Singer Kelly Poon’s life is in something of a limbo at the moment, as she does not know if she is continuing her career as a singer or giving it up entirely for a normal life back home.
The 26-year-old’s contract with Universal Music will end next year and she is still discussing career plans with the record label.
The first runner-up in local Mandarin talent show Project Superstar (2005), who is currently based in Taiwan, admits that she feels lonely at times, and hopes to return to Singapore to spend time with her family and friends during the festive season.
Speaking to Life! over the telephone from China, where she is performing, Poon says: “I hope to be a regional singer based in Singapore and fly out to work every now and then.
However, if my new contract says that I should stay in Taiwan, then I guess I have to stay.”
She adds: “Meanwhile, I hope to spend the next two months in Singapore so that I can spend Christmas and Chinese New Year with my loved ones.”
She has come a long way since her Project Superstar days, with three albums under her belt. T
he first, Love Me, Kelly, was released only locally. But In The Heart Of The World and Smiling Kelly were released in Taiwan as well as in China and other countries in Asia.
Her songs, which range from ballads to dance tracks, have reached radio charts in Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan.
Taiwan’s China Times recently reported that she is hanging up her microphone and returning to Singapore Airlines as an air stewardess.
But the chirpy singer clarifies that this is not a done deal, although she is open to going back to flying, which she loves.
She says: “I am really unsure of my future next year. It really depends on how the talks go before I make a decision. I may switch jobs altogether and become a public relations manager or an events organiser. Right now, I won’t eliminate anything.”
There were also rumours in the media that the singer has not saved much money after three years in Taiwan, and has been living on a monthly allowance of NT$10,000 (S$430).
Poon dismissed the reports, saying that she earns much more than that, but spends only close to $500 on her personal items as her accommodation, food and transport are paid for by her company.
The media reports have surprised her family and friends, who have asked her if the rumours of her quitting showbiz are true.
She says: “They were shocked but also very supportive. I thought that my mother would be very worried but she was actually fine with it, because she knows that I am adaptable.”
She adds: “I am glad to have the support of my family and friends no matter what the decision is in the end. I know that they just want me to be happy.”
This article was first published in The Straits Times.
