In an exclusive interview with Lindsey Kennedy, Alex Parks reveals how she has spread her musical wings since Fame Academy, as will be revealed when her startling new album is released.

Cornish singer Alex Parks, who rocketed to fame when she won the BBC's Fame Academy, has revealed her hopes and fears on the eve of releasing her new album.

The 21-year-old said she "can't wait" to release her new single Looking for Water, which is taken from her long-awaited second album, Honesty.

The title of the album is no accident. It reflects Alex Parks' determination to spread her wings after the Fame Academy experience, which first catapulted her to fame.

Alex, from Mount Hawke, near Truro, admitted that it was "quite scary" because "the music is my own and I hope people like it".

The album is the follow-up to her platinum-selling debut album, Introduction, which was released quickly after the Fame Academy experience and largely featured other artists' songs.

"I do not want to alienate the audience I had on Fame Academy, they are the reason I am here, but as an artist I wanted to broaden my appeal," she said.

To that end she has spent months working on the new album and pushing back the release date - it had been eagerly anticipated earlier this summer.

The singer is unrepentant about keeping her fans waiting, because she was determined to get it right.

"I could carry on forever making the album; I am a bit of a perfectionist," she said. "After the last album and Fame Academy I needed to chill and get my head together and work out what is best for me.

"I had a couple of months to do that, then I starting writing and I wanted to try a bit of experimentation and work with a lot of different people."

She said the album reflected her as an artist in her own right. "I wanted to write an honest record - something honest to me," she said. "It reflects where I am going and where I am now. This is a lot more mellow than the last album and more lyrically mature."

Alex had been the bookmaker's favourite to win the £1 million record deal with music giants Polydor, which came with winning the Fame Academy programme in 2003.

The record company has been "great" she said; allowing her plenty of time to work on the album, even if it has meant deadlines slipping. It had taken time to produce because she wanted to make sure it was perfect.

She has written all the songs herself and has worked with a number of producers to create her own unique sound, including Peter Vettese, Judie Tzuke and Greg Wells.

It was in October 2003 that she shot to fame on the BBC TV programme, Fame Academy, in front of millions of viewers. Along with other young hopefuls, Alex endured a gruelling nine-week stay in the £35 million Fame Academy mansion.

In the final, she sang the John Lennon classic, Imagine, in a duet with the music star Daniel Bedingfield. She also sang an original song of her own that she composed while at the academy, called Maybe That's What It Takes. However, it was her memorable interpretation of the John Lennon number that prompted a standing ovation from the judges.

A small tour is planned, and a gig in London is booked to promote the new album, but Alex said she wanted a "warm-up in Cornwall".

"I am determined to play at home," she said. "I have got the band together and there will be a bigger tour next year."

The singer has no regrets about taking time to think of the musical direction she intends to take and the result is a mature and distinctive album, drawing a line under the Fame Academy experience, which first brought her to stardom.

She said: "I have been getting myself together and finding myself. I think I have done that."

Honesty is due to be released on October 24, with the single, Looking for Water, out on October 17.