Ousted Singapore Idol Maia Lee brushes off talk of 'romance'
with Sylvester Sim
By Elisa Chia, TODAY
SINGAPORE : Ousted Idol hopeful Maia Lee insists that her
relationship with Sylvester Sim is nothing more than friendship;
they are "just very good friends".
The Singapore Idol finalists were caught by TODAY's camera,
behaving intimately in between a music video taping last week. It
sparked off rumours that romance is blossoming between the
two.
Maia, however, is said to be engaged to a drummer from her previous
band.
Prior to that, the 21-year-old also stood out from the other
contestants as the single mother with nine tattoos.
Did the chain of bad publicity ruin her chance to become
Singapore's very first Idol? Maia garnered the fewest votes from
television viewers last week and became the fifth contestant to be
booted from the final 11.
"I won't blame it on the rumours or whatever. It happened, it
happened," she replied coolly in an interview yesterday. Well, as
cool as one could be when one's nursing a blocked nose.
Still, the exit had come as quite a shock to her.
"The first thing I felt (when the results were read) was fury,"
said the lead singer of amateur band The Usual Suspects, which
released its second album last month.
Maia said she thought she could go far "I was hoping for a top
two position."
With who?
"Sylvester," she replied with a smile. "Because he has his own
style. He's rock-ish and can do R&B. He has the whole package
lah."
Despite their rumoured romance, she had no qualms talking about
Sylvester, 21.
Asked why she hit it off with him, she laughed and said: "Our
frequency level's the same
although I couldn't stand him when we
first met.
"When Beverly (Morata) and Benjamin (Eio) were around, the four of
us were hanging out. So, when the two of them were gone, I was left
with him!"
Sure, that sounded logical enough. But was her 28-year-old fiance
affected by the rumours? Maia confessed that he was unhappy with
the photo published in TODAY last Thursday.
"He saw that and wanted me to explain to him."
And what was her explanation?
"Eh, such private things you ask her
" her minder interrupted to
chide me.
But Maia, ever the tough girl who prides herself on being honest
and frank, was blasé about it.
"I just said, You should know me well. As long as I treat somebody
as a friend, I'll be very sincere to that person, even physically
close but not that close lah ...
"But now, things are fine. He understands. He knows I'm like that,
be it with a guy or girl."
She always carries a photo of him in her wallet, she said, and they
hope to tie the knot in two years' time.
For now, priorities on her to-do list are to catch up with her
friends and family "I took my son to Sentosa on Sunday!" and
continue to pursue to a singing career.
"I can do both English and Chinese songs," the Yu Neng Primary and
Ngee Ann Secondary School alumnus offered, laughing.
If she could have her way, her debut album would "definitely be
pop".
"But it won't be all fast songs. I actually prefer ballads," she
said before explaining her choice of primarily fast numbers in the
Idol competition.
"I already expected a lot of them to sing slow songs. I wanted to
be the only one who went out there, and just when viewers want to
go niao niao (take a toilet break), suddenly a fast song and a babe
come up, they'd go woah
then stay.
"I know I'm able to do it." - TODAY
