"P"op's "Y"oung "T"alent

by Jenna Mamorsky

What do a bunch of 7th and 8th grade girls from Tampa, Florida have in common with Destiny's Child, Britney Spears, and the Backstreet Boys? Raw talent!! Lydia Bell, Lauren Mayhew, Ashley Niven and Tracy Williams are PYT, a hot new girls group that has got it all: singing voices that have been compared to Destiny's Child, the desire to work really hard to achieve their goals, and a good message: "Prove Yourself True." Based upon a favorite Michael Jackson song, "Pretty Young Thing," this "PYT" comes with a different message. Prove Yourself True, really describes the committment that all four girls have poured into their group. "We kind of thought that you have to prove to yourself that you can be something before you have to prove it to the rest of the world. But, basically it's like no matter what anyone else says, don't let anyone keep you down because you can do whatever you want to achieve," said 14 year old Lauren Mayhew.

The girls grew up in Tampa, Florida together, and got to know each other from a singing group they had formed at school called Entertainment Revue. "We knew that we were great singers," says Lydia, and a demo they sent out to record labels immediately attracted the discriminating interest of Epic Records, with whom they signed a contract. The voices of PYT mix up a special combination of R & B flair with a pop sound, and "our music is kind of edgy," admitted Lydia.

Success, however, does not come without sacrifice. "I think that you need to have the love for performing, because there are a lot of sacrifices that you have to make, things that you have to give up," Tracey told me. While touring with Britney Spears and N'sync, and a cameo appearance on pop star Mandy Moore's "Candy" video playing Mandy's friends sounds like fun, it also means a lot of work. "We have to sacrifice tons of birthday parties, family events, and many things that normal kids do," Tracey told TeenSpeak. The girls are tutored while they are away from home, and look forward to getting back in town when they get to see their friends and family who have supported them through all of the sacrifices the girls have had to make.