TORONTO -- Lauren Taylor stands before her nursery school class and a roomful of parents, sticks her chin up and belts out Bette Midler's "Wind Beneath My Wings". Fast forward, Lauren's now 16 years old, has a solo album, and is hoping to make it as big as Mariah Carey.

"I've always wanted to become a singer," Lauren says over egg and toast, as she explains how her CD, "Let Me In Your Heart", came to be. "One day [my father] comes up to me and says, 'What do you want for your sweet 16?', and I'm like, 'There's a lot of things that I want but the best thing that I want is to become popular and a big singer', and now it's all happening."

Lauren's father decided to make her birthday wish come true. He became her business manager and together they met with producers and songwriters while Lauren continued her vocal training.

Although Lauren is a young female pop singer, she's quick to separate herself from the Mouseketeers who pepper radio stations everywhere.

"Britney Spears is Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera is Christina Aguilera and Lauren Taylor is Lauren Taylor," Lauren says in a very determined, no-nonsense way. "We all have our own styles. I hate when people compare me to other people, because I want to be myself. I'm different in the way that my music is very soulful and very catchy."

Lauren also has dreams that reach beyond belly-baring pop songs.

"When I'm older, I'd like to go into adult contemporary, more like Celine [Dion] 'cause I think that stuff is amazing," she says. "I have a very, very powerful voice, that's why when I'm older I'd love to go into A.C. [adult contemporary], but right now I'm 16 years old so this is the market I have to go into."

For now though, teen pop suits Lauren just fine. She worships Mariah Carey and doesn't hide her crushes on popular Canadian artists, as she explains why she'd particularly love touring with pop duo McMaster & James.

"Luke ...I love Luke, I'm in love with him," she says about Luke McMaster. "He's amazing, he's sooo good-looking."

Lauren is definitely star-struck with some Canadian talent but she seems totally at ease with releasing a solo album and facing an army of interviewers. When she talks about her dreams and goals they don't sound like possibilities, they sound like facts. Lauren is sure she's going to make it.

"I wanna rise to the top, I wanna be world-wide, I want a lot of people to be listening to my music because it's got an edge to it, it's got something."

Part of Lauren's confidence might come from a recent trip to a psychic, who seemed to confirm everything Lauren already believed about herself.

"I went to a psychic about three weeks ago and the psychic told me that I'm going to be a singer," she says. "She told me that in my last life I was a girl and I played the flute and I got into an accident and I couldn't explore my talent because of the accident so God gave me another chance to use my music. And, I love butterflies and she told me that butterflies are a sign of rebirth."

Lauren finishes her eggs and it's time to go. She's got more interviews to do and vocal exercises to practise. Next month, her new single and video will be released, and the summer could mean an opening slot for the Vengaboys.

For now, however, she's just a talented 16-year-old girl who can't wait until she's 18 so she can get a butterfly tattoo.

--AllPop