Entertainment

TV: Teen songstress's reality show airs tonight on MTV

11:30 AM CDT on Wednesday, May 31, 2006

By LESLEY TÉLLEZ / Quick

MTV cameras are locked on Cheyenne Kimball's face almost constantly, yet the 15-year-old remains relaxed.

It's a late April afternoon, about an hour before a performance at the St. Pius X School gym. The cameras trail her as she walks into her tour bus for an interview.

She ignores the cameras, even when they're set up right next to her on the couch. She's funny and self-assured.

Are these things on?

Cheyenne's self-titled reality show premieres on MTV tonight. The first episode chronicles her move from Little Elm to Los Angeles.

She already has a history here: At age 8, she taught herself the guitar, and began performing in Deep Ellum clubs.

By 12, she'd written nearly 200 songs and taken home the top prize on NBC's America's Most Talented Kid. At 13, she signed a record deal with Epic.

Cheyenne's debut album, The Day Has Come, a collection of well-crafted pop songs tinged with gutsy guitar riffs, hits stores on July 11.

Here's more from Cheyenne, musing about music from her tour bus.

Full name: Cheyenne Kimball

Nickname: Chey (pronounced "Shy")

On her iPod: Josh Hoge, Damien Rice, Mae.

Quirky personal fact: She nicknames everything. Her guitars are Pam and Aretha; her computer is Mr. Slave; her phone is Elizabeth Taylor.

Hobbies: Bowling, shopping

Musical Inspiration: The late Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon

You moved to LA earlier this year. What do you miss most about Dallas?

Just everything. Just the vibe of it. ... I'll probably end up moving back here.

Why?

I don't personally really like LA. ... It's just overrated, I think. And first of all, if I want to buy a house, the price is just overwhelming. In Dallas you get so much for your money.

You're already thinking about buying a house?

Yeah, I have 2 ½ years until I'm 18!

Take me through the process of how you normally write.

Well, I usually come up with something on the guitar first. Then I put a melody and lyrics to it. Usually it takes me 10 minutes to write a song, but when I co-write with somebody else, it takes a couple of hours. But I never force it. Like, you just can't. You have to let it flow out.

How did you get into Shannon Hoon?

When I was 8, I heard "No Rain" and I fell in love with it. I made my dad go buy me the album because I knew I loved it. "No Rain" is a great song, but the rest of the songs on that album, they're all so amazing.

Has anyone ever told you that you seem older than you are?

Yeah [laughs]. I get that a lot. ... I guess I'm just used to it. A lot of people have always called me an old soul. Even when I was like 8 and 9.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Hopefully I'll have a couple more albums out. And hopefully I will have already been on Saturday Night Live – that's like my all-time dream, is to act on it and be the musical guest. And also hopefully I'll be playing arenas. Because once I play arenas, and, like, see tons of people out there singing my music, that's going to be, like – I'll be in tears. That's like my biggest dream.

E-mail ltellez@quickdfw.com

Cheyenne

9:30 tonight, MTV