So everyone says she is yet another pretender to Faye Wong's throne - people say she looks like Wong and sounds like Wong - but Singaporean singer Mavis Hee Pee Hong has successfully dispelled any bad feelings that may have caused her.
'I don't mind any more,' said Hee, during a visit to the territory recently. 'I think I would be very upset if it had been my record company which created such comparisons because then it would have been exploitation of Faye Wong's name. But this is something that the media or the public has come up with.
'I admire Faye Wong for her personality and her contribution to the music scene. She is very artistic.' Hee's voice does share some similarities with the publicity-shy Wong, and both appear to have similar taste in clothes. But Hee does not think it necessary to change her style or her tastes because of these comparisons.
'I think being alike and imitating are two different things. A lot of people think I am 'cool'. Everyone's interpretation of the word is different. Just because I don't say a lot does not mean I am cool. And, since I haven't set out to imitate her, why should I change?' Hee has come a long way from being a commercial photographer's assistant to being called 'Singapore's new Heavenly Queen'.
The 22-year-old was discovered by songwriter and producer Chen Jiaming when he organised a singing contest in 1994. Chen had called for demo tapes from potential singers to scout talent for his new record company.
Even though Hee had long loved to sing, she did not think that dream was within her grasp. Instead she first set her sights on being an air stewardess and then finally a photographer's assistant.
