POP star Lucie Silvas owes a lot of her success to Hampshire as What's On's Noel Davies discovered when the pair met up at the recent Power FM Unsung Hero Awards...

LUCIE Silvas is in awe of my posh looking dictaphone.

"Oh wow, it's a digital one," she says excitedly. "That's so cool."

Hit by a sudden rush of confidence after impressing the star, I decide to dazzle her even more by highlighting it's 32MB of memory and slim line design.

She shoots me down like a spotty teenager with a crush.

"I like those old tape ones," she politely snubbs. "They're the only ones my mum can figure out how to use! They can be a bit scary though, like in the Sixth Sense when they hear those voices in the background on the tape recorder. That was scary."

I assure her my dictaphone comes poltergeist-free.

Lucie is still finding her feet as a solo artist, despite the huge success of her first two singles, which both made it into the Top 40. Unbeknown to many, she's worked in the business for years, writing songs for the likes of Rachel Stevens and Liberty X. Last year though she decided it was time to try and make it on her own.

Grabbing a producer, some musicians and her songbook, she raced down the M1 from her home in Leicester to a recording studio in Whiteparish near Romsey, where she spent the next six months recording her debut album, Breathe In.

Lucie says she had the time of her life there.

"We were in a massive big house with a barn and a lovely big studio. It was so relaxing. There was a woman there called Linda, who was great and did all our cooking. It was like being in a hotel.

"We didn't get much time to look around. We did go into Southampton once to do some shopping. The local pub knew us well though! Steve, the owner, was great, but probably only remembers us for running up a big tab!" she laughs.

Despite the phenomenal success of Breath In Lucie, 24, still thinks of herself as a normal Leicester lass at heart.

"My life does feel like it has changed, but I still hang around with the same friends back in Leicester," she smiles.

"I think the experience of playing in Europe and being in the music business will play a part in my new songs. My music and song writing is very much observations of other people.

"I've got a tour in April, which for me has been my goal all along. I've been itching to do my own tour and it has been frustrating waiting.

"I've had to teach myself to be patient. Having your own tour is the biggest buzz you can have. It's nerve-wracking, but those nerves are the best you can ever have."