, the local singer-songwriter admits with a wide smile that she is 'seriously single'.

Tanya was speaking to reporters on Monday at Mandarin Oriental Hotel to promote her seventh studio album, one that showcases her trademark deep, sultry vocals and sensitive melodies.

Of the irony of a single person penning love songs, the 34-year-old said in an interview with The New Paper: 'Of course, you'll need to have experienced love to be able to write about it, or else it won't be convincing.

'But I don't believe that you have to be always immersed in a relationship to pen love songs.

'When you're not, it's a good time to reflect on the past, to look back at both the good and bad moments you've been through.'

Tanya has had her share of failed relationships - she dated Austrian guitarist Lupo for five years before her brief romance with local composer Eric Ng.

The bachelorette, who has bagged the award for Best Female Vocalist twice at Taiwan's premier music event, the Golden Melody Awards, says one will be 'hard-pressed not to go into topics of love'.

'Love makes wonderful material for music. It's something people can relate to.'

Unlike her previous album, Goodbye & Hello, Tanya said she wrote most of the lyrics for the songs this time.

She said: 'Last time, when I didn't write my own lyrics, I felt like I was behind a wall and the lyricist had to implant my emotions into the song for me.'

And although she's not in a relationship at the moment, she professed to having no lack of inspiration.

'In this phase of my life, I realise I've become very talkative,' said Tanya with a laugh. 'I'm like a consultant to my gal friends - I hear their stories and give them advice on their relationship problems.'

But does she hope to meet Mr Right soon?

Contradictory crooner

Tanya said she 'can be quite contradictory' when the spotlight on love is turned towards herself.

'I really enjoy the freedom I have now,' she said wistfully. 'Being single, I can do a lot of things that I've always wanted, like go travelling alone.

'Like most single women above 30, I don't view boy-girl relationships as my top priority anymore.'

Yet, there is a side to her she sees blossoming for the first time, she added.

She said candidly that she used to be 'quite tomboyish' and 'entered relationships without thinking a lot'.

'It used to be, 'Oh, I can click so well with you, let's just hang out together then!'

'But now, I know I can be romantic too and I'm beginning to have certain ideals about love.'

A scene she witnessed first-hand in Paris - a city she says she adores so much that she visits every year - was the turning point, said Tanya.

While strolling along the streets of Paris, she saw a guy run towards a girl, lift her up and 'twirl her in the air'.

'It was exactly like what we see in Hollywood movies,' said Tanya.

It hit her then that she had never experienced such a touching moment before.

'Somehow, that moment just opened me up,' she said.

When asked what she cannot accept in a partner, Tanya revealed that age and height were prime concerns.

'It'll be hard for me to accept a guy who is much younger than me,' she said.

'Imagine, when I was seven years old, he might not even be born. It's kind of weird.'

And single guys out there, you can forget it if you are shorter than 1.8m.

Tanya may appear westernised and liberal, but the traditional girl in her does not believe in making the first move.

'I'm very 'retro' in that aspect,' she said, chuckling.

'If a guy doesn't take the first step to know me, I seriously don't think anything will come out of it.'

No long-distance dates for her either.

'Long-distance romances work only if both parties are totally committed and ready for either marriage, or a steady long-term relationship.

'Not for me now.'

While Tanya has definite boundaries about her MrRight, her instincts take over when it comes to music.

'For this latest album, I went online and surfed a lot of websites for inspiration,' she said.

On one of her online trawls, she came across a MySpace page belonging to a New York musician.

'He was a bassist and interested in collaborating with anybody who would be keen to work with him.

'On an impulse, I dropped him a message: 'Would you like to work with someone on the other end of the world?'

Tanya said they began corresponding and eventually realised they had a lot of common interests in music.

She then suggested that they collaborate with some other musicians, and they ended up working on a number of tracks for the new album.

Said Tanya: 'When it comes to music, I don't feel that you need to communicate too much. It's always based on instinct, you just have to go with gut feel.

'Let the music take you where you want to go.'

This article was first published in The New Paper