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"I have really big feet," confesses Mandy Moore backstage in Memphis where she is preparing to open for 'N Sync. "It's so hard to find shoes. They're the biggest feet in the whole world." While she may have big feet, it's Moore's voice (not her shoe size) that's taking her step by step towards becoming a star.

Strikingly beautiful with long blond hair, Moore is poised to be pop music's newest talent. At fifteen, Moore speaks with a clear mind. Refreshingly absent are the mental strains one might expect from someone ascending the pop star ladder. Her debut album has just been released and she has spent months playing with 'N Sync on their sold-out tour, yet Moore remains down to earth and light-hearted --experiencing some kind of normal adolescence is a top priority. "I love to get on the computer, I love to play lacrosse, and I love to shop," she says. "Shopping is my favorite thing to do. I shop everywhere. Whenever I go home, my friends and I love to go to the mall."

Although she was born in New Hampshire, the home that Moore is referring to is in Orlando, Florida. At the tender age of three months, her parents packed Moore and her two brothers into the family car and made their way south to Orlando. Moore began her early years in the Orlando School system and it was here that she discovered her fondness for song as well as her natural ability to sing. Accepting a personal challenge to be a singer, Moore went to work. Within a relatively short amount of time she transformed her craft into a hot commoditiy and was asked to sing the National Anthem for The Orlando Magic and The Florida Marlins organizations. For a while, Moore says, she was known as Orlando's "National Anthem Girl."

So what does Moore do now when she heads home? Shop. The Orlando Mall is the place where Moore and her friends indulge. "Clothes and accessories are huge for me," she admits. "I love to buy socks with things on them like ladybugs or pigs-I have like thirty pairs. I love socks that have something different about them; they have toe be funky socks."

Moore's debut CD titled So Real, is a funky blast of sugary pop and sweet, playful grooves. Influenced by Mariah Carey, Madonna, and Lauryn Hill, the album is filled with bouncy love anthems and heartfelt ballads. From the spirited self-titled track and catchy bop of the late-summer hit "Candy," to the soulful strains of the ballad "Quit Breaking My Heart," So Real is a true pop surprise. With "Candy" getting a ton of airplay, her performances drawing rave reviews, and Moore receiving significant exposure in magazines like Seventeen and Teen People, Mandy mania is in motion.

Amid all the mania there isn't much time left for a steady relationship. Especially now as she joins the national Backstreet Boys tour. "Having a relationship is so hard while you're on the road," she says. "My career is not fair to either person in the relationship. When I first started recording I was going out with someone and he didn't understand that I couldn't be home wevery weekend to go to a football game or something. But I think th ere's going to come a time, when I get a little older, that it's [a relationship] just going to happen. I will say one thing though, when it does happen, he has to be supportive, honest, and have a good sense of humor. I like a guy who can tell a joke."

Jokes aside, there's nothing funny about the responsibilities inherent to a new artist's career. "I admire people like Madonna and Bette Midler who always reinvent themselves," says Moore, confessing that she occasionally dreams about becoming a mega-star. "The thing for me is longevity. Of course, I'd love to have a Grammy or a multi-platinum album, but at the same time, if it doesn't happen that's okay too. No matter what, I always want to be happy."

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