SINGAPORE — When we met with Derrick Hoh for this interview, the Singaporean singer came dressed like a giant lemon. Well, not literally, but he did turn up in a bright yellow suit and dirty blonde hair.

“I don’t usually dress like this,” Hoh assured us. “The theme is yellow, it’s lemon. I just feel it’s like using visuals to express what (my new album) means to me. In my private life, however, I really only wear black, white and grey.”

The Mandopop singer is referring to his new album Lemon Tree, his first Mandarin release in more than four years. Like his previous album, where Hoh sampled Aaron Kwok’s When I Know That You Are In Love, Hoh samples the chorus of the catchy Fools Garden original in Lemon Tree. It’s a trick and technique that the singer admits he is “quite hooked to”.

“Sometimes I ask myself, why do I have to do this all the time, because it’s really quite a hassle. Sometimes, I get some stick from people who comment on these songs, and I feel a little bit sad for my team because when we sample a song, it’s difficult enough to compose something brand new using sampling. After that, when we have to clear the rights for these songs, it is a big hassle,” said Hoh.

He added: “Sometimes we ask ourselves why we do it, but at the end of the day, it’s worth it, because sampling gives you a little bit of that satisfaction that you managed to write a new song out of a classic. At the same time, you can introduce these new songs to younger listeners.”

It’s a strategy that seems to be working out so far. Lemon Tree reached number one on iTunes Singapore within hours of its release. Its music video, in which Hoh does a variation of the Great Singapore Workout, has also since garnered close to half a million views. The 30-year-old also recently held his first ticketed showcase in Taiwan, and will soon hold another in Malaysia.

“The weirdest part about being a singer over the years is I have not really gotten the chance to perform as much as I want to, throughout these 10 years,” said Hoh, who entered the music industry after participating in reality singing competition Project Superstar in 2005. “Every time I release an album, all I do is talk about the album and go on variety shows. I only get to perform when I get engagements. I really want to be able to do a music showcase, and at some point, to do it regularly, so that I can really make myself feel better about this part of being a singer.”

All Hoh wants to do is work slowly towards bigger and better stages.

“The luckiest thing about my career so far is there hasn’t been a time where I have made a step back,” he mused. “To me, that is lucky enough for anyone who is a local singer ... We try to move one step at a time. I think that is fine for me, as long as I don’t go one step forward, two steps back.”

Derrick Hoh’s Lemon Tree is now available on iTunes.