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As a child star on the Cosby Show, the now-22-year-old woman appears in the Disney franchises That's So Raven and Cheetah Girls, along with her own singing career.

As an actress and a person she stresses respect, especially self-respect, which is why you don't see her in the clubs or in the tabloids. Her new self-titled album shows a large range of musical influences and direction.

She long ago left her hometown of Atlanta for Los Angeles: Atlanta "is a great place for family and music, but it's easier to get to the auditions out here," she told Rocky pop music writer Mark Brown in a recent phone interview.

Your album cover is striking, just a close-up of your eyes. How much do you control your presentation?

I do love striking things. When I decorated my house it's just vibrant, vibrant colors. Something to look at everywhere. I think that's one of the things that will bring people to buy your things - if it's aesthetically pleasing as well as ear-pleasing.

I found some unexpected musical influences on your album. What did you listen to?

I grew up listening to Chaka Khan, Whitney Houston, Marvin Gaye, Jackson 5, Janet Jackson, BBD, Alanis Morissette, the Wallflowers, No Doubt, Bjork. Now I listen to everything all the way to Coldplay, Vanessa Carlton, Katy Perry, Santana. I like a nice eclectic mix of music . . . if you disconnect yourself from the music out there, you disconnect yourself from something that you might learn about yourself.

What do you get from being onstage?

With TV you never really get to see your audience. They only get to see you . . . I don't write the (TV) stuff; I've never written on the show. I was always putting to life what someone else put on paper. With this, this is my heart and soul and life. To feel the audience's energy or excitement or wonderment . . . it just fuels you to do more. After you get offstage, people go, "Are you tired?" No, I'm not tired. I'm ready to go do something else.

Does the repetitiveness of performing ever become a grind?

With music every day you get a different emotion. Every day a song might mean something different. And each audience is different. You blend that into your performance. Me and my friends onstage always try something new so it keeps us excited . . . That's another reason I sing live. Sometimes I might not want to sing that verse. I might want to talk to somebody. Sometimes I might wanna do a run here and not there. If you're singing to a track you're kinda locked into that.

You've worked with such icons - Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence, Bill Cosby. What did you learn from them?

When you're that young you're learning through osmosis. You're taking everything in subconsciously and it's sticking to you because it's always happening. I can't tell you exactly how it went down because I really don't remember. The way I perform and the way I am in my business, my parents say, "You know, you learned that from Mr. Cosby." Are you serious? It's kinda weird because I don't know where I got it from and they're like, "Oh no, you got that from Mr. Cosby."

How have you avoided the pitfalls of fame?

You have to hopefully keep your private life as private as possible. I think it's very, very sad that people my age have to go through the personal issues that they're going through, being scrutinized in the public eye. Other kids go through this and the cameras aren't in their face. They're able to mold themselves and go through the pitfalls, fall and get up . . . But people in the limelight have to go through it in the limelight . . . hopefully it doesn't happen to me.

Where do you see your career going? More Raven and Cheetah Girls or a new direction?

If I keep going with what happened in the past I, as a person, will never grow. I'd rather keep the enterprise and morph the person in front of it slowly and gradually . . . I want to do it so people understand the person on TV is a character. It's not who I am. I have elements of that person . . . With every album I grow a little bit more, and each role really mirrors what's going on with my life.

Where to from here?

Definitely I want to grow as an entertainer and performer. I do have aspirations for all of it. I want it all. I am a producer and I want to grow as a producer. Maybe someday be a director; I don't know, I'm a little scared.

How has it been playing fairs and amusement parks?

I love fairs. I absolutely do. It's such a family-oriented place. It definitely goes along with the part of my brand I never want to lose: bringing the family out and creating entertainment that the whole entire family can enjoy.