Girl in a milian

Funky Christina Milian has gone from child star to fully-fledged pop princess - helping some famous names along the way.

Earlier this year, the 20-year-old star caused a stir when her debut solo single AM To PM went to the top of the US charts and made the Top Three in this country.

It was the R&B singer songwriter's second No 1 in her home country as a collaboration with rapper Ja Rule, called Between Me And You, had already topped the charts.

But this wasn't the first hit she was responsible for - she wrote Jennifer Lopez's No 3 smash Play. She reveals that she had rejected the song herself.

"I had already recorded Play but I honestly didn't like the song. It is such a simple nursery rhyme type song and once I had recorded it I thought it wasn't me.

"I thought it might be better sung by somebody else but I never dreamed it would be an established artist. When they told me J-Lo wanted the song I thought they were kidding.

"I told them to take it. Then I realised they were serious. After she had matched it with her attitude it turned into a great song. I don't think it would have sounded the same if I had done it."

Now Milian's latest single, When You Look At Me, has stormed into the British charts at No 3. The track, taken from her eponymous album, is about not judging people on first appearances.

Milian, who grew up in Maryland but whose family originally come from Cuba, says it's something she has always had to deal with in her own life.

"I used to get judged constantly when I was growing up. People would try to give me a bad reputation before getting to know me.

"I grew up in the suburbs and we were a little different. I didn't really fit in with everybody. They all had their own groups of friends. But I disagree with that and hung out with everybody.

"Once people talked to me they would tell me I was cool. I used to say 'All you had to do was to talk to me'.

It seems almost inevitable that any new star is compared to pop princess Britney Spears and Milian is no exception. She laughs at the suggestion.

"We are so different. But I think we have been compared because we are the same age, we both dance in our videos and the fact that we were both involved with Disney Channel when we were younger.

"But I think everybody gets compared to Britney. It has happened to Brandy and even Alicia Keys," she says sounding incredulous. "But Britney is such a huge superstar that to be compared to her is a big compliment."

Milian admits that, at first, it was difficult convincing people in the music industry that she was not just a pretty face and could write her own material.

"It took me a minute to convince myself," she laughs. "I used to joke around when I was younger, writing songs for my sisters. I wrote the songs for my demo - which might have been a little cheeky but it helped me get my deal.

"When I first started to write I didn't have much confidence but my mum Carmen told me she knew I could write. When I sing my own lyrics it sounds so much better."

She acknowledges the influence her mother has had on helping get her started in showbusiness and becoming her chaperone once fame came knocking at her door.

"Mum would drive four to five hours from our home in Maryland to auditions in New York. It was a lot of work for her. On top of that I have two younger sisters so she was having to take care of them.

"She has sacrificed so much for me and my sisters. But when I went to No 1 in America we both freaked out about it. It was crazy.

"Now it's great because she comes on the road with me. She goes everywhere with me but she is really happy as we have both worked really hard on everything.

"It all seems to be flashing past so quickly. We have to jump off one plane and onto another so it's a little crazy. But we don't let any of that get to us, we are just having a good time."

Although she is currently making a name for herself in music, Christina has appeared in American

TV shows such as Sister Sister, Clueless, Charmed and was a teenage reporter for Disney Channel.

"I did a lot of commercials which lead to me getting auditions for TV shows. I had to go to a lot of auditions before I managed to get a part in a TV show. But my passion kept me going and then I got my lucky break and landed a role in Sister Sister.

"It is fine once you have appeared in a few shows but people are unwilling to take a risk on you if you don't have any other work to show them."

While most children only dream of becoming TV stars, Milian reveals that as a four-year-old, she decided to give herself a practical helping hand.

"I found a butter knife and decided to try to break into the TV set at home. I had such a huge interest in TV and was convinced that all I had to do was get through the glass and I would be on there too.

"Thank goodness my mum found me before I electrocuted myself."

(:: Christina Milian's single When You Look At Me is at No 3 in the charts.)