Name: Mandy Moore

Birthplace: Orlando, Florida

Occupation: Singer/actress

Birthdate: April 10, 1984

What have you been doing recently?

I've been travelling all over - to here, to Australia, Europe, places that I had never thought of visiting before. I've been to Thailand, Japan and Singapore, I met a lot of people, and did a bit of sight-seeing.

Basically I've been quite busy but I've been very happy. I love every place I've been, but I've had no opportunity to do anything apart from my schedule. I haven't seen the city or any other stuff. Hopefully the next time I come I'll be able to do more.

Not only do you have your CD and movie, but you also have your own show on MTV. How did you end up working for them?

I actually went to their studio in New York to do a couple of shows, which we did in one day. After I taped the first show, we had this meeting with all the headhunters at a big round table. By the time I walked out of there I had signed a three-year contract.

Let's talk about your current album, In My Pocket. Did you write any of the songs on it? How is this different from your previous album?

I worked on writing one of the songs on the record, When I Talk to You. To answer your second question, yes, it is completely different. I'm 150 per cent proud of this record. I had wanted to make this record for about a year-and-a-half - to do something to kick away from stereotypes.

I wanted to combine the organic elements that pop music is missing. I have live guitars and strings and percussion on basically every song of the record, because pop music is often assumed to be confined to the studio, having nothing but digital twists.

What do you think about showbiz? Is it a place where dreams come true or a place where only the fittest survive?

I think it is a combination of both, but I wouldn't say it is an extreme place where only the strongest survive. It is really a harsh business and I think people need to realise that's just what it is - a business, like any other.

It's like a race; it's not about how fast you started out that counts, not how far ahead you are in front of others, but where you are at the end.

Can you point out some of the good things and bad things about being a celebrity?

I guess the good things are having the opportunity to do what you love, like travelling around different places. It's kind of fun, for I had never thought of having such an opportunity before.

The bad things are probably all the sacrifices that you have to make, like leaving school and leaving all my friends behind. And sometimes you don't have much privacy and you have to work away from your family for most of the time.

At what age did you realise that you really liked performing?

Ever since I was six I knew I wanted to be a performer. I had this little karaoke machine in my room and I would often stand on my bed belting out songs for hours on end. My parents thought it was just a phase.

How did you get signed to your current record company?

I began doing musical theatre and singing the national anthem at sports events in my hometown, Orlando, Florida. Basically anything to get my voice heard. Then one day a couple of producers who happened to hear me sing at a game approached me saying that they wanted to work with me on songs. It was like things just happened in the right place at the right time.

Which do you enjoy more, acting or singing?

Definitely singing. It is my passion. However, I do really enjoy acting. It's like taking a vacation from yourself and merging with the character in the drama and not feeling like yourself. It's kind of fun. It is also a great opportunity to venture out and do something that people do not necessarily expect you to do.

People often compare you with Britney. Does it bother you?

No, it doesn't bother me at all. I think people who say that might have paid too much attention to our looks. We are both young, and blonde, and have similar backgrounds, so automatically in some people's minds there is no way that there could be any difference between us, which is rather closed-minded.

So how do you handle being compared with another performer?

I'm not going to go out of my way to be somebody that I'm not, to be somebody who is completely different from myself. I am who I am.

I do think there is a lot of difference between how we dress, what we are singing about and how we perform. If people can't notice the difference it's kind of their problem.

Fair enough, it's easy for people to take that kind of quick way out by automatically looking at the similarities and not the differences, but in our case I think differences definitely outweigh similarities.

What is your advice for young people who aspire to showbusiness?

My advice is you definitely need to finish your schooling. You might act or you might sing in your own time but don't drop out of school. It's not necessary to abandon everything just to go into this music industry.

That is not what it's all about. It is very important to have something to fall back on because, especially in this industry, everybody is so fickle and constantly changing their mind about what's hot and what's not. You really have to be prepared for that.