Craving for Moore

She’s back and she’s no longer blond. And perhaps this is just another reason why Many Moore is absolutely different from the rest of the teen-singer pack. Aside from turning brunette, the 18-year-old singer proves that she’s got both style and substance as she’s out to release her third album, the soundtrack to her new movie (yup, she’s acting as well), A Walk to Remember.

Mandy plays Jamie Sullivan, the conservative, religious daughter of a minister in the movie, an adaptation of the novel by Nicolas Sparks. It is, indeed, a far cry from her real-life pop star persona. Critics, hwoever, have applauded Mandy’s portrayal of the plain but passionate Jamie. Likewise, the accompanying soundtrack shows Mandy’s growth both as a person and as a performer.

"It’s actually really fun this time around," she says of her latest project "partly because the record company has given me a little more creative input. Basically, that means they’re involving me more in the selection of songs, and to be completely honest, I’ve fallen in love with all these songs."

This album also showcases her first experiences in songwriting. "It just seems natural to me now," the blooming Moore shares. "I feel like I’ve kind of gotten into a groove. What with touring, meeting so many people and getting exposed to all different types of music, I feel ready to do more of my own thing, to show growth and to continue to branch out a bit," she adds.

Of her overall feel for the album, Mandy relates, "Meeting my fans really drove home the point that so many of them are a lot like me, teenage girls just starting to really find out what life all about and who they are. Because of that, I really think they’ll really relate to my new album. I am so passionate about these songs. Overall, I’d say it is still pop music, not just as young sounding as the last album."