Expanding her horizon 

Her good looks, talent and great personality have been Hannah’s ticket to fame

The girl can’t help it. Being sexy, that is. In every photograph taken for this profile on her, Hannah Tan oozes sensuality, even though we tell her to vary her moods. “Hannah, try looking sad,” instructs this scribe. She puts on a frown but her body language says otherwise. “Hannah, look angry,” I try again. Nope, didn’t work. In the end, the best pictures were of Hannah doing what Hannah does best: her lips forming a slight pout, hands on the hips and eyes peering seductively into the camera’s lens. Bear in mind this is not a complaint. After all, Hannah Tan is best remembered as the sultry pop singer who was once voted by men’s magazine FHM as the most desirable woman in Malaysia. It didn’t help that for her Crossing Bridges debut album in 2006, Hannah was clad in little else but a white and pink bikini.

In person, the former beauty queen – second runner-up at the 2002 Miss Global Petite World Finals in Montreal and voted Miss Congeniality – lives up to the subsidiary title. She is every interviewer’s dream; not only does she show up on time, she comes with snacks for the crew. Come interview time, she answers every query candidly, even if it veers into sensitive territory, and always with a radiant smile.

Having relocated to Tokyo to break into Japan’s showbiz industry, Hannah jet-setted back to Kuala Lumpur recently for this shoot. She wastes no time in updating us on her life so far in the Land of the Rising Sun.

“I have been attending Japanese language classes regularly,” says the Penang-born Hannah who turns 28 this October. “It is important, especially in Japan, to know the language and culture in order to make your presence felt.”

Also keeping Hannah busy in Tokyo is the pre-production work on her new album, Redefined. “I have matured and grown a lot since Crossing Bridges,” asserts the half-Chinese, half-Kelabit beauty. “Now, I am doing things the way I want.
 
“My second album reflects the person I truly am and the experiences I have been through. It is self-funded and self-produced, and the tracks are personally written. Working on the album is a journey. I’d love to tell you more when I finally have something to show you.”