A SCHOOLGIRL soprano is releasing her first album next week, inspired by legendary Italian-American tenor Mario Lanza.

Holly Holyoake, aged 15, of Duffryn, Newport, juggles concerts and recording sessions with school and homework.

Her first album, called When Dreams Have Wings, contains a mix of show tunes and classical music. Holly's parents, Trixie and Craig, discovered their daughter's talent when they heard her singing along to a Mario Lanza CD in her bedroom.

Trixie, 38, said people who had heard Holly say she could be the next Charlotte Church. The buzz over the schoolgirl's voice started two years ago.

Trixie said: "She was listening to a Mario Lanza song and started singing along. We thought it was so good that we recorded her and sent it to Mario's son, Damon. "Damon wrote back and said he thought her voice was fantastic."

Since then Holly, who is studying nine GCSEs, including music and design and technology, has continued to perform at concerts in Gwent and even in America, where she performed for Mario Lanza fans in Philadelphia.

Holly, a pupil at Duffryn High School, said: "Last year was really busy for me. I went to America to sing at the Mario Lanza Ball, which was really good, and I spent a lot of time recording my album.

"I do a lot of concerts but I really enjoy them. I prefer singing in front of a large audience because it gives me a real buzz.

"I like going out with my friends to the cinema, but I don't get a lot of time to do that any more. But it's OK because they all like my singing and they are really supportive." To reach a wider audience, Holly's parents set up their own recording label, Holyoake Productions, to distribute the CD.

Holly, who has a sister, Kirsty, 20, and brother, Ryan, 17, said: "I think me and Charlotte Church are quite similar, but she was a bit younger than me when she started, and she sings in a different style to me."

Holly is set to have a hectic schedule in the next 12 months, with the album release, a trip to Italy to sing at a concert in Rome, and her GCSEs.

But Holly's mum Trixie says she will try to keep her daughter's feet firmly on the ground. "She hasn't got a manager at the moment because we are a bit wary, so I'm doing a lot of her promotional work, including the website, which has had thousands of hits so far. The music download section has had over 2,000 hits.

"The thought of fame does make me rather nervous because she's so young, but we are all very proud of her."

When Dreams Have Wings is released on January 21, priced £9.99, available at HMV Newport or from www.hollyholyoake.com