[1] Afterwards, in 2000 Sarlene was booked by New Southern Records; its manager, Iman Wan, had been scouting her for several years but not signed her due to her age.
[5] This success led her to release her self-titled debut album in July of that year,[1] which contained, among other songs, a duet with Anuar Zain entitled "Demi Cinta Kita" ("For Our Love").
It included a song, "Kau Tetap Ku Cinta" ("You're Still the One I Love"), written by Sarlene, as well as a duet with Malaysian singer, Rem entitled "Hampa" ("Alone").
[2] In 2002 Hetty won Best Artiste at Anugerah Planet Muzik[6] and by 2002 had moved to Kuala Lumpur with her mother, who served as her manager.
[7] In 2003, Sarlene made her feature film debut in Iskandar as the lead character's arranged wife;[8] she had taken the role reluctantly in 2002 after being offered an audition by the production company.
[12] Jad Mahidin, writing for The Malay Mail, described her voice as sweet and silky, saying that it could "surprise listeners with some deep tunes.