STACIE ORRICO seems poised to make a major dent on the UK scene. Tony Cummings spoke to the teenager.

If truth be told, when the Nashville publicity machine presented 14 year old Stacie Orrico as CCM's latest singing sensation we Brits were a little suspicious. For a start, we weren't sure we needed the American Church's flood of Christian "answers" to the mainstream teen pop hitmakers. For another thing, what we asked, could a 14 year old know about the transcendent power of the Cross? Since then our perceptions and prejudices have been roundly challenged. Firstly, Stacie is clearly no squeaky voiced Britney wannabe but an R&B diva with breathtaking vocal chops and enough street cred talent to go on tour with Destiny's Child. And Stacie is no immature lip-glossed bimbo mouthing evangelical slogans while manoeuvring her way into the pop fast lane, but a serious-minded Christian communicator deeply committed to ministering the Gospel of Jesus Christ to her peers.

I began by asking Stacie whether she's tired of being patronised by older folk in the churches. "I will be 16 on Sunday. A lot of times I have come across people who say, 'She's 15. What can she possibly have to say, what experiences can she possibly have?' When this happens I just say, 'Maybe this music just isn't for you. Maybe God hasn't chosen for this music to minister to you. I'm creating music for teenagers, for people I can relate to because we're dealing with the same issues. Part of the beauty about being in this position is that I AM 15 and I don't have all the answers. I am struggling with things and I'm not perfect. I think this is why people are drawn towards young artists because they relate to someone who's vulnerable. They think, 'Okay, this is not an old person, she's not totally polished, she doesn't have all the answers.' I have to be confident in that."

Even a cursory listen to 'Say It Again' will reveal an album which is a lot more mature and self-assured than its 'Genuine' predecessor. Said Stacie, "I am so excited about the new record. It is more R&B, more urban, less pop, more me, more my style. I was quite a bit more involved on 'Say It Again' than on the last record, with writing, with production and arranging. My producers are teaching me how to do programming and work on the studio equipment. I've learnt a lot this last year."

Despite her youth, the singer has already gained the respect of many industry figures. Stacie commented, "As you become a more established artist people are more willing to be more flexible. Like if I feel really uncomfortable with a certain thing that I do we just don't do it. People have learnt to respect my opinion."

One of the career highlights for the young pop R&B diva has been touring in the States with the multi-million selling R&B trio, Destiny's Child. I asked Stacie whether she had any idea the trio were sisters in Christ when she first began to support them. "I had heard them say on TV, 'We want to thank God,' at Award shows," Stacie admitted. "But a lot of artists say that and you don't truly know where they stand as far as faith goes. But when I got on tour with Destiny's Child, the first time that I met them within five minutes we were talking about Christianity and they were telling me about their faith and they were telling me about being raised in the Church and how grateful they were for what God was doing in their lives. I was so encouraged. They are three girls who I truly believe know God and are trusting him every day in what they do."

The first single from 'Say It Again' is "Bounce", a song which as well as having an artfully infectious Destiny's Child-like groove, carries an important message in its lyrics. "As a Christian you know about the forgiveness of God and it's always there," commented Stacie. "But sometimes when you find yourself making the same mistake for the 20th time you feel like you're not worthy to ask for forgiveness again. But we have to learn that God's forgiveness is so never-ending and never ceases. Now that's very encouraging especially for a young girl who definitely is far from perfect and finds herself making mistakes over and over again. Sometimes it takes more than slowly picking yourself off the ground. Sometimes you have to hit it hard and jump back in with both feet and know that spiritual life is a challenge and the more we run hard after Christ the more the Enemy wants to attack us and hit us in our weak spots."

Stacie is set to play several UK concerts as part of a major overseas tour. Despite her youth, Europe is not new territory for the singer. "I spent a lot of time in Europe growing up doing mission stuff with my family. I feel so excited about playing Europe. One of my favourite things is to do things that are unexpected and things that people don't always do. This world tour will take in 40 cities in places like the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Africa, 15 countries in all. Different kinds of people, different cultures, even different religions. I'm praying that whatever the differences I encounter, God will connect with young people through my music." This effervescent, strikingly confident singer leaves this decidedly wrinkled journo confident that Stacie's prayers will be answered.