LESS than a year ago, Erin Rocha was just another Poole schoolgirl, studying for A-levels and looking forward to appearing in her end-of-term play.

Last Christmas all that changed after a twist of fate landed her with a hit single and the launchpad for a serious recording career.

The single Can't Do Right For Doing Wrong received massive airplay and was tipped as a potential Christmas number one.

It was the result of a work placement programme that earlier in the year had landed the Poole High School girl at the Room With A View recording studio near Ringwood.

Studio boss Steve Smith had been looking for someone to record a demo of Can't Do Right For Doing Wrong with the intention of sending it to Norah Jones and Celine Dion.

After hearing Erin's voice he hired her on the spot, paying her a £30 session fee. The subsequent recording was so impressive that he and Flying Sparks record boss Ian Brown decided they had found a star of the future.

They decided to hang on to the song and release Erin's version. The ensuing media circus was extraordinary. As the single shot up the charts and became a BBC Radio 2 favourite she found her role in the school production of Romeo and Juliet was being played out around an endless round of interviews and TV appearances.

Now 17 years old, signed to EMI Liberty and with her first album Paper Wings hitting the shops this month, Erin recalls: "It was very intense as everything happened so quickly. I'd never experienced anything like that, but I didn't feel under any pressure at all. I felt incredibly lucky and just wanted to enjoy it."

What's more, she kept a cool head about her future. She was just about to start sixth-form college and says she was determined that, whatever her potential for a career in the music business, she would complete her education.

"I sat down with Steve and we came up with a deal that would enable me to continue my studies. I really enjoy school and think it's really important so there was no way that I wanted to drop out. We worked around it and I used my school holidays to do promotion and recording."

The resulting album, which includes Can't Do Right For Doing Wrong, covers a lot of musical ground with a mix of country, folk, jazz and soul as well as an intriguingly effective reworking of the 1967 Box Tops hit penned by Alex Chilton.

"I wanted to keep things varied so that people don't try to pigeonhole me," explained Erin.

"I like a real mixture of music from Norah Jones to Alicia Keys and Stevie Wonder and I wanted the album to reflect that."

Originally Erin planned to train as a masseuse and become an aromatherapist but for the moment that plan is on hold.

"I would still love to do that but I want to make the most of the chance that I've been given," she said.

Paper Wings is released on EMI Liberty. There is also a new single, Let Me Down Easy.