A YEAR ago, girlband Dragonheart were all jeans, teenage tops and trainers. But after 12 months on a punishing schedule and rubbing shoulders with A-list stars, the girls have developed a new, grown-up look, as our pictures show.

Casey Wilcox,17, from Cwmbran, and her bandmates Vicci Lewis, Niki Fitzgerald and Tara Panayi, 16, all from Cardiff, showed their own sense of style on a trip to the shops in Newport yesterday.

Taking some time out before the release of their second single, a cover of the Buggles hit Video Killed a Radio Star, the girls talked about what their schedule and their plans for the summer holidays.

Despite the girls' last single, Hey Mr Radio, reaching number 12 in the Welsh chart and them appearing alongside bands like Blue, and Atomic Kitten - playing in front of to up to 30,000 people - they still find time to spend with family and friends.

The girls are heading off to Bognor Regis to appear with Big Brovaz with many more gigs planned for the summer, some with Blue, DJ Kasper and the Cheeky Girls.

But Vicci, Niki and Tara are also waiting for their GCSE results while Casey awaits her AS-Level results next month.

Dragonheart's next single is set to be released in September with the video, which was filmed in May in Swansea, Cardiff and Penarth, being shown on MTV and The Box in the next few weeks.

Casey said: "It's still fantastic. It is tiring because we have been touring across the country but we love doing it and performing.

"We are doing what most people only dream about doing." Even if their next single hits the top ten, Casey is planning to go back to Coleg Gwent in Pontypool to finish her A-Levels in IT, maths and English. She said: "I am nervous about getting my AS results but we will be so busy over the next few weeks that I won't be able to worry.

"If the single is a success I don't want to be one of these people who gets famous and doesn't bother doing usual things. "I want to go back to college and hang around with my friends there."