Another stellar album from Ian Brown

Pixie Lott is tipped for big things. After being rejected from talent series Britannia High, she signed a huge record deal, and begins her nationwide tour with The Saturdays on June 2. She tells us about her promising start and her forthcoming single. By Andy Welch

This time last year, newspapers and magazines were full of articles about the latest singing sensation. She was blonde, beautiful and blessed with a voice that could stop traffic.

That was Duffy who, just over 12 months after her debut single Mercy topped the charts, has sold more than four million albums around the world, played to countless packed-out venues and now even sells diet soft drinks on the TV.

If 2008 belonged to the Welsh songstress, this year could be all about Pixie Lott.

Like Duffy before her, Pixie is blonde, has talent to burn and stunning looks. Their music, however, is where they differ. While the former was in thrall to the 1960s, Pixie is a thoroughly modern pop star.

She's only 18 now, but has been singing for as long as she can remember and enrolled at the Saturday school of prestigious talent academy Italia Conti when she was just five.

"That was mainly for acting classes, and then went full-time when I was 11," she says.

"You get your fair share of 'stage-school brats', all jazz hands and that, but it was an amazing place to grow up in, it was so much fun.

"Everyone's into the same things and gets on well. It's a really lively place to be. I didn't live there, I just travelled in from home every day," she says, home being Brentwood in Essex.

Pixie's real name is Victoria. She was given the nickname by her mum as a baby as she was so small and looked like a fairy.

"It just stuck from there, and it grew so everyone calls me Pixie," she says. "I know I'm in trouble if I get called Victoria," she adds, before moving on to the music she listened to while growing up.

"I come from the least musical family ever. I was always singing around the house, things like Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Donny Hathaway, and all the great soul singers, Stevie Wonder mainly.

"I was really shy when I was young, though. It wasn't until I went to stage school that I would sing in front of anyone. That brought me out of myself, and I grew up a bit."

While working with Toby Gad, the New York-based songwriter whose credits include Beyonce, Fergie, Shakira and Ashley Tisdale, it was suggested Pixie should find a manager.

It was then she was put in contact with David Sonenberg, who has managed the likes of The Fugees, John Legend and Black Eyed Peas.

Sonenberg paired Pixie with various highly-acclaimed songwriters and producers including Teddy Riley, who worked with Michael Jackson on his Dangerous album, Danish producer Cutfather, who has written and produced songs for Pussycat Dolls and Kylie among others, and RedOne, whose credits include Lady GaGa's Just Dance and New Kids On The Block's most recent album.

"I'm just really lucky to work with these people," says Pixie. "But when I'm put in a room with someone when I know what amazing songs they've done, I try to embrace it rather than get nervous. We have to make the best out of the situation, so it's not good me getting nervous.

"I've always written songs, just on my little piano, but I'd never shown them to anyone. When I started writing with everyone for the album, it was weird at first, giving them my input when they know so much more about music than me, but I've gotten much better."

She adds: "In the last three years I've been all over America - to LA, New York, Atlanta - Denmark, all over London, to write songs with producers.

"My trips would be for seven weeks, and each day I got more confident. From the first time I co-wrote with someone to the ones I've just done recently, you can see how much I've come on."

Eagle-eyed TV-watchers may recognise Pixie from a fleeting appearance in the auditions for ITV1's stage-school drama Britannia High. She appeared in the first couple of rounds, but wasn't picked to go through to the actual series.

Seeing as she had a management contract with one of music's most renowned businessmen and record deals in both the UK and America, it's odd Pixie even auditioned for the series, but she says she felt obliged to do it.

"It was just because it was there, and everyone said I should go for it, so I did," she says, with a shrug of the shoulders. "Even if I'd got through, I could have turned it down anyway, I suppose. I did it for the experience really, more than anything.

"I wasn't disappointed to be rejected, though. I wasn't really feeling the audition, to be honest. I knew it wouldn't suit me, so I'm really happy with how all it turned out."

We met up to talk in the offices of Pixie's record label, Mercury. She has a make-up artist with her, and her mum. Despite being on the go since the crack of dawn, with more appointments after ours, there's no sign of fatigue.

"Things are just so exciting at the moment, I love every day, all aspects of what I'm doing - interviews, photoshoots, whatever. It's good to be busy. Performing is my favourite part, though," she says, mentioning her forthcoming tour with The Saturdays.

"Musical theatre is so different to this kind of singing. At stage school, I'd always be singing in productions, but playing someone else. It doesn't matter if no-one likes you, but when you're performing your own songs, you have to be completely yourself, and people have to love you for who you are. At first that was a bit weird, just walking on stage as me, but now I've done a few shows it's OK.

"The best thing is to just be yourself. That's what my music is all about, showing people what you believe in."

Extra time - Pixie Lott

:: While studying at the Italia Conti school, Pixie appeared in the West End production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and BBC One show A Celebration To The Sound Of Music.

:: Her first album, Turn It Up, will be released in September.

:: Pixie has been offered a modelling contract with top agency Select.

:: Of her new songs, Pixie's favourite is Cry Me Out. "I really love singing it live. I prefer singing sad and emotional songs because I can really get into the character."