Amanda Leigh (Mandy) Moore was born April 10, 1984 in Nashua, New Hampshire but two months later moved with her family to Orlando, Florida. "O-Town! I really like living here, for the weather and for all the fun things there are to do." Mandy discovered her love of singing when she went to a summer musical theater camp when she was nine years old. "My parents thought it was just a phase I'd grow out of. But I stuck to it and begged them for acting lessons, for voice lessons."

Where did she get her talent? Mandy isn't sure, but she has an idea. "It may have come from my grandmother. She was a dancer in the theater district of London, the West End." And in Orlando, Mandy soon became known as the "National Anthem Girl." "Yes, that's me! Some people know me that way because they've heard me sing 'The Star-Spangled Banner' for all the major sports teams and for Chris Evert's Pro-Celebrity Tennis Tournament." National commercials, TV pilots, and voice-overs have made Mandy a veteran of the recording studio. "When I first started recording, it was hard. My friends didn't understand why I couldn't hang out with them as much. I thought they'd talk behind my back or be jealous. But they've become really supportive, and I feel blessed by that."

Mandy likes all kinds of music, especially the songs of other female singers like Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill and Madonna. Her album reflects the diversity of her taste, from the plaintive ballad "Quit Breakin' My Heart" to the alluring "What You Want" to "So Real," which she describes as having "more of a rock edge, with more guitar - a Natalie Imbruglia type of song."

Mandy lives in Orlando with her parents, Don and Stacy; her brothers Scott (18) and Kyle (13); and their three cats Milo, Zoe, and Chloe. Mandy's favorite book is A Land Remembered, her favorite movie is Beaches, her favorite actress is Gwyneth Paltrow and her favorite actor is Ryan Philipe. In school, Mandy enjoys English and French...but maths is a touchy subject! She's also learning to play guitar with an eye towards writing her own songs.

Growing up too fast? Mandy Moore doesn't think so. "I'don't feel I've missed out on anything about growing up because I feel so fortunate. There are so many kids that would love to be doing what I'm doing!" What a difference a year can make...Actually, it's been even less than 2 years since Mandy Moore released her debut album, So Real, which reached platinum status in just three months.

Now Mandy Moore returns with a new Special Edition album, I Wanna Be With You (550/Epic). All this and more from Mandy Moore — who turned 16 on April 10th, 2000: On Disc: Mandy earned a platinum debut album with So Real, and went gold with her Top Ten single "Candy." So Real, and went gold with her Top Ten single "Candy."

On Tour: In 1999, Mandy opened for the Backstreet Boys and N'Sync on sold-out national tours. She will perform at radio-station sponsored shows beginning in May, 2000.

On TV: Since the summer of '99, Mandy has guested on "The Tonight Show," "The Rosie O'Donnell Show," "Live With Regis and Kathie Lee," "The View," "Donny & Marie," and "Nickelodeon's Snick House," among others. She will be featured in the upcoming ABC network special "The 25 Hottest Stars Under 25," in conjunction with Teen People magazine.

In The Press: On the newsstand, Mandy Moore has been the subject of major coverage in Rolling Stone, People, Teen People, YM, Seventeen, Cosmo Girl, People, USA Today and Teen, among many others. On MTV: Mandy has been nearly ubiquitous on MTV—hosting "Total Request Live," co-hosting "Snowed In" and "Spring Break" weekends, and starring in "Mandy's Mountain Makeover" and "Mandy's Spring Breakover." Her numerous appearances have earned Mandy her own daily show on MTV, coming in Summer 2000.

Everywhere: Mandy Moore is a national spokeswoman for Neutrogena products, and featured in the company's TV and print ad-vertising campaigns. She's partnered with the Wet Seal/Contempo retail chain to promote its Blue Asphalt "magalog" (Mandy appears on the cover of the publication, serviced to over 3 million homes) and Blue

Asphalt Clothing Line. Mandy's new songs reveal her rapid and impressive development as a vocalist. At the heart of her new album is a brand-new single, "I Wanna Be With You." In its review of the single, Billboard noted that Mandy is "singing with all the poise and elegance of an established Lilith Girl...Top 40 programmers and listeners alike will love Moore more with this track." Nigel Dick directed the exciting new video for "I
Wanna Be With You," and the song is also heard in the Sony Pictures film Center Stage, opening May 12th in over 2,000 theaters.

I Wanna Be With You includes four additional brand-new tracks—"Every-thing My Heart Desires," "Want You Back," "Way To My Heart," and "Your Face"—plus the original and Wade Robson remix of Mandy's smash hit "Candy"; along with four of the most popular cuts from So Real. The new disc also features CD-Extra material in the form of Mandy's "Walk Me Home" and "Candy" videos plus exclusive behind-the-scenes footage.