IF there's one thing that will give you a leg up in the world of showbusiness - other than good looks and talent - it's family.

There has been a spate of younger brothers and sisters hitching a ride to fame and fortune on the coat-tails of their older counterparts. Jamie Lynn Spears seems to be being groomed as another Britney, Gisele's younger sister is following her down the catwalk and Samantha Mumba's little brother Omero has had a stab at pop success.

Sibling stars have a number of advantages - their fresh faces are already strangely familiar and they have an older, more experienced sibling to turn to for advice.

Gennaro Castaldo, of HMV, says the biggest advantage is simple genetics. ''If someone is very, very talented anyway their brothers and sisters might have the same ability.''

But Castaldo insists that the public will see through siblings who are simply cruising on a name.

Omero Mumba, Samantha Mumba's little brother, is already signed to Polydor after performing a rap on Samantha's latest album and appearing with her in the film The Time Machine.

However, siblings are not always an asset. If they are successful, it can lead to tensions. It seems that the best way to survive a sibling's stardom is to vary the formula. In a move to distance herself from her sister, Beyonce Knowles's little sister Solange has called her debut album Solo Star - she may as well have called it I'm Not My Big Sister.

Castaldo certainly thinks Britney's advice to her 11-year-old sister, Jamie Lynn should be be to do her own thing. ''She should take advantage of the contacts and so on but at the same time try and establish a career on her own terms so she can develop her own fan base independently.''

One way to get around sibling rivalry is to diversify. Danni Minogue has recently modelled and starred in musicals in order to step out of her sister Kylie's shadow.

Other siblings have tried to distance themselves by changing their names - like Emilio Esteves, the brother of Charlie Sheen and son of Martin Sheen.