"I get a lot of comparisons these days," says chestnut-haired, hazel-eyed bombshell Melissa Williams, as she attempts to explain where she fits into today's musical landscape. "And usually they go in two totally different directions: It's either the Britney [Spears] comparisons from people who just look at things on the surface, or I get compared to people like Madonna, which is amazing, and I think that comes from [the ones] who are more aware of my abilities and what I can really do."

Since the success of her seductive single "Make you mine" has made Melissa Williams the new it-girl of pop, the demand for a piece of this 18-year-old Portland, Oregon sparkplug has been out of control. "I just got a break from touring recently, and now I'm just doing a bunch of promotional gigs for my album," she states like a showbiz veteran.

But immediately she chimes in excitedly, "It's crazy, I get to do [some] of the biggest shows on TV--Letterman, TRL! Plus I'm going to continue doing shows with the 2Ge+her for their fall tour in the States as well," all said with the charm of a starstruck schoolgirl.

But this sudden shot of stardom isn't that much of a surprise for Williams, who originally got her first taste of fame when she competed on Star Search. Though she lost that night ("I was totally upset and crying afterwards, but my mom had me congratulate the guy who beat me. But I don't know what he's doing now," she muses)

Though she may look like just another teen pop singer, this kid's got the vocal, dancing & writing skills to back up all the hype--a rarity in this day and age. Culling from such influences as Mariah Carey and Madonna, among others, Melissa's self-titled debut album starts off glitzy and poppy with the opening track (her recent chart-topping hit "Make you mine"), but the rest of the album leans more towards Melissa's soulful side and shows off the amazing sweet touch of her voice.

"With my record, we tried to make something that would appeal to the teen market," she says, "which is really hot right now with acts like Britney Spears and 'N Sync. But we also wanted to bring in a mature and older audience as well, and I think we've got a really good balance on this record with the uptempo songs as well as the mid-tempo's and ballads."

Of course, with Williams's youth and talent, a successful long-term music career is a certainty--that is, if she wants it. "I plan on going out there and making a great impact on the world!" she declares with a laugh. "No, seriously, I plan on venturing out into all different kinds of fields in this business and not just singing, but that's my main love right now and hopefully we'll see what the future brings."