It's been a year to remember for Chantal Kreviazuk.

She's had three hit singles; her debut album Under These Rocks and Stones is nearly platinum, selling more than 80,000 copies; and she's quickly becoming one of Canada's leading singer-songwriters.

But there is one thing that has really cemented Kreviazuk's rising-star status.

"I didn't see it, but someone just told me that one of my songs was used on an episode of Baywatch," Kreviazuk explains with an unimpressed sigh.

"I'm really glad I wrote a song that Pamela Lee or whoever could run around in a bathing suit to."

Besides the Baywatch incident, the Winnipeg native says she is thrilled with her experiences during the past 12 months.

"It's been a year of real growth and learning for me," says the extroverted singer, who performs a sold-out show tomorrow at the University Theatre with special guest Kacy Crawley.

"I've grown in every way, spiritually and emotionally.

"When you travel, I think you become more of what you are.

"I'm still little me, but I'm more of little me."

Kreviazuk's adventure began early last year when her first single, God Made Me, was put on medium rotation on MuchMusic as well as many radio stations.

Her last two singles, Wayne and the current Surrounded, have received even heavier airplay, putting Kreviazuk in the same company as fellow Canadians Sarah McLachlan and Amanda Marshall.

Even Billboard magazine tipped her for the top in its rave review of Under These Rocks and Stones.

The 24-year-old admits she gets overwhelmed sometimes from all the attention.

And she says constant touring has taken its toll.

"I have 14-hour days sometimes and I haven't slept for about four days.... It is a job, but it's not that hard.

"There are people who are doing a lot more difficult things than I am, like going to chemotherapy everyday or looking for their next meal."

Like her performance on the Coca-Cola Stage during the Stampede this summer, her show tomorrow will be a more intimate affair, with Kreviazuk using only a piano for accompaniment.

"I try to be more intimate on tour," she says.

"I have my whole life to experiment with my music."

By: Lisa Wilton