Singing at 4, Discovered at 9, Rising at a Ripe 16

It would be tempting to dismiss 16-year-old country singer Lila McCann, whose debut album is rapidly approaching gold status, as a LeAnn Rimes clone manufactured quickly by a record label.

But it would be wrong.

Though McCann’s debut album, “Lila,” was released within a year of Rimes’ phenomenal breakthrough success in 1996, it was hardly rushed into stores to exploit the teen market unearthed by her 15-year-old rival.

The native of Steilacoom, Wash., has been singing onstage with her father’s country band at Eagles Lodge dances since she was 4, was “discovered” at age 9 and has been represented by a high-powered Los Angeles-based support team since she was 11.

She played at North Hollywood’s famed Palomino club when she was 12 and signed with Asylum Records when she was 13.

And, yes, all the while, she and those around her were aware that Rimes was out there, ready to make a splashy debut.

Four years ago, McCann and the Dallas-based Rimes competed at a country music youth convention in Las Vegas. Rimes won the award for best female vocalist and McCann was named best female entertainer.

“To be honest with you,” says McCann’s manager, Kasey Walker, “we were hoping to get our album out first, but it didn’t happen.”

Kyle Lehning, co-president of Asylum Records, says McCann simply wasn’t ready.

“Though her voice was wonderful,” says the executive, “she just didn’t have it all there--in terms of direction and what felt right for her to be singing. . . .

“I didn’t feel like Lila was somebody who at that time could sing about mature subjects and have anybody really buy into it. So there was a lot of thought that went into the choice of material.”

The result is a remarkably assured collection that deals mainly with love and relationships.

Though “Lila” hasn’t been a blockbuster smash like Rimes’ three albums, it has sold more than 300,000 copies since its release last June and is climbing the charts again thanks to the success of her second single, “I Wanna Fall in Love,” which is No. 3 on the country airplay chart. The album sits at No. 18 this week on the country chart and at No. 153 on the overall chart.

McCann, who already has started recording her second album, is scheduled to be in Los Angeles today to film the video for her third single, “Almost Over You,” which was a Top 25 pop hit for Sheena Easton in 1983.

And this spring the high school sophomore embarks on her first major tour as one of the opening acts on George Strait’s stadium extravaganza, which will reach Anaheim Stadium in April.

“Everything’s going great,” says McCann, who wears braces on her teeth and still participates in high school activities such as cheerleading and drama club. “I don’t think I could ask for much more.”

She says she worries about being labeled a Rimes copycat but is grateful that those around her brought her along slowly, because “if all this had happened earlier, I wouldn’t have been ready for it.”

She had the final say on all the material on her album.

“There were definitely some songs brought to me that I said, ‘There ain’t no way I’m singing something like that,’ ” she says. “I’m not divorced and I don’t drink beer. But there’s nothing on the record I can’t relate to in some way. It’s not too beyond my years.”

When McCann first met her manager, Walker, the youngster told her, “I’m going to be the next Reba McEntire.”

She was 9.

“And I believed her,” says Walker, whose clients have included actors Peter Fonda and Fred Dryer and various writers and directors but no singers.

Walker, who is based in Los Angeles, was visiting her hometown outside Seattle when her father suggested that she take time out to see McCann sing at a local Eagles Lodge.

“She got up and sang and, literally, my mouth dropped open,” Walker says. “Even at 9, she was brilliant. Her voice had such a natural country feel to it.”

Within the next two years, Walker had put together a support team that included agent Rob Light, whose A-list roster of clients has included Barbra Streisand and Prince, and lawyer Ken Hertz, who represents Alanis Morissette and Seal and has made a reputation in the ‘90s as one of the top half-dozen young music attorneys representing hot talent.

That led to McCann’s showcase appearance at the Palomino and her deal with Asylum.

“Lila’s youth was kind of coincidental to the whole process,” says Asylum’s Lehning, who first heard McCann when the singer was 13. “She wasn’t signed because she was young. She was signed because she had the talent.”