Second Cup: Katie Melua

You may of not have heard of jazz and blues singer Katie Melua, but in Britain, the singer/songwriter is big. So big, that her debut album was No. 1 on the charts for six weeks in a row, and even the Queen of England is a fan.

The 20-year-old native of Georgia of the former Soviet Union has come to the U.S. to promote her debut album, "Call Off The Search."

According to her official USA Web site, Melua often had to carry buckets of water up five flights of stairs to the family's flat in Georgia as a small girl. But Melua began setting singing lessons when she was 7 or 8.

When she was nine, her family moved to Belfast, where her father had a job as a cardiac surgeon.

"I went to Catholic schools in Northern Ireland, while my younger brother went to a Protestant school," the site quotes her as saying. "I didn't always want to be a singer or songwriter. My ambition when I was thirteen was to be a politician or historian. I honestly thought I'd be able to bring peace to the world.... If I ruled it! We lived in Belfast for five years"

When she was thirteen, they moved again, this time to the relative peace of Red Hill, Surrey in England. After gaining very good grades, Katie went to the Brit School (the music performing arts school funded by the British Phonographic Industry).

It was at the Brit school that Melua was spotted by songwriter and producer Mike Bat, and her professional career began.

She tells The Saturday Early Show she met the Queen at one of the first TV shows she did in the UK. It was a variety show and the queen was there. Her Majesty came backstage and told Melua she had heard her songs on the radio.

Melua says living in Georgia and Northern Irleand greatly influenced her style: In Georgia it was folk music and in Ireland, pop music and Celtic. It was very varied.