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Jordan Pruitt

No ordinary girl

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All that Disney marketing aside, much of pop star Jordan Pruitt's success can be attributed to sheer dedication. The Georgia gal has been performing publicly since she was 4 everywhere from coffeehouses to amusement parks. Hollywood Records signed her at age 13 after she gave an impromptu a cappella performance in the top execs' offices, putting her on tour with the Cheetah Girls, Vanessa Hudgens and the Jonas Brothers.

"My mom says that each venue builds different types of fans. If you build one or two every night, you're doing a great job," she says. Sure enough, her first single, "Outside Looking In," tallied more than a million plays on her MySpace page last year.

Sophomore album "Permission to Fly" may be a nod to Christina Aguilera, she admits, but the songstress stands apart from her predecessors for her upbeat dance sound and good-girl aura. Pruitt sidestepped the usual vampy teen idol album cover, opting for a natural closeup reminiscent of the poses Linda Ronstadt and Carly Simon struck for their albums in the '70s instead.

"I got a good feeling when I chose the photo," Pruitt says. "The emotion was coming out from my eyes."