Anusha Ramalingam talks to all-rounder Syafinaz Selamat about what’s going on in her life.

She’s tall and she’s beautiful. But when she speaks, I am reminded of my school days when having to face a strict teacher (though not as good looking). However, this dichotomy only adds to the allure of Miss Syafinaz Selamat.

Pre-interview research turned up different aspects of the same profile, which begs the question: Who is Syafinaz Selamat really? A music degree graduate from MARA? A lyrical soprano? A lecturer? A reality show judge? A Capricorn?

With the power of Google behind me, I sat at the photography studio compelled to find out. Upon our introduction, I am struck by how young she looks – at least 10 years younger than she really is. But when she speaks, her tone and demeanour exude a confidence that is surely, in some way, attributed to knowledge and experience (and it is considerable). But who is she really? We spoke to her to find out.

What are you involved in right now? Tell us what your ordinary day is like.
I sing professionally. I also lecture at two universities here, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UITM) and Akademi Seni Budaya dan Warisan Kebangsaan (ASWARA), and I’m also the vocal master for the National Choir of Malaysia. My days differ from day to day. When I have classes, my day usually starts at 10:00am and can stretch until 6:00 or even 10:30pm. People consider me a workaholic. When I work, I don’t stop.

I give one-to-one voice lessons. In a single day, I often have students coming in back-to-back from morning until evening. Four nights a week I have choir rehearsals – from 8:00pm until 10:30 to 11:00pm. I also have photo shoots and shows on the weekends.

That is a lot to be juggling at the same time. Do you ever get time for yourself? What do you do to relax?
I rarely get free days. When I do, I catch up on my sleep! I like to do some reading for my lectures; keep myself abreast of what’s going on in the singing scene. Besides that, I love shopping! I think every woman will tell you that. I am the kind that tak boleh duduk diam (can’t sit still)! I need to go out. I’ll call my friends, my niece, or my sister and say, "Hey let’s go shopping lah".

In Kuala Lumpur you’ll always see me in 1 Utama Shopping Centre – I go to a beauty spa and gym over there. But I can shop anywhere, from the pasar malam (night
market) to Paris.

I’m also the kind of person who can’t not work. Whenever there’s a long break (which is very rare) I get very restless and I don’t know what to do with myself. That’s when I’ll be calling people to shop with me!

You look great! Tell us about your beauty and exercise regimen.
My personal assistant always laughs at me – she says, "You go on these reality programs and tell people ‘Oh, you breathe like a fish, like you don’t have enough air’, yet you are doing the same thing!"

I like to tell people I exercise, but actually I don’t. I think it’s really important to exercise, though.

Do you watch what you eat?
I never used to watch my diet, but since hitting 35, I do a little. I think your metabolic rate changes around this time. Last year I went to Germany, and in one month I actually gained five kilograms (I have a terrible sweet tooth, so I was gorging on cakes and I put on so much weight). I came back and I couldn’t lose those five kilograms. So I started to work out, and watch my diet – I was off rice for about two months. Now though, during puasa (fasting) month, it’s like... rice, rice, rice!

Being in the entertainment industry, do you feel pressure to look good all the time?
There’s always someone more beautiful than you. Being an artist, it’s very important for you to look good – to be presentable all the time. You don’t necessarily have to wear makeup but you need to look presentable.

Wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt is okay, but you cannot look sloppy. I like to dress up – even if I’m in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, I make sure I’m not sloppy. I always wear my heels! I’m a stiletto girl! It doesn’t matter if they are RM5,000 Manolos or RM60 Vinccis.

What is your take on cosmetic surgery?
Well, I don’t think I need it yet. Being a Muslim we are not allowed to do it [cosmetic surgery], but I think I might need it at some point. Not that soon, I hope! We’ll see. I’m really open to cosmetic surgery. I think everybody has the right to decide what he or she wants to do with their body and you shouldn’t judge them. If they’re comfortable with it, go ahead. But of course, you need to do a lot of research before you augment your body.

What might you have done someday?
My skin. I don’t think I have good skin – so it would be something to do with that. Every time you see people on magazine covers you think, "Oh God, when am I going to get that skin"! [Pause] Actually, maybe bigger boobs too! [Laughs]

Do you have any beauty secrets to share? What are your favourite beauty products?
I’m the spokesperson for Avon, and I use their products, but I do go to Clarins for my beauty spa treatments. My favourite products would be ones for the eyes, because I think that’s the first thing that shows your age (your eyes). Being 35, you really need to take care of your eyes, hands and neck. For the eyes, I love the Clarins eye mask and the eye gel from Avon’s Anew range. The only truly essential product for me is my eye drops. I had LASIK treatment a few years back, so my eyes actually get very dry.

What is your definition of beauty?
I think beauty comes from deep within. It’s a cliché, but I do believe that. I think that beauty is also about being beautiful up here [pointing to her brain]. You need to be smart – there’s no point being beautiful if there’s nothing between your ears. You need to speak well, express yourself. You need to know how to address people, and how to treat people; that’s really important. When you know how to do that, that’s beautiful.

Do you have any advice for women who feel pressure to look slim and beautiful?
Confidence is key. I think women in this millennium should be very confident with themselves. It’s not about whether you have a sharp nose or big eyes. Some people are so concerned about how they look that they’ve forgotten beauty is about who they are and what they feel inside. If you do not feel confident, if you do not know how to treasure yourself, you won’t be beautiful – it won’t show.

What can we look forward to from you in the future?
I’m working on my album now, which is a self-funded album. It’s different from what everyone else in Malaysia is doing – it’s something new.
It’s a fusion of western classical music and contemporary music, stylistically along the lines of Il Divo and Josh Groban. I’m classically trained. That’s my forte. I want to infuse classical music with pop music. So far, people seem to like my performances; I’ve been working on this for about six years now, and I’d like to see it materialise sometime next year – I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Is there anything you haven’t done that you would like to try someday?
I’ve always wanted to further my studies, but I find it very difficult because I have so many commitments, and I can’t seem to leave everything I’m doing. If I were to continue with my studies I’d have to leave everything, and start all over again when I’m back.

I think it’s important as a singer to know your instrument, but most people just jump into the pond without knowing what’s in the pond. If you want to be a doctor you need to go to medical school, so if you want to be a singer, you need to go to music school, or at least read up on it. Make sure you’re well versed within your field – which doesn’t happen much here in Malaysia. That’s the lecturer in me talking!

What I do now is go for intensive classes and courses abroad. Last year in Germany, I did a one-month intensive course with an opera singer. I had class everyday – an hour in the morning and an hour at night, with language classes in between. I hope I can do something similar every year, and I hope to go to Italy next year. I think it’s very important for me to make sure I don’t become complacent with what I have. You need to always upgrade yourself. I find it difficult to find teachers here who can coach me with my singing, so I have to look overseas.

Tell us something about yourself that people probably don’t know or may not believe.
I’m actually very gila-gila (crazy)! And I don’t think people believe that. People say I’m sombong (arrogant); I’m very garang (fierce). My students will say I’m very strict – when it comes to work, yes, I must say I am very strict. In my own time, though, I can be very crazy... but not all the time! If you’re lucky you get to see me being crazy lah!