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Tonya Mitchell: Could pop music's next big thing be from West Tennessee?
If only lies really did make noses grow ...

  Presidential elections would be much easier. Mullet hairdos would disappear. And celebrities could see "Star Magazine" writers coming from miles away.
  The naughty little check-out counter rag, known for its tall-tale twists on the news, surprised a local teen-ager in December. Universal Records singer Tonya Mitchell of Huron found herself between the pages. You know your name is out there when national gossipmongers start making up stuff about you. "I was sitting at my house and my friend from California e-mailed me and said you're in 'Star Magazine,'" Mitchell said.
  She immediately checked out the story, which claimed that pop princess Britney Spears finally staked her claim on Justin Timberlake of 'N Sync because he'd been hanging out with the up-and-coming Mitchell.    
  "It was a total shock to me. I read it and I was like what? I'm never around him. I've met him like a couple of times." She found it funny anyway. The 18-year-old pop singer knows to expect more of the same in the next few months. Her first single, "Broken Promises," is doing well locally and nationally and her debut album, "I Represent," is set for release on April 10. USA TODAY named her in a list of teen stars to watch this year.
  Mitchell was in Orlando last week working with a choreographer and choosing dancers. Getting ready for Friday's auditions, she and her mother Paulette took time out for a phone interview to chat about the new album and what's next in launching her career.
  The first step is to get her stage show together. She's been working with a choreographer four hours a day and has finished two songs so far.
  "It's going really great," she said. "I've never done any kind of dancing, but I'm picking it up as I go along."
  Video and summer tour plans are still in the talking stages, but she'll be trying out her new show over the next couple of months.
  "We get e-mails from all across the country saying they're playing her song everywhere," her mother Paulette said.
  She pointed out that her daughter is singing the National Anthem at an Atlanta Braves spring training game on Sunday. Is she maybe a little bit proud of her offspring?
  "Oh no, not at all," she said, laughing like a proud mama. She's been catching everything on film. "Everybody laughs at me because I'm always running around with my cameras."
  It's been a fast-paced few years for Mitchell. She grew up singing along to pop songs by artists such as Mariah Carey and Toni Braxton. She worked with local businessman James E. Wolfe, who had her open for several big-name acts he brought to Jackson.
  In 1998, she sang at the World's Largest Coon Hunt in Parsons. Her performance there caught the attention of Justin Timberlake's grandfather. He hooked her up with his daughter Lynn Harless, Justin's mom, and manager of his band 'N Sync one of the biggest names in music.
  Mitchell eventually signed with Motown Records before moving over to Universal, a bigger label owned by the same company. She's been getting ready for a high-profile launch ever since. She even appears in "Long Shot," a film featuring N Sync and other big-name artists. It should be out sometime this year.
  She recorded her 12-song debut CD in Memphis, Las Vegas, New York and Los Angeles over the past few months. Her vocals are smooth and clear; for a young singer, she shows remarkable focus, range and control. Her style is spunky, fun and full of attitude. Don't compare Tonya Mitchell to Britney Spears - the local singer has more substance.
  The album is full of single-worthy tracks, but the first release was "Broken Promises."
  The song is climbing charts around the country, and it has been getting a lot of attention locally, too. It trounced competition from Jennifer Lopez, Dream and other big-name artists to stay at No. 1 on radio station Q102's nightly Top 9 feature for about a week and a half. It also got a lot of feedback from listeners, who were impressed that a small-town girl was competing in the big leagues.
  "It was kind of hard for them to believe that she, sounding like such a star, could be a person from West Tennessee like you or me," program director Jared Mims said.
   The song did very well in regular rotation until the station altered its format to alternative/pop last week, according to Mims.
  "Broken Promises" is the singer's favorite to perform.
  "It has such a good beat. You can really move to it," she said, adding that her favorite song on the album is "Wasted Breath"- an anthem for disenchanted lovers. "I love that song. It just has a different feel, like a Spanish feel, to it."
  Now, with the single out and the album on its way, everything's coming down to the wire.
  "The pressure's on now, but so far so good," she said.
  What are her career goals?
"Just to show the world my music and stay out there," she said. "You never know what's going to happen, but I keep my head up about it."

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