Life after Hannah Montana

What: SodaPOP with Emily Osment, Jesse Labelle, Danny Fernandes, The New Cities and Alyssa Reid

When: Friday, June 18, 6:30 p.m.

Where: Hamilton Place

Tickets: $39.50, $29.50 and $22.50 at Copps Coliseum box office or online at ticketmaster.ca or by phone at 905-527-7666

They say your first album takes a lifetime to write.

That lifetime spans a mere 17 years for Emily Osment, but that hasn't stopped the teen idol from realizing her dreams and releasing a hit record.

Osment, who previously starred as Lilly Truscott on the Hannah Montana show, stormed onto the music scene last fall with All The Right Wrongs -- an eight-song EP that has produced two hit singlesIt was a big step for the young singer, but also a natural progression for someone who grew up in a musical household.

"I got into music at a very young age, and everyone in my family loves music," said Osment, calling from the road between Vancouver and Calgary on her SodaPOP tour, which hits Hamilton Friday.

"But nobody ever pushed me into anything, and that goes for acting, too."

A former child prodigy on the silver screen, Osment got her first big break in the popular Spy Kids franchise before making the jump to Hannah Montana in 2006.

Osment starred as Hannah's best friend, Lilly, and appeared in 86 episodes of the show alongside fellow teen idols Miley Cyrus and Mitchell Musso.

But despite her success behind the camera, Osment always held a special place in her heart for music, especially for bands such as Radiohead, REM and Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette.

Admittedly, it took a long time for the singer to find her own style.

"Oh God, most of the concerts I went to when I was little were, like, Herman's Hermits and that sort of thing," said Osment, letting out a slight giggle.

"When I got a little older, I started going to concerts that I really enjoyed. I saw bands like Incubus and Radiohead, and I fell in love. They looked like they were having so much fun, and I wanted to do that."

Osment's older brother Haley Joel (of The Sixth Sense and Pay It Forward fame) also had a big impact on her musical development.

"When we were younger, my brother definitely helped me learn guitar. But he lives on the other side of the country now, so we don't get to jam much.

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