CHINESE singer Ding Dang does a sexy pose for the cameras with ease.

Believe it or not, the feminine allure of this 26-year-old was honed virtually overnight.

After all, in her first two albums – Running Away From Home (2007) and Decisively Loved (2008) – she’s better known for her vocal prowess in crooning ballads.

But for her latest album Night Cat, released last September, she sheds her girl-next-door image.

In the music video of the titular track, she flaunts her figure and prances around in knee-high heeled boots, short black skirt and leather gloves.

So how did the Taiwan-based singer – whose real name is Wu Xian – morph into a sex kitten?

In town to promote Night Cat, she told The New Paper she was inspired by US R&B pop diva Beyonce.

Her Taiwanese label B’in Music International even brought in Beyonce’s choreographer Sheryl Murakami to give her a crash course on dancing.

Said Ding Dang: “During rehearsals, the heels I wore were even higher than the ones you see in the music video. As I only had three days with her, I trained so hard that I had a stiff neck and my legs were hurting.”

Parents disapproved

She also took up a course on belly dancing from another instructor in Taiwan.

This self-professed food lover also went on a diet to get a sexy waistline.

The 1.6m-tall babe used to weigh 55kg a few years ago, but weighs only 46kg now.

She said: “I want to be a multi-faceted artiste who can constantly surprise the audience. I guess it’s natural for girls to grow up and discover the sexier and more feminine side of themselves.”

Yet, she says she’s a tomboy at heart – even till today.

“I’m independent and I always seek to protect others.”

When she was 18, the Zhejiang, China native ran away from home to another part of the province to pursue her dreams to be a singer. Her dad is a retired factory worker and her mum used to be a Chinese opera singer.

Said Ding Dang, who’s their only child: “Although my parents allowed me to learn the piano and the violin when I was young, they refused to let me sing in pubs.”

They felt that it was improper for a girl and wanted her to be a seamstress instead.

So she packed her bags and didn’t communicate with her parents while away. Two years ago, Ding Dang reconciled with them.

Fighter

She sang in various pubs in Zhejiang for five years before she was relocated to Taipei by B’in Music International.

She told us she got into two fights during her days as a pub singer.

She recalled: “Once, my friends and I were in a pub. Due to a misunderstanding, three or four men became aggressive towards us. When we were about to leave, one of them tugged at the shirt of my male friend.

“Wearing a skirt and heels, I punched that man in the face.”

She was only 20 then.

Two years later, before a performance in a pub, Ding Dang bumped into a drunken man while waiting for the lift.

“He kept touching my shoulder, so I pushed him away and gave him a tight slap.”

Some Chinese reporters, however, aren’t sold on Ding Dang’s sexy alter ego and feel she’s still sub-par compared to other singing, dancing queens like Taiwan’s Jolin Tsai.

Several even accuse Ding Dang of riding on the popularity of Taiwanese rock band Mayday, who’s also signed by B’in Music International.

But Ding Dang says she only uses Mayday’s compositions because she’s not a songwriter.

“They write wonderful songs, so how can I resist singing them?” she said.

She also said that it’s necessary for showbiz newbies to depend on their seniors to gain performing opportunities.

“That’s just how it works and I will try my best to help my juniors too in future,” she added.

She also admitted that there’s some room for improvement in terms of ramping up her sex appeal.

“The guys from Mayday keep telling me I can be sexier.”

She added with a laugh: “Maybe I should wear less for my performances and show more confidence, which I believe will come with experience.”

This article was first published in The New Paper.