Stacie Orrico never asked to be a star. Stardom, with all its glittering promises, found her. She was discovered at 12, released a gold-selling debut album at 14, and traveled the globe to support her internationally best-selling follow-up at 17. By the age of 18, Orrico had sold more than 3.4 million albums worldwide. But the demands of a successful career nearly drove this young, preternaturally gifted singer and songwriter out of the music business. Thankfully, Orrico not only possesses a dazzling voice, she is also blessed with a rare maturity, which enabled her to walk away from her career three years ago to rediscover who she was and what, and whom, really mattered to her. Orricos elegant new album, the soulful, R&B-powered Beautiful Awakening, tells the story of that journey, which has landed her where she is today: in control of her life and career for the first time. Its definitely a peaceful record, says Orrico, now 20. I wanted to make an album that you would want to put on while youre sitting in your bedroom after a long day. I wanted it to have songs that I could sing accompanied by just an acoustic guitar. Orrico says the topics, which range from break-up songs (Im Not Missing You, Dont Ask Me to Stay) to romantic ballads (Easy to Love You, Wait) to a shout-out to single moms (Babygirl) to a celebration of family (So Simple), reflect a time that is really joyful and where love has been a part of my life. Born in Seattle in 1986, Orrico grew up the daughter of Christian missionaries, the middle child of five in a close-knit Italian-American family. When Orrico was seven, her parents travels took them to the Ukraine where young Stacie helped tend to tuberculosis-stricken orphans at a local hospital. The Orricos lived in a compound that had no hot water. The experience, she says, taught me that no matter what a persons background is, no matter what language they speak, there are common bonds between people, certain things we can all relate to. After a year in the Ukraine, the Orricos moved to Denver where Stacie went to school and sang in church. I was the little white girl singing in the all-black gospel choir, she says. People would come up to my parents and be like, This girl can sing. She's got soul. Youve got to play her some Fred Hammond and Shirley Caesar records. My dad always listened to great old jazz music, like Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughn, so I was exposed to that kind of music from a young age. In 1998, Orrico attended a music seminar in Estes Park and wound up entering a singing competition as a lark. She won and an A&R executive from EMIs Christian label ForeFront offered her a development deal on the spot. Orrico was 12. The Orrico family moved to Nashville, and Stacie released her first album for Virgin in 2003. Stacie Orrico, with its urban-flavored R&B-pop sound, spawned two Top Ten singles, (Theres Gotta Be) More To Life and Stuck. Then the album exploded in Asia, and Orrico hit the road, traveling to a new country every three days and doing interviews from seven in the morning to 11 at night. It just got to a point where I was getting more and more exhausted, she says. I started to think, I didnt fight for this. I didnt go knocking on peoples doors for a record deal. Now my whole identity is completely wrapped up in the music industry. I had no life outside of it no foundation beneath it to support me. It was time to decide whether a music career was really what I wanted to do. She decided it wasnt. By this time, Orricos family had moved back to Seattle and Stacie decided to join them, enjoying her mothers cooking, attending her sisters dance recital, and her brothers football games, and making up for lost time. She got a job in a restaurant with her best friend, making $7.50 an hour serving fish and chips at a seafood place. I just wanted to do something normal, she says. We had to wear these hideous outfits ties and below-the-knee skirts, white tights, and navy shoes. I loved it. The break enabled Orrico to build a foundation of support from family and friends, which in turn, allowed her to consider going back to the business. I finally started to realize that music is what I love it is what Im passionate about, she says. For me, its more than just making records its a form of communication: telling stories and sharing experiences. When I was too exhausted and detached from myself to make that personal connection with people, I lost my enthusiasm for it. Now Im more excited about my career than I've ever been. Its no longer something that just fell into my lap, but a conscious choice that I've made to continue. Orrico co-wrote a majority of the album and worked with a variety of top-notch producers, including Dallas Austin, Dwayne Bastiany, Kaygee, and co-writers such as Shekspear, Track & Field, Anthony Dent, and newcomer Novel, a rapper, singer, producer, and songwriter whom Orrico met at a studio in Atlanta when she heard him making beats down the hall. Hes my musical soulmate, Orrico says of Novel, who is the grandson of soul legend Solomon Burke and has written songs for Kelis and India Arie. We just hear music the same way and are inspired by so many of the same things. Orrico is also eager to go on tour and perform. "I want to perform soul music. That is what rings true to me. And truth, honesty, and vulnerability always rise to the top.