North-East Pop Idol finalist Zoe Birkett will release self-penned material before the end of the year.

Fans of the Darlington singer have been waiting since her debut single hit the charts in January to hear news of her next record.

Back then, she reached number 12 with Treat Me Like a Lady.

But a follow-up single failed to materialise and in June, as she celebrated her 18th birthday, Zoe's management company 19 could not confirm when a second single or debut album would be released.

In an interview this week to promote Pop Idol: The Official Video Game, she said she had been writing songs

She said: "I have been writing my own material, which I am really, really excited about, which will be out towards the end of the year.

"It is very different; that nobody would expect me to do, so I am really looking forward to its release."

The teenager, who rose to fame in 2001 after she reached the final four in the ITV show Pop Idol, said she was impressed with the second series.

She said: "I love the first few shows, because you get to see the funny auditions. But for me, the competition definitely starts to hot up when they go from the final 50 onwards to the final ten."

Published: 24/09/2003