OR THINK CLASSIC

Kelly should ignore trends and put that huge voice to work on what's closest to her heart, according to Zizzo, who was the first producer to work with Avril Lavigne. ''I don't think Kelly should pay any attention to what's current. Kelly leaning towards rock is not her being herself,'' he says. ''Kelly is a soulful pop singer and she needs soulful pop songs. She has a bit of a Gladys Knight-type of sound to her.''

Zizzo points to the surprise success of jazzy traditionalist Norah Jones as a sign that audiences are ready for a more retro, soulful feel to their pop. ''The challenge is that being a manufactured pop star is not the thing of the moment. Being a real young artist is more popular right now than it's ever been,'' he says. ''But Kelly IS a really talented young artist in more of the classic vocalist way.''

THINK LONG-TERM

All three experts agree that Kelly deserved to triumph on ''American Idol'' (''I would've jumped out the window if that other guy [Justin] had won,'' notes Campbell). But they worry that her novel status as a contest winner could prevent the girl-next-door diva from reaching the career heights she deserves. ''There's so many pitfalls — instant fame can be hard to handle,'' says Foster. ''She has to stay true to herself musically.''

Zizzo worries that RCA may rush Kelly's album into stores (just this week the original Nov. 26 street date was pushed back to early next year). ''She's going to have to be creatively developed and groomed as if they're starting from nothing,'' he says. ''So they need to take some time and not just quickly capitalize on [her sudden fame]. But Campbell says he's unconcerned: ''I've done whole albums in two and a half weeks that ended up selling two million copies.'' RCA, are you listening?

Joey McIntyre offers Kelly some advice:

What did you think of the final three contestants?
When Justin and Nikki sang, it was like watching a train wreck. I told a friend of mine, ''Man, I could judge, host, and win this f---ing contest!'' But then Kelly came out, and I thought, ''Hey, maybe I couldn't win after all.'' The show was lucky to have her.

Kelly's obviously talented, but is that enough to make her a star?
She has an amazing voice, but the really cool thing about her is she's not only adorable, she's a normal looking girl. That's so great in this society of Christina Aguilera's and Britney Spears. There are all these billboards of Kelly around L.A. right now, and she's just got the best, most natural smile.

What do you think of that drippy single, ''A Moment Like This''? Is Kelly doomed to be a second rate Celine?
You know, that song's going to be a hit. They may have taken the 5 best parts from songs of the last 20 years to make it, but I'll admit it, I keep singing it. And yes, even though the album's probably going to be kind of schlocky, it's going to do really well. And hopefully on the next album she'll be able to do more of what she wants to do.

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