Singer-actress Citra Scholastika pays no attention to bad press

A Rihanna wannabe.

A Katy Perry copycat.

In the two years she has been in the entertainment industry, Indonesian singer Citra Scholastika has had to face snarky detractors slamming her for her lack of originality.

Her love life is often the subject of gossip.

Too much, too early?

Perhaps, but the 19-year-old chooses to keep her cool and turn a deaf ear to these comments.

"I don't pay attention to the negativity and I just carry on with my life. It's better to not know," Citra told The New Paper over the phone from Jakarta last week.

She received flak for her song Berlian (diamond in Bahasa Indonesia) from her 2013 debut album Pasti Bisa because its title is similar to Barbadian pop star Rihanna's hit single Diamonds.

Her image was also under heavy scrutiny when she sported a short pixie crop a la Rihanna earlier this year.

She also drew comparisons to US pop star Perry when her candyland-themed music video for the same song strongly resembled that of Perry's California Gurls.

"Sure, people like Perry, Rihanna and Beyonce inspire me, but I don't want to be anyone else," said Citra.

"I want to be Citra. I want to be known for my voice, style and character."

The chatty singer bagged the Best Vocal (New Female Artist) award at the recent Anugerah Planet Muzik (APM), which honours regional talent in the Malay music industry.

Other nominees for the category included fellow Indonesian singers Shae, Giselle and Kamaya, and Malaysian singer Asmidar.

Controversy is not new to the Indonesian Idol Season 6 runner-up.

It was reported that she suffered heartbreak after her former boyfriend allegedly cheated on her with her friend during the reality singing competition in 2010.

When asked for a confirmation, she simply laughed it off.

"I was too busy memorising lyrics and perfecting my performance to care about love," said Citra, who is single.

"Gossip happens, people talk. There's no such thing as bad publicity."

With her career picking up, love is not on her list of priorities. But that did not stop her from checking out the good-lookers at APM, which was held at Suntec Singapore on Oct 18.

"I thought (Malaysia-based Singapore singer) Aliff Aziz was really hot. So were the boys of (Indonesian boy band) S4," she said.

Citra is focusing on establishing her career in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, and does not rule out the possibility of going international.

Citing Indonesian singer Anggun and Malaysian pop queen Siti Nurhaliza as her inspirations, she said: "They're both so gorgeous, talented and powerful. I look to them as a benchmark of what I want to be in the future."

Dad is her sternest critic

Unlike Citra Scholastika, Shae's biggest critic is not the mass of faceless netizens.

Instead, it is someone closer to home - her father.

The 19-year-old Indonesian singer, whose real name is Sheryl Geting, admitted that the most crushing comments she had received about her singing came from him.

"He didn't really think that I could sing and some of the things he used to say truly demoralised me," said Shae, whose father is Australian and whose mother is Indonesian.

"It was only recently, when he saw me perform for the very first time, that he admitted that I am talented. I had sung my heart out in front of him."

Instead of letting her father's remarks bring her down, Shae used them as motivation.

Today, she has a lot of be proud of.

She released her debut album, The First, last year under major label Warner Music Indonesia.

She is well-received not only in her home country but also in Malaysia, where she is most known for her hit song Sayang, which received massive airplay and was re-recorded with popular Malaysian rocker Ella.

ACTRESS

Shae also dabbles in acting. Her projects include a telemovie in Malaysia and Indonesian drama series Monyet Cantik.

"I'm young, so I want to try everything - modelling, acting, painting. But music remains my first love," she said.

"I'm grateful for all the support I've received, not only in Indonesia but regionally."

Shae discovered her love for the stage after watching the music video for US pop star Britney Spears' 2000 single Lucky.

"A singing career was a fantasy," she said.

"I was a shower singer, pretending to be a rock star, who would have known that I would actually be performing in front of big audiences."

When she was 12, Shae asked her parents for vocal lessons. She later joined a band, which has since disbanded.

Flying solo, she has been steadily building her career over the last year, but for Shae, it is just the beginning.

"I have a long way to go and there are many aspects I have to improve on," she said.

"But I'm proud of what I have achieved so far, especially because I feel like I have proven myself to my father.

Get The New Paper for more stories.