The title of Coco Lee's new Mandarin album East To West might well describe her own life.

The 34-year-old singer was born in Hong Kong and moved to San Francisco at age 10 with her mother and two older sisters. Her father died when she was young.

She was discovered after she took part in the New Talent Singing Awards in Hong Kong in 1993. After a few albums with Capital Artists, she broke through to the big time with her self-titled Mandarin album with Sony Music in 1996, one of the top-selling albums in Asia that year.

Lee mixes elements of dance and R&B into her music and the versatile singer also records in Cantonese and English. She sang the theme song, titled Reflection, of the Walt Disney movie Mulan (1998).

After releasing her last album, Just Want You (2006), she took time off to travel and attend concerts in search of inspiration.

During press interviews at the Ritz-Carlton, Millenia when she was in town for the President's Star Charity show, a bubbly and spirited Lee flitted easily between English and Mandarin.

She is also comfortable speaking Cantonese and says that she can think in whichever language she is speaking in.

'I'm most comfortable singing in English actually because I know exactly what I'm singing,' she tells Life!.

'Some of the Mandarin words, I don't know what they mean and people have to teach me, so it's harder to express sometimes.'

The singer is based in Hong Kong and has been engaged to Canadian businessman Bruce Rockowitz, 51, since 2005.

1 The title of the album is East To West, so which are you more comfortable with?

Probably East, actually. If you really know me, everything I do is so Eastern. I have to have rice every day. If I don't eat rice, I get very uptight.

That's exactly what happened to me in Las Vegas a few years ago.

The whole family went and the Chinese restaurant in the hotel wasn't ready yet. There was only Western food and I was going mad.

Relationship-wise, it has to go through mum, she has to approve the guy. That's very Chinese.

The attitude towards work, being very focused on work and working hard, that's very Chinese.

2 How did your fiance Bruce Rockowitz win over your mother?

The first time they met, because I wanted her honest opinion, I told her nothing about the guy as I just wanted her to observe him.

Usually she's very guarded and she has a very intimidating demeanour, she's tough.

During the dinner, he was trying to talk to her and she said nothing. It was like, 'Oh my god, it's a disaster, she hates him, she hates him'. But then he was talking to my sisters and asking them questions.

At the end of the evening, I asked her what she thought and she said: 'Kind-hearted, good man.' I asked: 'How do you know that? You were so mean to him.' She said: 'No, I was observing him.'

One thing I love about him is that he also came from nothing. He worked from the bottom to be president of a trading company so he understands what I went through to get to where I am today.

We cherish that. He's very supportive of what I do right now and never gives me any pressure at all.

3 How do you get along with his daughters Rachel, 14, and Sarah, 10?

So well. I'm so lucky. They're very sweet to begin with.

I get along with his ex-wife as well. There were times when we spent Christmas together. When she goes on vacation with her fiance, we'll take care of her dog.

It's kind of like the Bruce Willis and Demi Moore situation. We know it's the four of us who are the parents of these kids.

We have to give them a good environment and be a good example.

The first time I met them, Bruce thought that since I'm a singer, let's do it at a karaoke place. Sarah was about five then.

I'm like: 'You want to sing Britney Spears stuff?' She loves Britney so I got all these songs and then asked her: 'How come you're not singing?' She said: 'I can't read those words yet.' It was so funny.

I'm just lucky because I've heard horror stories and you watch it in movies too, you know how horrible it can be. But it's just been perfect, it can't get any better.

4 How do you make time for the people in your life and have a career at the same time?

It's a balancing act. Before I began working with producer Yao Chien, I explained to him my situation. I have a great family and I'd love to spend more time with them now.

It was really 13 years of just work, work, work and I never even had a chance to take my mum on a vacation. It's horrible. I told him: 'I really have to live life now. I don't know how much more time I have with my family, who knows what will happen?'

It was triggered by the natural disasters that happened around the world or you hear about deaths in someone's family. It's horrible how people could go just like that.

You never know if someone you love could just not be around anymore, so cherish them.

5 What about making time for your fans on Twitter?

It's a very powerful weapon. But I couldn't get the username 'cocolee' as that had been taken so I use 'cocolee117'.

At first, many fans asked if it was really Coco Lee. I had to prove that it was really me so I took a picture of myself at home.

I've used it to ask my fans questions. When did you first listen to my music? Why do you like me? I find these stories very inspirational.

6 What was one concert you saw that inspired you?

Britney Spears, definitely. I thought it was fantastic. It was so well-choreographed. It was a show. Whether or not she lip-synched, the point is she came back out to do her thing again.

I think she went through some traumatic times and I really applaud her for coming out again, so I was there to show my support. I thought she was brilliant and she looked gorgeous.

7 How do you feel about making it to No. 15 on E! Entertainment's list of sexiest pop divas, beating some big names such as Kylie Minogue and Jennifer Lopez?

I was like, 'No way, you're kidding me'. I had people from the States calling me, I had people from Australia calling me.

I was surprised they still remembered me from years ago, I haven't been to the US to do promotion in a long time.

I think sexiness comes from confidence. It has to. When you're confident, you exude sex appeal and charisma.

I don't see myself as sexy but I'll take it as a compliment when people call me sexy. I like to be thought of as cute because I think that lasts longer.

8 Complete this sentence: If I could live my life all over again...

I wouldn't change a thing. I think I'm so blessed to have the life that I have and to have the talent that I have. I'm lucky that my voice brings people joy.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times.