WHY WE'RE WATCHING: Music mogul Clive Davis has launched the careers of such glamorous and talented divas as Whitney Houston, Monica, and Deborah Cox. Now you can add 20-year-old Olivia Longe to that illustrious list. "I guess I fit in [with the likes of Houston and Cox]," Olivia boasts prior to the May 15th release of her self-titled debut. "I sing soulful ballads, but the only difference is that I rap too." The first artist signed to Davis's new J Records label -- also home to boy band O-Town -- the multicultural beauty (she's part Dominican, Indian, and Jamaican) is already heating up the airwaves with the when-a-woman's-fed-up, expletive-laced single "Bizounce." "The song has inspired some girls to tell their no-good men to bounce," she says of the hit single. "I think that's really cool."

GIRL POWER: While the fed-up lyrics on "Bizounce" may sound like male-bashing, Olivia says she's simply trying to uplift her sisters. "Most girls don't get along. There's always a jealousy factor," she says matter-of-factly. "But [through my songs], I'm trying to let girls know that we're here to help each other."

WHERE SHE'S BEEN: Prior to signing with J Records, Olivia sang in her church choir and was an honor student with a passion for writing poetry. To get her musical career rolling, this diva-in-training wrote and recorded several songs with producer Joshua Thompson [Joe, Babyface]. When Thompson shopped Olivia's demo, it landed on the desk of a J Records VP, which led to a make-it or break-it meeting with Davis. "I sang a gospel song for Clive in his apartment, and he was blown away," she recalls.

LET'S GET PHYSICAL: Although Olivia is peppered with provocative songs such as "You Got the Damn Thing" and "Silly Bitch in Love," the angelic-voiced singer with the sailor's vocabulary was named after wholesome Aussie Olivia Newton-John. "My father loved Elvis and my mom loved Olivia Newton-John," the singer says. "I used to sing 'Hopelessly Devoted to You' around the house."

HER INSPIRATION: "I've always admired Whitney, Sade, and Janet," says the raspy-voiced Olivia. She adds that she's also a big fan of her J Records labelmate Luther Vandross. "I get to hang out with Luther all the time," she says of her idol. "I'm writing a song for him with Alicia Keys," another J Records signee.

WHERE SHE'S GOING: "I didn't expect "Bizounce" to take off the way it did. But I'm glad it did," she says earnestly. "Sometimes the success is overwhelming. But I guess I'll get used to it." With a future as bright as hers, she'd better. Tracy E. Hopkins

May 14, 2001