http://www.straitstimes.com.sg/life/story/0,4386,263698,00.html? Hit by surprise By Jill Alphonso HOMEGROWN singer Tanya Chua, who has been nominated for seven Singapore Hit Awards, says her initial reaction was shock. She was hanging out with a friend on Monday afternoon when she received the call from her manager informing her of her nominations, which include best female vocalist and best local artist. 'I wasn't expecting so many nominations,' says Chua, 29, over the phone with Life!. 'Every time I'm nominated for an award, I take it as encouragement.' The Awards - which are in their 11th year - are organised by Yes 93.3FM and the Recording Industry Association Of Singapore. Last year's ceremony saw about 3,000 people in attendance. The guest list included stars like Jacky Cheung, Stefanie Sun and girl band S.H.E. Though Chua has not won any major award in her 10-year career, she says she remains hopeful. She was nominated for best female artist at Taiwan's Golden Melody Awards in May but lost to Faye Wong. 'Awards are a bittersweet thing for me,' she says. 'I try to go with a relaxed attitude.' She is looking forward to meeting other artists whom she counts as friends, like Hong Kong singer Gigi Leung and Taiwanese band F.I.R., who are also nominated. She met the latter on Monday during their promotional tour here. Chua is recording her new album, which will be released by the end of this year. Though she holds the most nominations at the awards, she is up against other artists like Sun for best local artist and best female vocalist. Her album, Stranger, will be up against Jolin Tsai's Castle and Wong's To Love for best album production. Other notable contenders are S.H.E. and F.I.R. for best group, and Wang Lee Hom and Jay Chou for best male vocalist. # The Singapore Hit Awards will be held at Suntec City Halls 601 and 602 on Sept 10 at 7pm. Tickets at $28, $38, $58, $88 from Sistic (tel: 6348-5555 or www.sistic.com.sg). === 最新專輯被冰到年底啦… -- ▌ ▁▌ ▌▁ ▌|情報員標號: 218-166-74-11.dynamic.hinet.net |局中| ◤ ▌ ▌ ▌▃ ▌|隸屬☆單位: 中央情報局 (bbs.e-cia.net) |邑情| ◣