Pixie Lott. Photo / Supplied Expand

Pixie Lott. Photo / Supplied

She's conquered the worlds of music and fashion and earned her place as head of the new pop pack, but don't for a moment think Pixie Lott's had it easy. Her rise to fame has been fast and furious, but Lott is keen to point out that unlike some of her chart rivals, she's not the latest pop starlet off the reality show production line.

Not only does she write all her own tracks, she's been doing so since she was 8. It's taken her 10 agonising years to finally realise her dream. There was no intense exposure on a television show, or a well-connected Svengali to clear her path. She did it all on her own - and she wouldn't have it any other way.

"People can go on [reality shows] and automatically attract millions of viewers and a massive fan base," she says. "But I think it's better to work your own way up, through hard work." There's no doubt 18-year-old Lott would ace an audition in front of Simon Cowell and co.

Hugely talented with model good looks, she's got "sign me up" written all over her, but the TV route was never one she wanted to take. "When you've earned success, you feel like it's really deserving and long-lasting," she says. Lott certainly plans on sticking around. Her debut single, Mama Do (Uh Oh, Uh Oh), shot straight to No. 1 in Britain after shifting more than 200,000 copies.

The other 11 tracks on her album are a mere showcase of the 100-plus she's produced. "Being a writer makes you more of a real artist," she says. "You can put your own stamp on your work. When I'm singing my own tracks I give a more honest performance." Lott (her real name is Victoria, Pixie was a childhood nickname that stuck) was always determined to be a star.

While her 5-year-old friends were playing with Barbie, she signed up for acting lessons. Aged 10, Lott nagged her mum to get her an agent and at 11 she won a scholarship to the prestigious Italia Conti stage school in London. "I'd always wanted to get into the business," she says. "I'd see programmes about the rise of stars like Christina Aguilera and be inspired. Then I'd do research on the internet about auditions to see how I could get there. I was priming myself." Her big break came four years ago when she came across an ad in a music industry magazine that simply stated: "Looking for next pop diva".

They were after a female singer aged between 16 and 21, but 14-year-old Lott begged her mum to let her fib about her age. Her plan worked. Within minutes she had wowed music manager David Sonenberg, who represents, among others, the Black Eyed Peas.

More recently she's been working with uber cool producers like RedOne (Lady Gaga and Enrique Iglesias' favourite). By any standards her CV is impressive, and Planet Pixie seems like a cool place to live right now. "Life's amazing," she says. "If I wasn't doing this, I'd be dying inside."