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Did you know that on the eve of the 2001 Oscars where she sang the nominated theme song of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (directed by Ang Lee, which won the Best Foreign-Language Film) Coco Lee had a nightmare in which she tripped on her gown and her high-heeled shoes as she went down a winding staircase while singing?

"That was scary," laughed Coco in an interview with Funfare Friday at the Holiday Inn/Robinsons Galleria Suites where she was billeted during her three-day visit to promote her second all-English album, Exposed (released by Sony BMG Music Entertainment). "The night before the Oscar Awards, I tried my gown on at home and I did trip on it. When I went to sleep, I had that nightmare."

Luckily, it didn’t happen in real life. Coco performed so well that everybody took notice of her, with some people wondering who the singer with the catchy name was.

Today, nobody asks who Coco Lee is. With 16 albums and over 10 million copies sold worldwide, Coco’s special brand of East-meets-West R&B and sultry vocals have made her one of Asia’s biggest-selling female artists. She was born in Hong Kong and was a kid when her family migrated to San Francisco. In 1993, Coco returned to Hong Kong and competed in the prestigious New Talent Singing Contest, finishing second. That victory convinced Coco to stay in Asia and pursue a professional career as a singer.

She signed up with Sony Music which released her debut Chinese album Yesterday’s Passion. It was a big hit. Fast-forward to 1999: Coco recorded her first original English album, Just No Other Way, which sold half a million copies throughout Asia and expanded Coco’s fan base in the US, Europe, Australia and Japan. The rest is, well, you know...

It’s Coco’s second visit to the Philippines (the first was five years ago to promote Just No Other Way). When she arrived at noon Friday from Hong Kong (where she is based), the first thing Coco asked for was a chocolate cake from Cookie Monster which a friend of hers has been gushing about.

"I love chocolate cakes," said Coco, "and I can hardly wait for that chocolate cake from Cookie Monster." (The Sony BMG people frantically looked for the reported only one existing Cookie Monster outlet in Metro Manila and I hope they found it.)

Funfare sat down for a 15-minute chat with Coco. Excerpts:

How much of you has remained Asian?

"Oh, a lot of me! I’m a dichotomy of the eastern culture and the western culture. Growing up in the States exposed me to different kinds of music and to accept new styles...to be more open-minded. The way I grew up was very conservative, traditionally Chinese. You know, family principles, closely-knit family, respect for the elders. The funny thing is that in our family, since I’m the youngest (among three girls), I have no authority to speak."

Do you deliberately inject an "Asian flavor" in your music?

"I always try to. But I didn’t want to do the whole album with an Asian sound or else people might get sick of it. My songs have an ‘Asian flavor’ with a bit of hip-hop. It’s a great chemistry, very interesting. You hear a lot of rappers try to do it but it sounds weird; it doesn’t sound real unlike when an Asian singer is doing it."

What’s the distinct Coco Lee sound?

"Hmmmm. I guess my voice has a bit of like the baby sound even when I’m singing mature songs."

You’re among the few Asians who have made it in the international music scene (including Indonesia’s Anggun and the Philippines’ Lea Salonga and Billy Crawford). There’s really a place for Asian artists in the international music scene. Has it been easy for you?

"It hasn’t been so easy. But I think it helped that I grew up listening to different kinds of music and when I became a singer I had a chance to go around Asia. I realized that there are so many talented singers in Asia, they’re so good, even better than singers from the States. I’m glad to have helped open the door for Asians and I hope and pray that many more Asians can just go out there and show people what they can do."

FHM has picked you as One of the World’s Sexiest. How did you feel about it?

"I don’t know. I think all women are sexy. I think they picked me because my figure is curvaceous. Some girls are very skinny and I can never be like them. I think men like women to have some flesh – you know, something to hug. If people call me sexy, I’m flattered. It’s a compliment. But I want my image not really sexy but vibrant, like healthy...something like Janet Jackson who’s sexy and but athlete."

What do you find sexy?

"Confidence. People who are confident and know what they want are, to me, sexy. Confidence is very important."

Based on that definition, who among female celebrities do you find sexy?

"I think Maggie Cheung (Hong Kong actress) is sexy, even if she doesn’t have big boobs and a curvaceous body. Gong Li is also very sexy. Catherine Zeta-Jones is very sexy. And Angelina Jolie, of course."

And among male celebrities?

"I always find (California Gov.) Arnold Schwarzenegger very sexy. And Brad Pitt, too. I think Tom Hanks is sexy in his own way. I had the chance to meet him and he’s sweet and charming."

Does sexiness help enhance the appeal of your music?

"Does it? I don’t know. I think visually it sure does. Every single pop artist out there is sexy; I’ve never seen a pop artist who’s not sexy, so maybe it helps."

It says in the press release that "all will be exposed" in your new album (Exposed). What are you going to expose?

(Laughs) "The whole album is very personal; I wrote a lot of the songs myself... things that happened to me... a lot of stories... relationships, good and bad ones. I wanted to create feel-good music. I want people to feel good when they listen to the album."

How do you maintain your figure?

"Workout and yoga. A lot of dancing; I love to dance."

Diet?

"I don’t eat much meat. But I eat a lot of chocolates."

You did a movie, Master of Everything, with John Lone (who played the title role in The Last Emperor). Do you feel as comfortable acting as you do singing?

"Yes, I do. It’s a big challenge to be an actress. We filmed in the worst environment possible; it was 10 degrees below zero. It was snowing, freezing! It was a romantic-comedy and I enjoyed doing it. I played a farm girl and it was challenging for me."

How old were you when you realized you could sing?

"I think I was about 16. I was always hiding when I was singing; I never really thought I could sing until I went to a recording booth with my best friend. We paid $ 5 and I recorded Last Christmas and Saving All My Love For You. My friend took the tape and played it in her father’s restaurant and she told me that people asked, ‘Who is it? I like to buy the tape.’ That was when I was convinced that I could sing."

Any role models?

"Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Debbie Gibson, George Michael, Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson."

What do you consider the Song of My Life? One song that really touches you.

"Mercy, Mercy Me – the Robert Palmer version, very jazzy with a bossa nova beat. It’s one song that makes me feel happy. The lyrics are very intriguing; they make you think about the world."

What, rather who, is your inspiration?

"Love and my fans."

Do you have a special someone, a boyfriend?

"Yes, yes, I have. His name is Bruce and he’s Canadian. He’s in the garment business. He’s great. He’s very sweet. A wonderful guy who’s supportive of everything that I do. He loves my album and he’s always there wherever I perform."

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