SOO WINCCI FASTING TOO?

POP....Wincci shows off her first Malay Pop CD.

By : CHEW WAN YING

SOO WINCCI is serious about expanding her Malay fan base. On top of her first Malay pop CD, Terus Teranglah, the beauty queen-turned-entertainer wants to endear herself to the Malay community by joining them to fast during Ramadan.

"Many of my Chinese fans and friends are curious about my decision," she said. "But I just want to live the spirit together with my Malay friends."

Fasting is a challenging act, as many have pointed out to her, but she's asked her Malay contacts for tips and advice and she says she's already reduced her eating—and stocked up on dates.

Her popularity among Malay audiences soared when she was a finalist on MasterChef Celebrity Malaysia, something she didn't foresee when she joined the cooking show. The 27-year-old described the change as "drastic".

"Because of MasterChef, more people now know me and know that I'm also a singer," she said. "This is a stepping stone for me, and it will also help me polish up my Bahasa Malaysia."

The former Miss Malaysia World 2008 adds that she's always enjoyed Malay songs and she listens to a lot of Siti Nurhaliza and Kris Dayanti. "Every time I sing, especially overseas, I include a Malay song in the set." She says it's the best way to express her Malaysian identity.

For her CD, Wincci went to songwriter, producer and hitmaker Ajai, who composed all four tracks on her EP. "He tailors each song to my character, which he knows very well," she said.

She also describes him as very patient. "He let me take my time. He has great attention for detail and he gave me a lot of guidance. He would explain every aspect of the lyrics and he taught me to sing with heart and soul."

Adding his touch to the CD is Joe Flizzow, who's featured on the title track which he wrote the lyrics to. "When I heard it, I knew that it would be the first single because of how good it is," said Wincci.

However, they recorded the song separately because of their schedules. "I've yet to meet him in person," she said. "Hopefully we get to do a live duet."