SINGAPORE — It is hard to believe, but it has been four years since Tanya Chua last held a full concert here in Singapore.

Speaking to TODAY behind the scenes at the President’s Star Charity show on Sunday night, the Singaporean star said she was not only excited to share her new music with her fans, but also a brand new Tanya, at her upcoming concert here in December.

“So many things have happened during the last four years,” said the Mandopop star. “I’ve evolved so much in the last four years, my music has changed, my whole entire self has changed. It’s like bringing a new Tanya back to people, and (I am) just so excited to see how they can take it.”

The singer spoke of how she has changed and grown as a person, spending the last few years reflecting on what makes her happy. “I realised there was a lot of negativity, those many years of layers of self-bashing, which I don’t think anybody would understand, but I give myself a lot of pressure to excel and to do a lot of things,” said Chua. “I realised I was not a happy person, I didn’t know why. I spent a few years facing my own demons and knowing my own weaknesses.”

As for her concert, Chua said her show will feature both songs familiar to her fans and audiences, as well as her new music — presumably from her experimental Mandarin album Aphasia, which was released late last year and nominated for six awards at this year’s Golden Melody Awards in Taiwan.

“The best thing about holding a concert in Singapore is just to be back home. It’s also very interesting because I’ve been away for almost ten years, I feel a little outside the circle now, but I feel Singaporean. There’s always a little bit of conflict,” said Chua, who is now based in Taipei. “(But) because you are coming home, it’s always the case where you feel your own people would always be the hardest on you. Somehow, to my surprise, I’ve had really harsh critics in the past when I’ve come back. But you take it with a grain of salt.”

Her current contented frame of mind will serve her well for her concert — with or without detractors. “For me being in this state that I am right now, I feel like I really can just enjoy myself without putting so much pressure on trying to please and get good reviews from the critics.”

Tanya Chua’s Lemuria 2016 World Tour concert will be held at The Star Theatre on Dec 10. Tickets from S$98 to S$178 are available from apactix.comvwv