AUBURN

She may have earned her first big hit by (metaphorically) plugging up her ears and sassing "La La La," but pop starlet Auburn has had plenty to say for quite a while. Born Auburn Williams in Minnesota's Twin Cities area, she grew up rather shy, coming out of her shell thanks to singing in church and in the studio of her cousin, a famed local singer. By age 13, she was part of a local girl group called Loyal that opened for B2K -- and didn't do much else. By age 17, she'd independently released a debut, Same GiiRL (which included the underground hit "EWWW!!!"), and by 20, she was signed to Beluga Heights (with a distribution deal from Warner Brothers), which released her major-label debut in fall 2010.