Coco Lee says Singapore girl can be international supermodel
Hong Kong pop star Coco Lee, one of the guest stars for the current season of Asia’s Next Top Model, says that she’s rooting for one contestant to win – Nicole Lee from Singapore.
The 24-year-old photographer is the only Singaporean left in the competition, after Poojaa Gill was eliminated. Nicole is up against contestants from Malaysia, Thailand, Korea and the Philippines.
“I just looked at her, and I fell in love with her... I can imagine her on the cover of Elle, Cosmo, Vogue, you name it. I can imagine her as an international supermodel, representing Asia,” Coco said in a phone interview with Yahoo Singapore after getting to know the aspiring models during the show’s photo shoot challenge.
Having been in the media industry for almost half her life, Coco Lee is no stranger to photo shoots and shared her tips to looking good in photos. The international star says she does not eat after 5pm the day before and “usually when I have a photo shoot, I don’t eat at all on that day so I don’t have a tummy, and no allergies on my face from food.”
“You’ve got to be very disciplined,” she advised. “It’s all about delivering the shots and giving my best to the photographer and the magazine.”
The 38-year-old understands the difficulties of modelling, saying that “there are a lot of times when they are under a lot of pressure but they still have to sell the product.”
She recalled a photo shoot she did in Venice during the winter, when she had to stand in the cold wearing a thin evening gown. “[I was] freezing my butt off with my fingers and toes completely numb, but just pretending… Every single shot had to be smiling and enjoying as if this was like the most beautiful hot place in the world.”
For the upcoming episode, Coco also gets a seat on the judging panel, joining the show’s regular judges – supermodels Nadya Hutagalung and Joey Mead King, movement coach Adam Williams and photographer Mike Rosenthal.
A fan of both the original reality TV show and the spin-off, she said, “I was definitely very happy to be a part of it… I’d love to do more with them in the future.”
The singer talked about her plans for this year, including a charity concert in Hong Kong. She last released an album ‘Illuminate’ in 2013. She said, “Last year was a very good year for me, so this year is all about giving back!”
Coco also discussed her two-year marriage with Canadian businessman Bruce Philip Rockowitz. The couple have been together for 10 years, but she said, “Everyday still feels brand-new. We really treat each other like we’re best friends and we tell each other everything.”
She shared her secret to a happy marriage, advice she received from her father-in-law. She calls it her 3C’s — communicate, capitulate and compromise.
May a fourth C – children- feature soon? Coco said, “It is something I’m considering, but it’s all about timing. I believe in destiny. If it’s meant to happen, it will.”
CoCo Lee will be a guest judge on Episode 7 of Asia’s Next Top Model Season 2, airing on Wednesday, February 19, on Star World.
