"This is my life, these are my songs, this is my time and I'm ready," says the rising young pop star Brooke Hogan whose refreshing blend of R&B, pop, hip-hop and rock make her debut album, Undiscovered, one of the year's most eagerly-awaited new releases. Although she's only just turned 18, Brooke brings together the seasoned and disciplined assurance of a well-versed performer with the wide-eyed exuberance and excitement of a young woman and artist coming into her own. As the only daughter of the pro-wrestling legend Hulk Hogan, Brooke grew up in a family familiar with the absurdities of the spotlight and the responsibilities of fame. As the first artist signed by super-producer Scott Storch (Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, 50 Cent, Chris Brown, Christina Aguilera, Missy Elliot) in his label deal with SoBe Entertainment, Brooke Hogan is taking the next step on a musical and artistic journey that's unmistakably her own with Undiscovered. "I have had the pleasure of producing some of the biggest artists in the music industry," says Scott Storch on the subject of his label's first signing. "Real knows real. And Brooke Hogan is the real deal. She is an accomplished musician, singer, dancer and actress, crossing four artistic disciplines, which is unheard of in the industry today. This is why I selected Brooke as the first act for my label, Storch Music Company (SMC)." The first single from Undiscovered, "About Us" featuring Paul Wall, is a sly and knowing comeback to the perils of living in the spotlight and dealing with false media rumors. A video for the dance-flavored hip-hop track was shot in Los Angeles under the direction of Malcolm Jones and executive produced by Dave Meyers, with choreography by Hi Hat. Since the "About Us" premiere, both the single and the video have done incredibly well on the 90 million-member portal MySpace. The single has been streamed over 1,000,000 times and the video has made its way to #1, being played over 750,000 times. Born and raised in Tampa, Florida, Brooke grew up inspired by the music that filled the Hogan home. "Our household was full of the Isley Brothers, Earth Wind & Fire, disco and Teddy Pendergrass," Brooke remembers. "My mother would play Toni Braxton, Sade, Gloria Estefan and Whitney Houston and I absorbed all of it."When she was 5, Brooke began studying the piano, later going on to take dance lessons, voice lessons, and cheerleading classes and more. "I wasn't raised with a silver spoon," she admits with a laugh. "I was raised to be resourceful and follow through with everything I set out to do, so that's what I did."At the age of 10, Brooke took fate -- and the Yellow Pages -- into her own hands as she circled phone numbers and began calling local talent agents. Those calls led to a modeling contract for the budding young star. "I kept telling my parents that I wanted to do this and I begged them to help me," she remembers. "So one day, I slammed the phone book down in front of them and said, 'OK, I don't know how to call these people, but I'm ready.' I think they finally realized I was serious."She began working up to six hours a day. By the time she'd turned 15, Brooke was rapidly developing her skills as a professional singer, musician and entertainer and had landed numerous high-profile gigs including opening slots on both Hilary Duff's and the Backstreet Boys' tours and singing at Radio Disney's "Jingle Jam" seasonal spectacular.
