Case study: Pixie Lott

She's blonde, she's cute and she can sing. Unless she'd been born into a poor family in the remotest parts of Scotland, it's hard to imagine pre-packaged pop princess Pixie Lott wasn't always destined for success. But there are plenty more Pixies out there who never make it. This is how Pixie ensured she didn't miss any opportunities:

• Stage school - Pixie attended Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts from the age of five
• The Stage - Age 14 she answered an advert in The Stage which led to her demo being heard by LA Reid, who wanted to sign her to Island Def Jam
• Persistance - When this record deal failed to work out, she auditioned for the musical TV series Britannia High, where she also did not succeed but caught the attention of UK labels
• Record deal - She was finally signed to Mercury Records and after over a year of working with the world's best songwriters she shot to no.1 with Mama Do