Singapore fans mad for Madonna
We catch up with singer's die-hard fans ahead of her concert
He won a Best Dressed award when he dressed up like Madonna in her Nothing Really Matters music video for a Madonna Madness party in 2000 at Zouk.
Since then, he has received offers to impersonate his idol at private functions and events, dancing and lip-syncing in drag and mimicking her signature looks.
Mr Abdul Rahman Selamat, 41, even has his own stage name.
Fellow Madge fans know the customer service officer as Madina, a moniker inspired by the 57-year-old US pop queen.
And she's the first thing Mr Rahman sees when he wakes up each day.
Almost every surface of his bedroom-turned-Madonna shrine is plastered with her face and filled with over $20,000 worth of posters, CDs, tapes, books, merchandise and collector's items.
Giant posters are taped to the ceiling, from which silver and pink disco balls hang.
His favourite magazine covers of Madonna cover his wardrobe doors.
Multiple display cabinets hold his Madonna-related prized possessions.
Mr Rahman even has several life-sized standees of Madonna in a corner of his room.
Of course, he'll be seeing her in the flesh on Sunday, having bought a $688 ticket for her first-ever concert here at the National Stadium, as part of her Rebel Heart world tour.
It will be Mr Rahman's eighth time watching the music diva perform live. He travelled to the US, UK, France and Holland for her past concerts, and he'll also catch her in Sydney next month.
The bachelor, who is the youngest of four children, first became a fan in the mid-1980s and had amassed quite a collection of Madonna memorabilia by 1988.
He frequently trawls US e-commerce site eBay for rare items including his most expensive purchase to date: a Like A Prayer exclusive promo box set that cost him $1,000 five years ago.
His collection grew when he and his parents moved to their current three-room HDB flat in Bedok North in 2000.
BEDROOM WITHOUT A BED
"I told my mother there's always space for Madonna in my room," Mr Rahman told The New Paper.
"I've never felt 'suffocated' by my collection. Looking at my collection gives me a sense of peace, especially when I listen to her music."
He's even willing to sleep on a modest-sized sofa bed to make room for his collection.
"My friends give me grief and ask me what's the point of a bedroom without a bed. But it's something I'm willing to do without," he said.
In the past, Mr Rahman's parents expressed concern about his obsession with Madonna as they did not want him to overspend.
"My mum has since accepted it, especially after I explained to her that it is also an investment," he said.
"Except that I don't think I will ever sell anything from my collection."
I've never felt 'suffocated' by my collection. Looking at my collection gives me a sense of peace, especially when I listen to her music.
-Mr Abdul Rahman Selamat
Madonna Rebel Heart Tour 2016 - Singapore (R18)
WHEN
Sunday, 8pm
WHERE
National Stadium
TICKETS
$108 to $1,288 from Sports Hub Tix (3158-7888 or www.sportshubtix.sg)
How far fans go for their idol
TATTOO
One Madonna fan inked his appreciation for the singer's latest album in the form of permanent body art.
The pop star posted a photo of the fan's tattoo on Instagram, showing a leg emblazoned with her album artwork, her face wrapped in black rope and the words Rebel Heart, captioned: "Monday off to a good start! #rebelheart".
SPRAY PAINT
A 59-year-old firefighter spray-painted signs and hung them outside his New York apartment.
The die-hard fan claimed he and Madonna were fated to be together.
One of the signs read: "M, the Universe brought us together in 1992 and again this year in Prague. Meet me please XXX."
His antics got him in trouble with the police.
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