"I haven't been watching it very much this year"

American Idol winner Jordin Sparks discusses her own career and other popstars' relationships…

Jordin Sparks was last year's 'American Idol' winner but don't hold that against her — she has more in common with Kelly Clarkson than with the likes of Taylor Hicks or Fantasia so-called Barrino.

This is not because she has a fondness for terrible third albums, but because she has the potential to become a pop success across the world, helped largely by 'No Air', her amazing duet with Chris Brown.

We spoke to her on the off-chance that she does indeed become properly famous in the near future…

Questions: Peter Robinson
Answers: Jordin Sparks (obviously)

Hello Jordin. Is it too late to say con­grat­u­la­tions on winning 'American Idol'?
No! It seems like it was just yesterday but at the same time feels like forever ago. It's weird because 2008 came around and I realised that a year had passed already since I started the whole audition process. It'll be a year since I won in May and I can't believe how fast everything has gone.

Was it exciting to get a CD in the shops or is it all 'downloads' round your way?
Having my CD out on the shelves was an amazing thing. I got to sing for the President a couple of times and that was pretty awesome, too. I also sang at the Superbowl and that was amazing. I didn't think it could get any bigger than American Idol in terms of viewers but, obviously, you can.

How is 'No Air' doing in America?
It's doing very well. When my first single 'Tattoo' (which has an amazing Jason Nevins remix — Ed) came out everybody already knew that my second would be a duet with Chris, so the song has been gen­er­at­ing buzz since 'Tattoo' came out. It's going crazy with the single!

Did Rihanna get in the way when she turned up unan­nounced on your 'No Air' video shoot?
Oh no, she stayed behind the scenes. She came and just hung out and stuff. It was really cool because I'm a huge fan. I had no idea she was going to be there. It was a nice surprise.

Did you know that Rihanna and Chris were dating at that point or was it still 'under wraps'?
It was still iffy. I'd always known they were friends, but I didn't know they were dating until everyone else knew.

Do you look forward to a time when you getting a boyfriend makes headline news?
I have mixed feelings on that. I've never been in a rela­tion­ship before and now that I'm doing all this, when I do get a boyfriend it's going to be crazy for it to be broadcast everywhere.

If Rihanna hadn't been on the scene, would you have fancied Chris Brown?
Even with Rihanna around I still fancy Chris Brown! I'm a huge fan and I've had a crush on Chris for three years. I thought he was really cute. I told my mum that all I wanted for my birthday and Christmas was his CD. My mum said she didn't know what I saw in him and I told her she was crazy to not see it too. I actually told her I would duet with him one day, so to be on the shoot and to have him singing the song to me; I could not believe it was happening. I had such a crush on him,he's very cute, but him and Rihanna are a very cute  couple and I wish them all the best…

What is it about Chris Brown that people have taken to so enormously?
It's a girl thing, he's very cute, he's tall and he's very talented. I went to one of his concerts and he can really sing. On top of that his dance skills are totally insane. He can dance like nobody I have ever seen before. He's just a great enter­tainer and even reading some of his inter­views he is very funny and down to earth. He's very chilled out and very friendly, he doesn't have an arrogant air to him. I don't know, he's just amazing.

With the new series of 'American Idol' running now, do you feel you need to have made your mark by the time the next winner is announced?
Yes, there's pressure to have something going on and some achieve­ment in my pocket but so far I'm pretty happy with the way things have worked out. I can't wait until I can go and make one of the guest appear­ances on the new series.

Who are you tipping this season?
I haven't been watching it very much this year. I like David Archuleta though, he's adorable and he's very sweet.

What would you like to achieve before you turn twenty?
I would love to have sold a million records. I'd like a couple of Grammy awards on my shelf and I'd like to perform at the Grammys. I want to sing and see the world at the same time. I still want to be happy when I'm twenty.

Are you happy to be told what to do in your career or are you on the verge of throwing an artistic strop?
I'm def­in­itely happy to have people guiding and helping me because obviously they've worked with a whole bunch of artists who are very suc­cess­ful right now and they know what they are doing. But at the same time I do have my opinions, I know what I don't want to sing about I know how I don't want to be portrayed.

And what don't you want to be singing about?
I don't want to sing about sex and 'rubbing all over my body' because I don't know about any of that stuff yet. I've never been one to be very raunchy or wear skimpy clothes.

So there won't be a col­lab­or­a­tion with the Pussycat Dolls in the future?
Right.

Thank you very much, Jordin Sparks.