Last Saturday saw a huge line of people waiting to gain admittance into the newly opened Lunar Asia Fusion Bar under the scorching sun. And the reason for their perseverance? The chance to meet the rising Asian superstar, Kelly Poon.

Since the release of her 1st album, Love Me, Kelly, Kelly has been a force to be reckoned with in the competitive Chinese Pop industry. Love Me, Kelly hit platinum sales when it was released in Singapore last year and during her Project Superstar days, she has been lavishly praised by the judges. 1 of the judges, Ye Peifen, even referred to Kelly as “Asia’s new Superstar”. That is why “At The Center of The World” remains one of the more anticipated albums in the industry.

But her road to success was by no means easy. She was originally ousted in Project Superstar due to having the least number of audience votes – a feat thought impossible even in retrospect. Though she managed to make a glorious comeback in the revival round, she did not take her win for granted and worked even harder to prove her worth.

Today, as she stand under the spotlight amidst the myriad of flashes from photographers and journalists from all over Asia, it is evident that her hard work has finally paid off. Even producer, Yao Chien, who’s worked with veterans like Coco Lee and Elva Hsiao, affirmed Kelly for the hard work that her status of stardom today can be attributed to.

“The Taiwanese media hail Kelly as the next Elva Hsiao because of her astounding dance moves but it’s her voice that is phenomenal. Her dance and rhythmic abilities today are the result of a lot of hard work. When I first saw her “Shakalaka Baby” music video, I was taken aback by the improvement she’s made in her dancing.” Yao Chien praised Kelly in Mandarin.

Her legion of fans today is a further testimony to the rising star’s appeal. During the press conference, a representative from Kelly’s fan club presented her with a huge soft toy of Mashimaro (a Korean cartoon character), hoping that her career would grow as fat as the Mashimaro character. Even her record label, Universal Music, presented her with a Louis Vitton travel luggage, which probably would translate into wishing that her career would travel far and wide.

The fans got more than just a glance of their idol as Kelly belted out 3 numbers during the meet-and-greet session. She started off with “Shakalaka Baby”, hyping up the atmosphere with the Mandarin adaptation of the Bollywood hit single, wearing a large t-shirt with a pair of hot shorts. She shared that during the production of “Shakalaka Baby”, she was expected to sing the song with different expressions before settling on one. Once, she even had to put on Disney’s Donald Duck’s voice and jump around like Pikachu in Pokemon, a daring act that received praises from producer Ah Di Zai who previously worked with Jolin Tsai.

Following “Shakalaka Baby”, Kelly sang the album’s title track. Inculcating French poems and traditional Chinese instruments, among many other influences into the song, “Love Me, Kelly” is a well mix of diverse cultures. Fans who are looking for something different would definitely enjoy this song.

Kelly disclosed her magic number of having 4 ex-boyfriends and dedicated “A Second Of Forever” to one of her previous boyfriends. “The song is about loving and losing. It’s also about relationships not always having to end badly.” Kelly explained.

With that, she ended her performance for the day, much to the sadness of her fans. After a hiatus from Singapore, it was long due for Kelly’s return to our shores.

Check out the exclusive video of Kelly’s hit single, “Shakalaka Baby”!