We loved her on Idol and as a Young Diva, so you can imagine our total excitement at the chance to meet Ricki-Lee!! Our verdict - one girl who is an inspiration to all girls!

Congratulations on your second solo album 'Brand New Day'.

I feel like I've done ten. I look at people like Kylie Minogue and Madonna and all these people who've done album after album after album and I feel like I'm 80 years old after doing two. I don't know how they do it. I have a new found admiration for artists and singers after the craziness that has surrounded this album.

Tell us about 'Brand New Day'?

I'm a really positive person and I really see that everything happens for a reason, good or bad and I don't regret anything bad that happens or any mistake you make because you always learn from it. If you're having a crappy day today, well, tomorrow is a brand new day to start afresh. Always look forward to the next day and be positive.

That's kind of how I live my life and a lot of my songs on the album talk about a lot of things that have happened on my journey in the past four years - all the ups and the downs. There have been downs, even though everyone thinks that it's all so glamorous. I'm like everyone else. I go through things that everyone else does.

It was great to be able to share that with everyone and kind of say hey, I'm like you too. It's great when you hear back from people that are like, "oh my God, your song such and such helped me through problems with a friend or boyfriend or at school". It's great to have that power and be able to connect with your audience.

I'm sure that there are a lot of people you've helped. When somewhere hears about an experience you've been through in your song and it's similar to something they've gone through then it helps to know that you're not the only one going through issues in your life.

When you're having a bad day or something is really annoying you or something really awful has happened sometimes you feel like you're the only one.

Yeah you feel pretty isolated.

When you start realising that it's not just me, there are other people out there. That's the thing about having great friends and a great family. Being able to talk about it and express it. I carry my diary around everywhere and I sit and write in it all the time. Whether it's good or bad or I'm excited about something, or something really bad has happened, I'm always writing. Even if I'm sitting, waiting for a plane I'll write: "I'm sitting here, really bored and I'm on a plane". There's always something going on in my mind and a lot of the lyrics in the songs are directly out of the diary. When I go into a writing session, (and it's really hard to start doing it) I basically hand my diary over and say, "that's what I've been thinking about". It makes you really vulnerable.

Do you often feel exposed because everything is out there for everyone to hear? It's not like you're hiding your feelings.

Well it is and I want to express it and that's probably why I document so much of what I go through. I've got the memory of a gold fish, if I don't write it down, I'll forget about it or I'll forget that one feeling in the heat of the moment. So much stuff goes through your head and you have to get it out so you remember it and you can reflect on it.

You sometimes feel exposed and vulnerable but I work with amazing people and they're in it for the same reason I am, to make great music and to express the emotions and the journey. I love it, I love the journey, there's nothing better than writing a great song and recording it and then running up to people saying, "listen to this". You'll have friends or family that will hear it and they'll know exactly what it's about. They'll know the exact experience that you were talking about.

Your life in songs.

Yeah, it's really cool.

You traveled the world when you were writing these songs, where did you go?

I went to London for a month, New York for three and a half weeks, and LA for three and a half weeks.

How much fun. Why London, New York and LA?

When you're putting together a writing trip and looking at writers you speak to publishers and you get them to send you a whole heap of stuff. You tell them what you want your album to sound like and you might have a wish list of writers. And basically all the people that I wanted to work with and I liked were all in London, New York and LA, so that ended up being the three places I went to and it was great.

It's interesting, because there are some people that you instantly click with and those are the best songs. Sometimes you don't click with people and it's so touch and go because you're on the other side of the world and they don't know who you are. And this is what they do every day, they just sit there and write. It's all about connection and if you don't click with the person and you're not on the same page, then you're not going to write a great song together.

What's the creative process then?

Basically you turn up and you talk for about an hour, just talk about everything. They obviously research a bit about you before you come. They want to know everything that's been going on. They start playing tracks or they play something on the piano or the guitar or previous tracks that they've produced. Then I go, "I like that or I don't like that". And it's basically just a jam. You start singing over something ….it's really hard to explain how it works. They'll start playing something and you go, "yeah, yeah, yeah", and then they go, ok then, what about this, let's do this, what about lyrics"? When you hear a track or the basic shell of a track, you know what the vibe of the song is going to be. You come up with ideas and concepts for songs.

You toured with Hilary Duff earlier this year and you're heading out for your first solo tour in March.

It's going to be great. I didn't tour my first album so this album I get to revisit what I did on Idol, my first album and this album. It really fits with 'Brand New Day' and the whole concept of the album because it's about the journey. It's great to be able to tie it back to the beginning. It's quite a variety too. For the first 20 minutes you'll be up on your feet dancing; it's like a party. Then we bring it down a little bit and make it a little bit more intimate. Cool ballads and a couple of really huge epic numbers. Then we go into the party section which is a lot of songs from my first album. Then I go into a set with a lot of songs from Idol which gets people on their feet again. Then we just charge to the end. It's a fun set with great messages.

What's life like for you on the tour?

Crazy and it's difficult to just stay normal on tour. One of the main things I like doing is not staying in hotels. I like staying in apartments, so if you're somewhere for a few days you can go down and get some groceries and cook for yourself. You basically stay in a lot of the same hotels, so after four years of touring I've found the hotels I like and I stay in them all the time. You've had everything on the menu, you're sick of having your bed turned down and washing your undies in the bath. It's great to have your own kitchen where you can do your own cooking and a laundry where you can do your own washing. That kind of keeps me sane.

