Seventh-Grader Sammie Sings His Way to Success
BEGIN "ON THE SHELF CD'S") WARREN HAYNES, GOV'T MULE: We try and mix everything together in a new fresh sort of way and come up with a new voice, so to speak, but not by looking around us, but by looking backwards.</s>MARK BRYAN, MUSICIAN: There's some different sides, different musical styles maybe than I've come across before, or actually it's everything I've done, but collaborated on to one record, so it's got some variety.</s>AG, RAPPER: It was at this point where I said I should get it for me, you know what I mean, where both worlds can relate I can be a mediator, you know that I mean, give them the party, give them the serious, give them the conscience, but at the same time give them what's me. (</s>END "ON THE SHELF CD'S") MORET: With a debut album and a hit single, a young music maker named Sammie is beating back comparisons to other single-name child stars before him like Stevie and Michael. Rachel Wells caught up with the Miami-based seventh-grader at a New York photo shoot.</s>SAMMIE, SINGER: A lot of people say I have a old soul, and it trips them out just to be with me, and they forget that I'm just a 13- year-old boy.</s>ANGLIA BAXTER, SAMMIE'S MOTHER: He's still very much a kid, but I think everyone sees first that he's very mature for his age and as a kid. His vocabulary is very raw and he could pretty much and relate and talk to anyone on almost any level.</s>RACHEL WELLS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): When did you know this is what you really like to do? Do you remember?</s>SAMMIE: I wanted to be a professional at the age of eight, because I did my first performance in the school, in the cafeteria and stuff, and kids were going crazy. I mean, I did real good. I got a lot of attention from there on out. I was like, hey, I can get used to this, you know, being in the spotlight and things.</s>WELLS: What is "I Like It"? What is it? What is that little song about?</s>SAMMIE: "I Like It," it's just a fun song really, saying how you like to spend time, or you see this girl and every time she looks at you you're like, "oh yes!" I love making videos because it's like your day, Sammie day! I mean, everything you want, you got. You got the fruit basket, and then you got somebody fanning you and cleaning your face every time your sweat drips. And it's just a lot of fun. It's hard work, also. You do one scene like 40,000 times until you get it, like, perfect.</s>WELLS: Let's talk about the album itself. What is "From The Bottom To The Top"?</s>SAMMIE: It means a lot of different things. I mean, one, the bottom is Miami. So I would say, coming from Miami all the way to the top of the map. It also means that I'm coming from like the average, original, normal kid to, like, the biggest superstar of the world.</s>WELLS: What about those who say the stardom at a young age -- man, you could be a flash in the pan? Is there some sort of pressure like, I'm a kid, I'm only 13?</s>SAMMIE: No, I don't think I'm going to be one of those overnight things, something happened to Sammie and Sammie is not big anymore, because I have more than one dream if music doesn't work out. I still want to be a biologist, or a cartoonist, or a football player, or a basketball player -- million things -- million other things to do.</s>WELLS (voice-over): Rachel Wells, CNN Entertainment News, New York.</s>MORET: That's all we have for now, but tomorrow on "SHOWBIZ THIS WEEKEND," Bill Tush talks to "American Beauty"'s Kevin Spacey on Oscar's red carpet. That's 10:00 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN. In Los Angeles, I'm Jim Moret. We leave you now with more music from Sammie. Have a great weekend.