Grammy-winning jazz singer and pianist Diana Krall is in a very good place in her life right now.

The 43-year-old Canadian has just finished a new album, slated for release early next year, and is happily married to British singer- songwriter Elvis Costello, with whom she has twin boys.

On how she balances music and raising young kids and the hugely successful singer says in her distinctive, slightly smoky voice: 'I'm older now and I want everything and I'm pretty much getting it.'

She is speaking to Life! at the Shangri-La hotel ahead of her concert here tonight at Fort Canning Park. It has been three years since she last performed here.

She is wearing an understated brown dress with matching bronze pumps. She looks tired and is nursing a cold 'from the travelling', but it is clear she is perfectly at ease with her place in the world at the moment.

That was not the case when her mother died in 2002. 'It was very devastating for me and I was thrown off balance.'

It took marriage to Costello, 54, in 2003 and giving birth to their boys in 2006 for her to come to terms with the loss.

'I see my mother in myself and it's just great. I had children later and I'm more settled in myself now. The only thing is I wish my mum was able to share it. But my sister does, and there's my dad; it's brought great joy to my family as well.'

She says simply: 'It's the best time of my life.'

Krall calls her as-yet-untitled new album as one where she is 'most comfortable with myself and it's a wonderfully freeing place to be'.

She describes the record, which features a 60- piece orchestra and comprises a mix of standards and ballads, as being cinematic and romantic. 'It's not a record you play before 6pm,' she says with a laugh.

For Krall, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole and Rosemary Clooney are among the best singers and she says people underestimate the difficulty of interpreting the standards.

'They fail to get the depth of the emotion. You have to make them different and sound as if they were written today. They're not just a bit of nostalgia.'

She may be a Grammy winner, but jazz purists turn up their nose at her glamorous album covers and musical stylings.

Krall thinks that the distinction between popular jazz and authentic jazz is sometimes a valid one, but it is just not something that bothers her.

'People like Frank Sinatra and Miles Davis never compromised their integrity, but they were also style icons. There shouldn't be double standards for women.'

She adds: 'I'm serious about what I do, but I'm also serious about my shoes.'

Besides, she points out that the genre of pop jazz has always been around.

'I don't see anything different from when Louis Armstrong was criticised for being too pop for doing Hello Dolly with Barbra Streisand. I don't care about that, it's the people's choice.'

With over 13 million of Krall's records sold, it seems clear what the people's choice is.

On the newer crop of singers such as Michael Buble and Norah Jones, Krall has her own take as well.

She sees Buble as helping to widen the appeal of jazz. 'How else are 13-year-old girls going to know the standards?'

So does she do anything special to prepare for a show? 'Don't do too many interviews,' she says with a laugh. 'I take care of myself and the best way to do that is to be happy. That's the root of everything.'

While in Singapore, she has been out shopping alone, and wandered around Takashimaya food hall. 'I met a lot of people just walking around and they were really friendly. It's always been a great experience here.'

Krall adds: 'I like to get out and just walk, be by myself and just enjoy myself.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Sep 26, 2008.