Fridae

Simon Webbe, wears his metrosexuality, quite literally, on his sleeves.

When Fridae met him in Singapore, the ex-Blue member's torso-hugging white tee barely concealed his sinewy, muscled 5-feet-10 frame; so lean it's almost panther like.

All thanks to a punishing workout regimen, one that would put many a gym bunny to shame. And what about his diet? "This morning, it was strawberries, yogurt, orange juice and a hundred press-ups. And a protein shake."

In Asia to promote his debut solo effort, Sanctuary, Webbe, 27 has made stops in Hong Kong, Jakarta, Bangkok, and Singapore, and Taiwan.

The former model's bee stung lips and doe eyes, set against the rugged chisel of his jaw line and sexy shorn scalp, are an arresting sight. Ask him how he maintains his looks, and he waxes lyrical about his 3-step routine of designer skincare labels.

It would seem Webbe has no qualms about the metrosexual tag. According to British tabloid The Sun, Webbe got "all girlie" with ex-Blue hottie Lee Ryan at the recent Brit Awards after-party. The two had hand and arm massages, where he opted for Grapefruit and Vetyver scents to be applied.

And, like many metrosexuals and gay men, Webbe's best friend is female. She is also the mother of his goddaughter. Women have also been a dominant influence in his life. "I was raised by women. The only role model I had was my mother."

Bur if all this seems suspect, rest assured (or utterly devastated) - Webbe is straight.

In fact, his album, Sanctuary, is a paean to women. Of it, he says: "It's about what women do, but men don't recognise. Men can still go out and do their career, but it's always the woman who stays home, cleans the house, rubs his shoulders, brings the dinner out. C'mon man, that's powerful man. In writing the album, I wanted show women that it's noted. We men realise what you do."

Sanctuary, an album of uplifting pop and soul ditties, has shifted close to half a million units worldwide since its release in November. It has spawned two top five UK singles, "Lay Your Hands On Me" and the anthemic "No Worries," as well as the latest single "After All This Time."

Currently single, he cites Lucy Liu as one of his "top three" women, and has dated UK model Ann Marie-Mogg, whose mother is Indian. You wonder out loud about his rice queen tendencies, and he tells you: "I've got a thing for Asian culture. Last time I was here I bought (a statue of) Genghis Khan. Most of my girls have been Persian. I've been out with Chinese girls." Incidentally, Webbe has got Chinese blood in him, from his "grandma's, grandmother's mother," in addition to his Jamaican, Scottish, and African lineage.

Webbe's adoration for women borders on devotion, and it becomes clear he has been greatly influenced by them. It shows in his tolerance and acceptance for diversity, and the way he graciously fields questions. Performing on stage, it is easy to peg him as being aloof, but he is not one bit rehearsed. He chats animatedly and shows a quiet, disarming and laid-back charm throughout.

But he was not always this mellow - Webbe has had to learn from hard knocks. "As a child, I grew up in a white neighbourhood in Birmingham. We were the first black family in the neighbourhood. I didn't understand it, when they sang "heh heh, look at that nigger over there." I gave him a knuckle sandwich. I used to talk with my fists a lot when I was younger," he recalls. "When I was ten, I was playing with a girl and I asked her out. She said, "I'm not going out with you, you're black," and I thought, "That's not you talking, that's your parents."

Having faced discrimination first hand has made him aware of all forms of prejudice. In turn, it has shaped his values - it explains his diverse taste in women, and his open and enlightened outlook in general. In fact, Webbe's respect for people of all skins and sexual inclinations is part of his appeal. "People say, why are you dating white girls? I date black, I date white. Even when it comes to discrimination against gays and lesbians, they're born the way they are, or choose to be that way, that's their choice. Who am I (to say otherwise)?," he says.

You tell him you write for Fridae.com, and Webbe doesn't overcompensate with platitudes and rehearsed lines about the gay community. Instead, he offers earnestly: "I recently did G.A.Y. (a gay club in London). The crowd was great. I sat down at the front with them, holding all their hands while I was singing and stuff like that. There were people back home that were saying, "You're selling out, what're you doing? There's wrong man," and I'd say, "You're uneducated, you don't know what you're talking about." My opinion is, they like me for my music, and I like them for liking me."

Ask about his overzealous male fans, and he jests: "I've had them grope me man. It's a joke. The girls do it, the guys do it. It doesn't bother me. I know who I am as a person, they know who they are as a person. I'm comfortable. Plus, I'm a metrosexual!"

Fridae probes him about gay marriage, transvestites, and anal sex in the next page!

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æ: Readers are dying to find out how you get the buff bod you flaunt in your 'No Worries' video. Pray tell.

Simon: It's pasta two hours before training. Monday, it's chest, legs, biceps and triceps in one day. Tuesday, a short workout with shoulders and back. Chest and shoulders on Wednesday. I alternate three-day workouts followed by four days of rest each week for a month. Just use lightweights, and do it slow. People forget to do their legs; you have to do your legs. Four weeks of that, then I binge and eat chocolates for one week. I alternate with bar and dumbells. For cardio, it's 20 mins of spinning. That's how your muscles get pumped.

æ: And your skincare routine?

I use a face wash from Refinery, an upper class beauty parlour, but just for men. They do facials and massage. Then I use Collin to keep it matte. Then I use Dermalogica as a moisturiser to give it a little shine. 'Ave to man, gives a little glow. (chuckles)

æ: In December last year, gay civil partnerships were made legal in the UK. If I held a gun to your head and asked you to marry a Blue mate - Lee, Duncan or Anthony - who would you pick to walk down the isle with?

Simon: (laughs, and says in jest) Oh my god, aww no, do you know what, that's wrong man. They've all got something different about themselves. If I go for looks, (ponders)... maybe Duncan. Maybe. Me and him, we're both Aries', we get along. I mean, me and Lee get along as well cause I lived with Lee for six months before, but Lee's a bit crazy for me man. I want someone level headed, someone who's not going to surprise me.

æ: You were the football captain of your school, and about to be a pro-football player for Liverpool before your leg injury turned you on a musical path. Assuming gay men are really bad at sports, explain these football terms to the football illiterate masses reading this, using only bedroom associations: -
æ: Scoring an own-goal: Self masturbation
æ: Hat-trick: Threesome!
æ: Dribbling: (coming) all over the bed!

æ: Robbie Williams, in his duet 'Kids' with Kylie Minogue, sings: "Press be askin' do I care for sodomy? I don't know, yeah, probably" Do you fancy a little backdoor booty yourself then?

Simon: (chuckles) I don't do the buggery with a woman, no man. I make love to a woman. Unless she wants a bugger, then...

æ: Aside from Camilla Parker Bowles, have you ever had a woman come on to you that was really a man?

Simon: Camilla? He didn't come on to me. (laughs). I'd been to Thailand obviously, and you see 'em, and you're like, wooah, she, i mean, he looked too good!

æ: Complete this sentence: Black men are famous for having the longest....

Simon: Lifespans!