GOSSIP TIME

Maia on his mind? (Can't talk about her so he writes songs about her)

(source: http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/show/story/0,4136,85966,00.html? )


SYLVESTER Sim's feelings for a certain girl are for all to see in his new, anticipated Mandarin album, Take Flight.

You only need to listen to three rock ballads on the album to know his devotion to her. The songs, all about pining for a girl whom he loves, but cannot have, are written by Sly - as he's affectionately known - himself.

While he won't divulge who this mystery lady is, he dropped enough hints to suggest she is fellow Singapore Idol finalist and girlfriend-on-the-sly-again Maia Lee, 22.

In an interview with The New Paper yesterday, Sly spoke at length about how the emotions in his songs are genuine and reflect his own love life.

'There's this girl I like, but I can't tell her because she already has a boyfriend,' lamented the lanky 22-year-old in a mix of English and Mandarin.

'When the guy is not around, we get to talk and laugh and be happy. But when he's around, I have to stay away and pretend not to look.

'The feeling is not great. But I'm the sort who will stay by her side and take care of her when her guy is not around.

'I'll do things for her, and even if she doesn't accept it, I'm still thankful and I'd do it willingly.'
So, who is this mystery girl?

Sly, being sly, refused to reveal.

'It's for me to know and for you to find out!' he said coyly.

'I'd like to keep it to myself. I don't want people to think that I'm crazy in love, or that I'm a great person. This is between me and her, or maybe just me.'

But, he did admit that 'she's my most beloved person', and that love blossomed recently.
He stressed that it happened before he embarked on his music career as a recording artiste, but not counting the Singapore Idol competition.

When asked if his songs reflect his last relationship, he said hesitantly: 'I can't really answer that... I don't want to affect my career.'

Then, leaning forward with eyebrows slightly raised, he added: 'But, who knows if the songs are not about her? Thinking back, she had a boyfriend then.'

While he did not mention Maia's name, it is no secret that Sly met Maia during the Singapore Idol contest, when she already had a drummer-boyfriend.

The two recently made headlines when they quietly applied for a marriage licence but quickly withdrew when the press found out.

When told point-blank that he's being sly, he shrugged and said: 'I don't know... I'm willing to do things for her, but I won't reveal who she is, not even if I'm six feet under.

'As long as she's happy and I can see her smile, that's enough for me.'

Perhaps another dead giveaway are his two new eagle-shaped tattoos - one on his back, and the other, his right arm.

Incidentally, Maia sports 10 tattoos, including an eagle near her right ear. But Sly claimed he chose the same symbol because 'I just like eagles'.The one on his back was tattooed in the chilly outdoors in Taipei two months ago, when he was there to style his image and take photos for his debut album. He said he was alone when he passed by a shop in the hip district of Hsimenting, and decided to go for it since 'I've always wanted a tattoo'. Last month, he got another one on his arm at Queensway Shopping Centre.

He insisted his tattoos have no special meaning. Unlike his music.

He says he still loves her in a song

IF his lyrics are admittedly about his own love life, Sly fell for his 'most beloved' at first sight, and is still head over heels in love with her. Here's his love confession in the song, That's Why, translated into English:

I remember the first time I saw you

You had an uncanny magical power

I could feel myself yearning to inch closer to you

The second time I saw you, I didn't feel so happy

Because I sensed the distance between you and me

Is this love, or are you too beautiful?

It made me do incredible things All I know is that if it makes you happy, I'm willing to do anything to get close to you

I know it'll be tough on me, and I'll get upset

I know how sweet you and your guy are together, so I can only stay by your side and watch over you

Every time he holds your hand, my tears start to flow

But I can only back off quietly, suppressing my pain