Sam Willows ‘won’t be like Taylor Swift’, wrting about every single ex

Another local music heart-throb may be off the market.

Following in the footsteps of fellow vocalist and pal Nathan Hartono, who recently announced he was in a long-distance relationship with Dutch-Korean singer Na Young Jeon on Instagram, singer-actor Benjamin Kheng from home-grown pop group The Sam Willows has also dropped hints about his budding romance with model Fiona Fussi on social media.

On March 1, Kheng posted a picture of the 22-year-old beauty on Instagram.

Last month, Fussi, who is of Austrian and Chinese descent, posted a short video of them starring on an episode of The Smart Local's TSL Plays on her Instagram account.

But when asked about Fussi, Kheng, 27, was not ready to spill any beans and dodged all questions.

He was speaking to the media last Thursday at the press conference of The Sam Willows' sophomore album I Know, But Where .

Joining him was his sister, bassist-vocalist Narelle Kheng, percussionist-vocalist Sandra Riley Tang and lead guitarist-vocalist Jonathan Chua.

Fussi was also present during the press conference and interview, and she was beaming as Kheng performed two singles, Robot and Papa Money from I Know, But Where.

PRIVACY

Kheng told The New Paper: "Nothing is really private any more, but you know, (being a celebrity) is a job.

"It is very much a part of my life. In the past, I have been open about my career emotionally and sometimes good came out of it, sometimes it took a toll."

So when will the couple go public with their relationship?

He said: "I will do what feels right. It is not like I wouldn't share about my life. When I feel (it is time) to do so, I will."

Chua, 28, added: "There are a lot of people who are happy in their relationships who don't talk about it. They keep their social media and private lives (separate)...

"I guess it is not like the Korean or Taiwanese kind of thing where when (the stars) go out with their partner, they need to wear a mask. I think here it is different."

When asked if any of the album's tracks were inspired by his own experience in relationships, Kheng quipped: "For (The Sam Willows), we really treasure having a personal life too.

"We are not going to be like (US pop star) Taylor Swift and write about every single ex we have."

Chua's wife, Malaysian TV presenter Amanda Chaang, 27, also turned up at the press conference to support her man.

The couple tied the knot last month after he proposed to her in New York last December after a year of dating.

Chua made the first move by asking Chaang to meet up in Kuala Lumpur as they were both there and later found an instant connection.

He said: "It was a natural process for us because she gets along well with the band.

"She is really beautiful but she does not (have to) try... You have this impression of how beautiful girls are supposed to be like, but she is really down to earth (yet) a little crazy."

With both guys in the group attached, do The Sam Willows feel they may lose female fans?

Before Kheng and Chua could answer, the former's sister chimed in: "If (fans) like us only if the guys are single, I don't think we really need them...

"We have a lot of true and beautiful fans that follow us because they feel we can inspire (them), say the things they feel through our music and help them through difficult times."