ith her French accent and booming voice, 19-year-old Cherie has been dubbed by some as the new Celine Dion.

But the songbird is hoping with her U.S. album debut, appropriately titled "Cherie," that people will start to notice her for her own accomplishments - and not compare her to the French-Canadian singer.

"Now it’s the moment," Cherie, who is from France, told The Associated Press. "Now we’re going to see if people like me or not."

Cherie’s pop dreams have been a decade in the making, when at age nine, she starting taking professional voice lessons in Marseille, France. She was still in her teens when she became a pop star in Europe, and drew the attention of record labels in the United States.

She’s garnering more and more attention these days. Her first bubbly single, "I’m Ready," was featured in Lindsay Lohan’s movie "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen," and on the WB’s "Charmed" before becoming a dance hit this summer. She’s also been on tour "American Idol" star Clay Aiken, and even acted on a soap opera.

AP: You sing in English, French, Spanish and Italian. How did you learn to do that?

Cherie: Really because of the school I was in. You have to learn English. You have to. I was very into languages. I just picked different options. It’s very easy to sing in French because it’s my native language. It’s almost like it’s less effort.

AP: But you don’t sound French on the album?

Cherie: I don’t do it on purpose. It’s easier for me to sing in English than to speak in English. I just want basically the people to be able to understand the words.

AP: How do you like being compared to Celine Dion? Cherie: I’m very honored, but that’s a lot of pressure because I’m at the beginning of (my career). People are expecting me to be at her level. I just want to say I just started.

AP: Your style is much softer than Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera. What do you think of them?

Cherie: We’re just different people and we probably just have different influences. I will list Madonna or Toni Braxton for the people who influence Christina and Britney. Those weren’t my biggest influences. Mine were Celine Dion and Shania Twain.

AP: What is it like touring with Clay Aiken?

Cherie: This is a lot of fun. I’m probably thinking that I’m on holiday during the summer because I’m traveling on the bus. (It’s) almost like we’re all going to camp. I’m doing what I like every night and in front of an audience.

AP: Did you enjoy the world of soaps when you filmed your part on "As the World Turns"?

Cherie: It was fun for me. It wasn’t very different than what I’m doing every night right now. It was just like being on stage just singing. For me it was like having a little audience because there were all the people from the crew in front me.

AP: Was it scary to move to Los Angeles from France by yourself?

Cherie: It wasn’t scary at all. Maybe because I was very young. I’m still young, but I was just ready to go for it. I have this innocent and naive mind about it. I thought everything would be fine and you can do anything when you’re my age.

AP: Do you feel like you are on the brink of stardom?

Cherie: I don’t feel like I am really. I don’t feel like I am yet. My family, they’re from France. They don’t see the paper. I don’t think they really realize it. I think they’ll realize it when they see the album in the store or hear the song on the radio.

AP: How do you like American boys?

Cherie: Boys, I always love them. European or American, they’re all the same.

AP: So, are you a diva?

Cherie: I don’t know. I’m just a singer. What do you call a diva?