A pinch of Salter (From Oxford Mail)

A pinch of Salter

5:50pm Thursday 7th August 2008

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Like most of us, Alayna Salter has a dream.

Unlike the rest of us, however, she isn't prepared to sit back and let it go.

This 25 year-old West Oxfordshire girl has planned her assault on the mountain of fame with the focus of an Himalayan climber.

And she is busy scaling the twin peaks of music and fashion. She describes her music as "pop on the rocks with a slice of bite", and it is going down well both here, and in the States.

While her singing career goes from strength to strength, her sideline as a jewellery designer is also going great guns, with her distinctive Punky Allsorts brand finding its way into boutiques on both sides of the Atlantic.

If her name has passed you by, remember you heard it here first. The release this autumn of her fun-drenched debut album, recorded in the UK and Los Angeles, could propel her into the big time.

"This is what I have always wanted to do," says Alayna, on her way back to her home village of Freeland, near Witney, after a long day at a recording studio in West London.

"I knew I wanted to perform when I was seven, but for many years I just did it for fun."

Soon realising she had real talent, the former Headington Girls School pupil found herself thrust on to a bigger stage. She has appeared in a string of musicals, and performed to London theatre-goers at Her Majesty's Theatre and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

Now, however, she has settled into doing what she does best - performing her own self-penned material.

Alayna, whose father John is the man behind Oxford's Salters Steamers, has sung everywhere from the West End to this year's Henley Regatta. But she first made news with a rather different tour - of schools.

The tour, which took her the length of the country, was organised by the team behind boy band Busted. She has since worked with a string of influential producers including Trilogy (High School Musical and Hannah Montana), Michael Raphael (Busted, McFly, Son of Dork), Carsten Kroeyer (Melanie C, Victoria Beckham), Miles Showell (Elton John), Francesco Cameli (Westlife, The Streets, Will Young), Bimbo Jones (Britney Spears, Pink, Natasha Bedingfield), and Brit Award Winner and former member of boyband A1, Ben Adams.

"It has been amazing working with these producers," she says.

"Many of them heard my stuff on Myspace and contacted me. It's so exciting and it means the quality of the songs is cool."

So what does she sound like? "Fun, quirky, edgy and upbeat. I like to write songs that make you get up and dance and feel good. It's clubby, fun and feelgood; great summer music.

"You could call it poppy rock, and I have been compared to Avril Lavigne, Gwen Stefani and Pink.

"I always wanted to write music that makes people smile - and if I can get people dancing I'm happy."

She has spent much of the past year in Los Angeles, and still harbours a soft spot for the Sunshine State, where much of her album was recorded.

Her stay in the City of Angels also gave her a chance to pursue her other interest as an ultra-hip jewellery designer. Her stuff is now stocked by the chic Kitson boutique - a favourite of Hollywood stars. A new range is also being launched in the V Festival in Essex this month.

"Being a girl I've always liked making my own jewellery and clothing," she explains.

"When I started appearing on stage I always wanted to wear something unfamiliar, so I designed my own.

"When people began asking me where they could buy it, I realised I could start selling it.

"It means I'm really busy, as one day I'm recording, and the next day making jewellery."

She admits live is manic, but good. "I'm looking forward to getting the album out, carrying on singing and having a major tour.

"But life is so hectic, that it's really nice just to come back to Oxfordshire... and relax."