SHE has been in showbiz for 25 years now, and it's easy to tell.

Meet Marina Xavier, who is, by her own admission, a hot-blooded Singaporean.

And may we add, a flamboyant jazz singer.

It isn't difficult to notice her, even in an extremely crowded place like the Bellini Room at St James Power Station on a Friday night, where she was there with her French husband.

You'd notice her the moment she walks in - she dresses dramatically, her actions are deliberate and she has a powerful presence.

Soon after her grand entrance, she was invited by Stephen Francis - keyboardist and band leader of Bellini's band - to sing.

And what a voice. The Singapore-born singer teased and pleased the crowd with the sheer effortlessness of a veteran.

Later that evening, we meet at the bar where I discover that Marina, like any self-respecting jazz singer (or at least the many I've met), likes her scotch.

She is as animated on a chair as she is on a stage, gesticulating and talking excitedly in that deep, husky voice of hers about people I've heard but never met.

Her husband, Nicolas, a music producer who worked on her last album, is the serious one - quiet and a lot more reserved, a foil to her.

And it was he who eventually ended the party, extremely politely and apologetically, explaining that Marina had a recording the next day.

So it was that some time after our prematurely-ended first encounter, we met again to talk about her latest project - her fifth solo album.

But this time, Marina appeared a little reserved - at least for a few minutes after the voice recorder was turned on. On her upcoming album, she said: 'It's an album of mainly love songs. It is something that I could only do now. I feel that artistically, emotionally and even physically, this is the time that I am finally able to do it.'

It is, of course, a jazz album 'with a local flavour'. There are a couple of French numbers and one in Spanish, too, perhaps a reflection of the places where she has performed.

Marina left Singapore in 1989, frustrated from having her original works turned down by record labels unwilling to pick up on a local singer.

She went to France, found work there as a performer, made several recordings on compilation albums and has since released four solo albums.

BEEN AROUND THE WORLD

She has performed in Europe, South America and South-east Asia, and returned to perform in Singapore in 1996 following the release of her hit single, Made in India.

She said: 'I perform wherever there are gigs now, whether it's in Europe, Asia or South America.'

There is, often, the added pleasure of working with 'a lot of wonderful musicians'.

'Olivier Hutman is one,' she recalled. 'There is also, of course, Jeremy Monteiro and the violinist on my current project, Shu Mei, who's an excellent musician.'

While overseas, she is very often asked where she is from.

'They'd go, 'Los Angeles? Massachusetts? New York? Brazil?'

When told she is from Singapore, she gets strange looks.

'I know why. They want to ask me whether I'm black or white. Then I'll tell them, 'hey, I got colour, lah',' she said, pointing to her skin and exploding into a deep, booming laugh.

For the most part of the year, she is home in Singapore.

'I'm a Singaporean,' she declares proudly. 'I am a resident of France, but I'm a Singaporean.'

LOCAL FANS

She finds that music lovers here have matured through the years.

'Some time after the turn of the millennium, around 2003 or 2004, I started to feel that the Singapore audience became more sophisticated. They are a lot more appreciative of jazz music, and they seem to know what they want,' she said.

She has even had young adults running up to her to ask for her autographs or have photos taken with her, something which was witnessed at the Bellini Room.

'Singaporeans are not stingy, they buy my albums,' Marina said. 'And these are not cheap pirated CDs we're talking about.'

As an artiste, she feels that recording an album is more difficult than performing on stage.

'That's mainly because my producer is a perfectionist,' she said.

So much so that everytime she completes a recording, the first thing she feels is not euphoria.

'Relief!' she said, bursting into laughter again.

'And apprehension,' she confessed. 'Well, just a little.'

An exact release date has not been fixed and the title of the album hasn't even been decided, but she promises surprises in this work, which should be available late February or early March.

'We intend to release it concurrently in Europe and Asia, but first, in Singapore,' she stated proudly.

It being the culmination of her life's experience, would she consider herself a work in progress these 25 years?

'I've been a woman at work,' she said, chuckling again.

Not a piece of work?

'You, ah,' she said, the mirth abruptly disappearing.

But it's just an act.

Marina has a weakness for the drama, and you can expect something dramatic from her soon.