Local Mandopop queen Stefanie Sun has some doubts about her parenting ability.

"I can't cook and I'm not very nurturing. I can only sing and dance with my kids!"

The 42-year-old singer expressed her reservations about her parenting skills during an interview with local media today (February 1) to talk about her latest single "What Remains" (余额).

She added that perhaps other parents might also identify with the slight twinge of hesitation whenever they use the iPad or mobile phones to occupy their kids.

Still, the singer believes that every parent will make mistakes in their parenting journey; what matters most is that they continue working at it.

Most recently, she has tried cutting her son's hair as a way to show her love.

Here she is trying her hand at hairdressing with other guinea pigs folks.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CHsI_QBH5U5/

Disrupted by Covid-19 but important to continue moving

Persistence and resilience have been a recent theme in Sun's life.

She shares that the Covid-19 pandemic has severely disrupted the local music industry.

Citing the example of a guitarist who played at her recent online concert, Sun said that he turned to landscaping jobs when music gigs dried up last year.

His tenacity and I'm-going-to-do-what-works attitude really moved her, she said.

"It's not easy to stick to your passion...I think [the disruption from the Covid-19 pandemic] is a real problem and I'm sure that many Singaporeans are counting on each other. We don't see the end but what's important is that when you know you can do something you just do, just go for it."

An opportunity for creativity

One upside, though, from the pandemic is that the limitations (for instance, not being able to hold physical concerts) has pushed her and her team to think of creative solutions.

Last year, which was her 20th anniversary in the music industry, Sun put up two surprise online concerts — one in her office and one at Pasir Panjang Power Station — for her fans, in lieu of the huge mega concert tour that was originally planned.

"I'm thankful that we found ways to move," she added.

Being introspective about isolation

Back to her new single, which is an introspective piece on isolation played on a simple piano accompaniment, the star said that it explores the feeling of being overwhelmed with emotions.

It is the first piece that she wrote the lyrics and composed melody for in 19 years.

Why such a long time, you might ask.

Sun said that her past 20 years were so productive (she even had a collaboration with JJ Lin) that she simply had no time to ruminate. Unexpectedly, the disruption from the pandemic gave her a lot of time to be introspective.

In the press release that announced the single, Sun said:

"I hope those who listen to it can rediscover themselves, tidy up their emotions and then move on from it."

You can listen to it here:

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Top images via Stefanie Sun/Instagram