WATCH out, ladies: Cuban-American rapper Pitbull will be in town to play his first Singapore concert on Tuesday, and he can't wait to meet you.

On the line with my paper from his home in Miami recently, the 29-year-old - born Armando Christian Perez and also known as Mr 305 (the calling code for Miami) - gushed about his love for powerful women.

"I love sexy, classy, powerful women, the kind who are dressed in business outfits, stockings and a nice pair of heels, but are also very freaky," he said with a hearty laugh.

"Asian women (in particular) are very beautiful and attractive, and I hear they like to take care of their men, so I'm looking forward to getting there and checking it out," he added.

His Singapore stop is part of his ongoing 42-city world tour in support of his latest album, Rebelution.

It is hardly a surprise that the charismatic musician has his pick of women. During this interview, Perez was soft-spoken, charming and polite - in other words, a far cry from his fierce moniker.

But that self-appointed nickname stemmed from his experience getting into the music industry, he explained.

"Pitbulls are fighters, and they fight to the death," he said.

"In the music business, too, you have to be constantly fighting and coming up with new ideas (to stay ahead)."

And he has done his fair share of fighting. Having started out "battling" in the streets of Miami as a teenager, Perez got his first taste of showbiz after a teacher gave him an invitation to a videoshoot involving rapper DMX.

Then, in 2001, he got in touch with hip-hop bigwig Irv Gotti, but it was not until a year later that Perez broke out on the scene after recording a song with Lil Jon on the latter's album, Kings Of Crunk.

The guy went on to release three records - M.I.A.M.I (2004), El Mariel (2006) and The Boatlift (2007) - before Rebelution, released last September, catapulted him to international stardom.

That album debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States, and spawned instant hits like the infectious mostly Spanish- language number I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho) and club anthem Hotel Room Service.

For Perez, what makes this album special is the fact that it transcends language barriers.

He said: "Whether you understand what's being spoken (in the lyrics) or not, if the music is good, you're going to vibe to it.