SINGAPORE — Unlike her carefree on-stage persona, Sarah Geronimo, one of the Philippines’ most exciting musical talent, was surprisingly reserved. It was hard to tell over the phone, but she might have been feeling a little drained from an earlier photo shoot.

She introduced herself as “just Sarah”, as if she were a distant friend of the family, but preferred to keep talk about her private life to a minimum. She came across as fiercely protective of her “little secrets”, but added that people already have a window into her multi-faceted personality via her personal social media accounts. “When I’m not performing, people see a simple Sarah. An ordinary girl spending time with her family. I don’t even wear makeup! I just love living a simple life, cause that’s who I really am. I always go for comfort over fashion. I’m a t-shirt and jeans girl, complete with flat shoes.”

That is not to say there wasn’t much about her career to muse over. The pop princess, who turns 26 next month and performs in Singapore on June 29, was named best-selling Philippine Artist in 2013 at the 22nd World Music Awards, held in Monaco last May. It was the year she released her latest album, Expressions, which went on to top the iTunes Philippine charts with hits such as Ikot Ikot and Eyes On Fire.

It is also her 10th album, an emotionally eloquent collection of songs that she holds particularly dear. “It’s so hard to choose a favourite song!” Geronimo gushed. “I love all the songs, but especially Ikot Ikot. It’s about going in circles in a relationship … you’re going nowhere by fighting and arguing all the time, but you’re still so deeply in love with each other.”

Fans can only speculate how much of her life is written in the songs. She did, however, admit that she relates strongly to her character in her debut rom-com film Maybe This Time, which opened last month. “My character is both career and family-oriented and has to be true to herself to find true love. I believe you won’t be able to truly love someone if you aren’t being honest with yourself,” she added.

So, does she view the success of her movie debut as an opportunity to switch careers? “Oh, no way!” she exclaimed. “I would never give up my singing! I was seven when I knew that I definitely wanted to be a singer. It has always been my first love.

As for her debut gig in Singaporepresented by MediaCorp VizPro International, she said: “I’m really excited to perform for the Filipino community there and to see their beautiful faces.”

“I keep reminding myself that I’m real, simple and human,” she mused when asked how she deals with her successes.

With that, she distractedly adds, as if it were a whimsical afterthought: “The greatest advice I’ve ever been given, is to never forget where you came from, as well as the people who were there for you from the start. Those are the people who have been true to you and will keep you grounded in the future. People who love you basically ...”

Sarah Geronimo will be performing her Perfect 10 Tour in Singapore on June 29 at the Hard Rock Hotel at Resorts World Sentosa. Tickets from S$78 are available at SISTIC.