Australian singer Deb Fung is laid-back and easygoing, and after breakfast of muffin and coffee at Starbucks in Tanglin Mall, chats effortlessly about her best shopping experiences.

Fung, 28, launched her third album, Whoever You Are, last month and was back again two weeks ago for a two-night concert at The Esplanade.

The singer-songwriter's musical style is influenced by the likes of Jewel and Sarah McLachlan and she shows off her smooth vocals in ballads and soulful pop and rock numbers.

The singer, who won the 2003 National Gospel Award in Australia for Best New Gospel Artist, became a full-time musician five years ago.

She has been married for three years to an Australian-born Chinese who is in the property development and finance business, and travels once a month within Australia and Asia.

Which was your best shopping trip?

When I was in Nashville, Tennessee, in the United States in October last year. I was there to mix and master my album.

I wasn't actually expecting to buy anything on that trip because everything is in US dollars and expensive, but then it took me two hours to just get past the first two shops in Opry Mills, a mall north-east of downtown Nashville.

It's a two-storey building that has shops selling everything from pets to health products to books. There are also several factory stores for brands like Banana Republic, Guess and Nike.

My favourite was Forever 21, a ladies' fashion store. I bought three pairs of jeans and some tops. Two of the jeans were going at two-for-one and I paid A$100 (S$134) for them.

I like Nashville because it is very laid-back and relaxed and has a great romantic feel.

It is also a dream place for musicians to visit because of its strong association with music and reputation as a music recording centre.

Which was your worst shopping trip?

In the seaside resort of Krabi, Thailand. I was there last year with my husband for our second-year anniversary.

It was quite chaotic shopping in the town centre. The place was rather messy and the roadside stalls had nothing interesting to sell - mostly non-fashionable stuff - though they were cheap.

I spotted only one or two items, but there was no changing room to try them on except for a black cloth attached to a hoop which the seller would lift above your head to cover you as you changed. I was thinking: 'Are you kidding?'

I did try on a pair of jeans inside this 'changing room' but it was terribly uncomfortable - the jeans, I mean.

You must be familiar with Melbourne's shopping scene since you were born there, so which are the good places to shop?

Go to Bridge Road in the Richmond area. You can find an eclectic mix of flea markets offering top brands such as Cube and Sportsgirl at discounts of between 25 and 50 per cent, along with boutiques of local designers.

There's also Chapel Street where high-end local and international designer brands like Calvin Klein, Country Road and Esprit shops are. There are plenty of cafes there where you can sit to have a drink if you're tired. The place is classy but a bit pretentious.

Chadstone Shopping Centre, in the suburbs south-east of the city centre, is also a favourite spot for shopping because it's a huge mall where you can find everything you want.

Is shopping better in Melbourne or Singapore?

It's a close tie between them. The fashion in Melbourne is fresh and new, particularly in the places I mentioned.

And in Singapore, there is so much variety and all the stores are so compact and have so much stuff that it can give me a headache. There's just too much of the good stuff.

It's also cheaper in independent shops in Singapore where you can get T-shirts for as low as $10.

I also like how each shopping centre seems to have a different focus. My favourite shopping centre here is The Heeren because it has many independent shops. I have been to Far East Plaza but have not had time to shop properly there yet.

Have you ever seen anything you didn't buy and lived to regret it?

Yes, it was in an Australian designer boutique called Sheike. It's a ladies fashion chain store that has shops in Melbourne and Sydney.

I saw a beautiful silver satin draping evening top in their shop in Westfield Shoppingtown, Sydney. It cost A$150 and I decided to wait for its sale before buying it. I buy a lot of my clothes there and always follow their activities, like sales and new collections. But when I went back a couple of weeks later during the sale, it was sold out. Naturally I was very sad.

Have you ever been cheated by a seller overseas?

Yes, in Bali in 2004 on my honeymoon. I saw a painting in a little art gallery and the seller said it was painted by its own artists.

It was a painting of a rice paddy at sunset but, at A$400, it was expensive. We managed to bargain the price down to A$200, but when we brought it back home, my brother-in-law, who knows a bit about paintings, said it was just a print and would be selling in the streets for A$4.

Imagine the profit margin the shop made - it would have been 100 times its original price.

MY BEST SHOPPING BUY

'I bought this watch in Opry Mills in Nashville in the United States. There was a range of other bangle-watches and this one cost me only US$5 (S$7.60).'