Do you take anything on the road with you?

My laptop basically has all my photos. Every day there's a new screen saver. I've always got that to look at if I miss my family. Everyone's a phone call away if things get tough. When I get really homesick, I can always get on a flight.

What's usually the first thing you do when you get home?

Empty my suitcase, do my washing and then repack, sit down and watch TV and sleep in my own bed and cook my own dinner.

How long do you tour for?

This time around, I'm touring for over a month - it's Thursday, Friday and Saturday for a month. We're touring Queensland and New South Wales. And at the same time I'm doing 'It Takes Two', which is Sunday until Wednesday.

Are you enjoying the show?

It's fantastic, I can't wait to go back each week. It's so much fun. Each week they give you two genres to choose from and you give them four song choices of each genre and then they work out what everyone sings, balance it out and make up a good show. It's great!

It's a long way since Idol. Did you ever expect to go this far after the show?

I always had the vision to have longevity and I always wanted to be respected and have the respect of other artists and my idols. I'm reading Michael Jackson' s biography and watched a lot of biographies on singers and a lot of the great singers have become famous through talent contests and have won them or not won them.

Today, something like Idol is your record label machine. Record labels don't scout like they used to, they don't come down to pubs to watch gigs. They go to MySpace to see who's got the most fan base. They see a million people on a MySpace site and the record companies assume they'll sell a million records. A lot of the time these days it's about quick money, they're not about creating a long term artist.

One of the steps I took was to not sign with a major label. I signed with an independent label and straight away they were on the same page as me. They were willing to do what I wanted and not in a spoilt way. You're the musician, you're the singer, you're the writer, what do you want to do? It blew me away. I was asking myself if I was in the right place. It's amazing. It's a lot harder because you don't have endless resources, you don't have a thousand publicists on the phone every day. It's tougher but every inch of success you get is so sweet. It's that satisfaction that you're doing a great job. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Do you think a lot of reality shows give people false hope?

Sometimes people need to be more honest with themselves - if you're alright or if you're not. Some people just don't', that's the thing. It's TV and sometimes they indulge that, it's part of the entertainment. These people are willing to do it.

We love you, we love your music and totally think you're one of Australia's best singers with positive messages behind your music.

That's what I want, I don't want just to have one good song and be that girl that people say had that one good song. I want to have lots of great songs. I want to be around in 10 years time. It's all of that stuff, I'm determined, I put my head down and focus on what I have to do and work hard. Nothing that I've done has been conventional. I didn't go with a major label, I didn't sign up with the big-wig management that basically has everyone but doesn't have time for anyone. I didn't win Idol, I was seventh. Everything has come around from the back. I don't do anything how everybody else does it. I like that, I love it.

Do you have any advice for up and coming singers?

You have to believe! It's so corny I know, even when I read things like that I roll my eyes, but you do. You have to believe. You have to be passionate. You have to be determined. You have to be focused. You have to be willing to work hard because the minute you sit back and expect things to come to you, is when you start going down. You have to constantly be thinking what's next? What am I going to do next that's different?

I look up to people like Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Beyonce and Justin Timberlake, who push the boundaries. They don't do what's obvious, and they find a different way. I love that. You really have to think about your sound, who you are. You have to be true to that and be prepared to work damn hard. You also have to sacrifice a lot on the way.

There are people I know that want to go and party all the time. I can't party all of the time, I lose my voice. I can't go out and party with my friends, I'd much rather sit at home and watch a movie. Things like that you have to sacrifice. It would be great to go out every Friday and Saturday night and hit the dance floor but I can't. I also have to sacrifice being away from my husband a lot of the time. You have to be willing to sacrifice for your art.

What is your day to day mantra?

There are two things that kind of tie into one. Anything worth anything takes a lot of hard work and sacrifice. I watched an interview with Beyonce and I was just fascinated by her. She doesn't just sing - she's sings and writes; she produces; she acts; she's beautiful; she models; she dances; she comes up with music where you have no idea where it came from; she seems so down to earth; she's classy; she's elegant; she's a great role model; she's a curvaceous, beautiful, normal girl. You never see her stumbling out of a club with no undies on. She's always on top of her game and there's a little bit of mystery about her that is great. That quote means so much and is so true.

The second part of that is to never regret anything. I never ever regret anything. If I make a huge mistake and I do something that didn't work out so well or came back to bite me on the ass, you learn from it. Whatever it is, you learn from your experiences and it makes you the person you are. It gives you the opportunity to move forward. If you start regretting things, living in the past, you're dwelling on things. If you look forward you can let go of the past and things that hold you back.

Quick questions

What makes you smile?
Getting a nice text message from my husband.

Dog or cat person?
Dog

Biggest splurge?
I bought three pairs of shoes at once.

Fav movie?
Comedy - Anchor Man or White Chicks

Fav singer?
Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder and Whitney Housten.

What would you be doing if you weren't a singer?
I'd love work in the industry, a makeup artist or stylist, work in a record label and develop talent - that kind of stuff. Anything in entertainment.

Who would you love to do a duet with and what song?
I've always loved I Want You Back by the Jackson 5, so I'd love to sing that song with Michael Jackson. Get the Jackson 5 back together and do it with them.

What song makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up?
Dear Mr President by Pink gives me goose bumps. Michael Jackson's Heal the World is a really inspiring song, it makes you want to do better things and be a better person.