In an age when so many pop stars are made – through technology, through undue hype – it is refreshing to find Stefani Vara, a fan of music who backs up her lifelong desire to sing with a voice so sweet you’ll wonder why she didn’t decide to become a performer until she reached high school.

“I’ve always been singing,” the delightful Vara says. “I always loved music. I didn’t always want to do it professionally.” Yet, when Vara decided that she wanted to be a professional singer, she embraced the choice whole-heartedly, uprooting herself from her family outside of Houston, Texas, and moving to New York City while still in her teens, where she began her education in the world of music.

After several attempts to entice a major label, Vara – whose motto is “Live the life you want. You’re the creator of your destiny," Vara took destiny into her hands, by putting together several shows. “I got a guy to choreograph three shows,” she said. “I found background dancers and performed at the showcases.” While her showcases did not earn her a major label deal, they did open doors for the next step in her career.

“I was a big fan live music,” Vara said. “I put together a bass player, a conga player, and a drummer. I worked on my own songs and they made them their own.” Stefani paid for all of these efforts herself. She tried to find an investor in order to offset the costs of making a CD, but “who wants to put $2,000 into something that may not happen?”

It was then that destiny paid her a visit. She met Siri Music CEO Chauncy Jackson. “Another door opened when I met Chauncy,” she said. “We were on the same page musically. I wanted to sing pop music and he would support me with marketing and distribution.” While the idea of a major label was not unappealing, Vara was not upset that she did not land a deal with a major. “The major labels are not taking time to develop an artist, to make their careers last longer." she said. “That is what I love most about Chauncy. He has taken the time to work with me, develop me, promote me as more than just a sexy figure. I want a longer career than one hit song, than one hit album. We want more." In an industry whose recent history has not preached patience, Stefani is an anomaly.

And though she is happy with her new situation, Vara realizes that her work has only begun. While many would kill for her model-good looks – Vara recently wrapped a deal representing Azzure Denim and she’s been featured in numerous magazine layouts including Vibe – the singer realizes that some will take her singing abilities for granted and will attempt to categorize her as another pretty face with a weak voice. “Everyone’s going to have their opinions,” Vara said. “Especially when music is so fluffy. There are a lot of beautiful artists. There’s more to me than just being sexy."

A single spin of “Lately,” the first single (produced by the Insomniax) from her forthcoming Siri Music debut, Storybook Diaries, makes it clear that her career is destined for greatness; it is a distinctive radio hit that channels the pop superstars of the 1980s while still sounding unique and contemporary. “That’s what makes the song so different,” Stefani said. “I really enjoy the tracks because they’re going out of the box a lot. It’s not the same pop song you hear over and over again.”

Vara said that the 80s influences, though not specifically intended when the track was recorded – “I didn’t hear the 80s influence until I was in the studio and took the vocal tracks out” – are among the many pieces of her musical history. “I listened to George Strait, Garth Brooks, Randy Travis, Paula Abdul, Bonnie Raitt, Mariah Carey. Those artists are a big mix of where I came from musically. From my dad, I got my R&B influences; Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross. It was a big mix. I love the blues.”

This varying background helps to explain the eclectic sounds that will pepper the songs on Storybook Diaries. “Everything has a smooth pop sound,” Stefani said. “Every song is a story. Part of a storybook that is my life, my love life. ‘Lately’ sets the tempo for the rest of the album.” Among the set's highlights are the sexy, "All I Need," the romantic "What We Have," and the club driven "Yes I Will." While the track listing for the remainder of the album is not yet locked down, “we’re still working and putting everything together – Pop, R&B and a dash of Rock. I’m open to where the sound is going. Chauncy [along with Bless'ed Pen co-writer Kim Croft] has more of an R&B style but he doesn’t just write R&B music. He writes deep emotional songs. We’ve worked together to find something we both like and he’s always open to [experimentation] which is very evident in the first single.”

Looking forward, Vara hopes to hit the road. “I love performing in a live setting. I want people to get excited about coming to see shows and I want people to see that there’s more to me than being a singer." This self-described “personable, goofy, organized dreamer” learned during the trials she has encountered over the past four years in New York City that “only the strong survive. Many doors have shut in my face. But another one always opens. Siri Music happen to be that door.”

The latest addition to Siri Music’s family has worked hard over the past four years. “I feel like I graduated,” she said. “Normally, when you finish school, you get a degree. I put in four years of hard work” and found a new home where she can grow and prosper. Stefani Vara’s talent, hard work, and determination, combined with a sparkling personality and exotic beauty have brought her to the cusp of stardom, but it is her songs – rich, literate, melodic, and excruciatingly catch – that will propel her to stardom.

Fortunately, you’ll be able to say you knew her when.