Perth-born singer/songwriter Samantha Jade had already retired as a successful model in Australia when she made her worldwide pop music debut at the age of 16. Modeling began at age four; being bitten by the music bug came at age nine when Samantha won her first talent show singing "Amazing Grace." Writing music soon became a passion, and by 2004 when she was just 16 she landed her song "Secret Love" on the Shark Tale soundtrack. The song was performed by teen pop star JoJo, but it wasn't long before Jade's powerful singing voice would be featured on another soundtrack, 2006's Step Up, which put the now 18-year-old singer in the company of Ciara, Kelis, and Sean Paul. Jade's track, also titled "Step Up," was written in part by superstar songwriter Diane Warren and produced by Wyclef Jean. The Jive record company used the catchy single to promote Jade's own full-length debut, which was promised for later in the year. ~ David Jeffries