"In sleep she sang to you, in dreams she came..."

Emmy Rossum emerged from the Metropolitan Opera to the limelight when she was cast in a series of films -- including Mystic River with Sean Penn (in 2003) and The Day After Tomorrow with Jake Gyllenhaal (in 2004).

Rossum's biggest break came when she played Christine in the 2004 film version of Phantom of the Opera, earning her a Golden Globe nomination and a number of celeb fans and friends.

After a role in Poseidon, the multi-talented beauty decided to set her sights on a lifelong dream -- recording and releasing an album, Inside Out, in stores on October 23rd.

Not bad for someone who *just* celebrated her twenty-first birthday, eh?

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Lindzi.com: Congratulations on your album! It’s long awaited…

Emmy Rossum: I know, right? It was only a matter of time before someone snatched me up!

Lindzi.com: What sound were you going for?

Emmy Rossum: After Phantom of the Opera, everyone expected me to do a cross over, pop/opera album. Classical musical has been a big part of my early life. When I left the Children’s Chorus at the Metropolitan Opera, after six years, and started doing movies, I was exposed to so many different kinds of music. Different kinds of music influenced me from around the world – from jazz to blues to rock to new age and electronica. I wanted to stay true to myself and not do what everyone else expected of me. I wanted to use my voice as much as I could. That’s where the idea – to replace instruments with vocals – came from. We used vocals as much as we could to fill out the track and create a lush, sexy, fresh sound.

Lindzi.com: I hate how we, in the media, tend to put things in boxes, but it does have an Enya sound to it.

Emmy Rossum: I would take that comparison. That’s fine with me. Lyrically, I’m a lot younger and less new age. I wanted to be open and honest on this record. It’s somewhat autobiographical. The things I’ve been through in my life – love and heartbreak and growing up with a single parent – lots of things that make you stronger as a person… I wanted to explore all those in my writing. I play a character in films. I’ve always been shy about talking about who I am and how I grew up and the things I believe in in life. I felt like this was a way for me to do that.

Lindzi.com: How vulnerable is it to sit down and relive those experiences when you’re writing?

Emmy Rossum: It’s definitely scary. Being open and being honest with who you are is one of the scariest things in the world. Whether you’re doing it for a record or for an interview or if you’re a real person trying to start a relationship and be yourself in a relationship -- being yourself in today’s world is scary because you don’t know if you’re going to be accepted. There’s such pressure to fit in. That applies to everything we go through in today’s society with the pressure to look a certain way and to be skinny and all those stupid things that are of today’s culture. Being myself is important. I called the record Inside Out because that’s what this record is to me. That’s my life motto and what I wanted to express with the record. I think you can only be successful when you’re honest with who you are and when you’re comfortable with who you are. That’s one of the sexiest things.

Lindzi.com: When are you most comfortable?

Emmy Rossum: I’m most comfortable around music. It’s always been my home base. I did a lot of films and I’m most well known as an actress, but music has always been the first thing in my life. When I was growing up and in high school, I always felt like I wanted to be like all the other cool girls. I wasn’t. I showed up on the first day of school with short curly hair and it was dark. Everyone had long, perfectly straight, beautiful blonde hair. From that moment, I tried to be cool and be like everyone else. Then, I realized I could never be like any one other than myself. I was unique. I think everyone is unique and beautiful in their own way. I honestly believe that.

Lindzi.com: I’d read somewhere you’re done making films and solely focusing on music. Is that true?

Emmy Rossum: Absolutely not! No. I took a year off to do this record and promote it, but I signed on to four films this year and had to pull out of them because of scheduling record commitments. I’m still going to go and do films. I’m hoping to do one later this year. I’ve always wanted to make a record, which is why I spent too much time working on this. I feel a real connection to this music. I love doing films and I love playing characters. I’ve had some wonderful experiences and made some great friends like Jake Gyllenhaal, Tim Robbins, and Sean Penn. I would never give up those experiences. I’ll do another film. Film’s in the future forever.

Lindzi.com: Are you looking forward to touring with this album?

Emmy Rossum: Definitely! My first live show is in ten days. Life performances is the best way to connect with people – especially in this world that’s filled with lip syncing.

Lindzi.com: What songs on the album were most vulnerable for you to write?

Emmy Rossum: There are a few songs that were reaches for me. Stay is a song about falling in love and wanting to get close to someone. There’s a lot of vulnerability that surrounds that. You’re afraid to say that stuff out loud. I only just turned 21. I’m still figuring everything out, but I know what I believe in and what feels right to me. The title track Inside Out is about wanting to fall in love and being afraid to show somebody who you are. Everyone has scars. To show somebody that side of you is scary because you wonder if they’ll really love you… until you realize they have those things too. You want to know what their history is and what their story is. That’s what getting to know somebody is about. There’s also a song about being strong even though you have a single parent. Being left in that way and still being strong through that. There’s also a song about infidelity that I experienced in my first relationship and how much that hurts, but you can’t ignore it. You have to overcome it. The album’s honest. That’s something that’s missing in today’s musical landscape – when a lot of artists are just shaking it in high heels and hot pants.

Lindzi.com: You mentioned growing up in a single parent household. How did that experience impact who you are today?

Emmy Rossum: It makes you stronger. I don’t like to talk too much about it. I’ve never spoken about it before this record. I’ve always tried to respect the privacy of my family, but… I grew up with a single mom and she worked hard to put me through school. It made me stronger and, even though it gives you a lot of pain, I feel you have to feel lucky to be alive and have what you do have. To be loved in any way is a wonderful thing that should be cherished. It sounds corny, but it’s the truth. You go through a lot of pain with these kinds of things, but you come out the other side. You realize you won’t let it make you weak. You won’t let someone else make you weak.

Lindzi.com: What’s something people would be surprised to know about you?

Emmy Rossum: I guess that I do my own laundry? And that I’m a good cook. I’m actually a really good cook. I don’t have enough time to cook, but I took cooking classes when I was in London working on Phantom of the Opera.

Lindzi.com: What would you be doing if you weren’t acting or singing?

Emmy Rossum: I would probably be a pastry chef! I’d be covered in powered sugar all day long.

Lindzi.com: You’re quite the jetsetter going back and forth between Los Angeles and New York. Is life as glamorous as it seems?

Emmy Rossum: Sometimes yes and sometimes no. Red carpet stuff and parties, that’s as glamorous as it looks. With galas and fashion shows, that’s all really fun. The stuff that’s not so glamorous is the waiting at customs and getting felt up and down at the airport. Sitting in traffic… the stuff that everyone else goes through.

Lindzi.com: What’s something people would be surprised to know about Hollywood?

Emmy Rossum: It’s funny because… with the internet and paparazzi, everyone knows so much more than they used to about celebrities and media and all the surrounding gossip. They probably know most. There’s so much access. If somebody sneezes in McDonalds and they’ve been in a TV commercial, it’s all over the block. It’s kinda crazy. I hope it gets to a point where it’s oversaturated and goes away. I don’t think it’s healthy.

Lindzi.com: What’s the first thing fans say to you when they see you on the street?

Emmy Rossum: “Will you marry me?” It’s mostly from boys mind you. I get that from a lot of boys.

Lindzi.com: What do you tell them?

Emmy Rossum: “I don’t know your first and last names… so no.”

Lindzi.com: Where are you right now?

Emmy Rossum: I’m in a Toyota Prius… sitting in a parking lot and waiting to go into an office building for a meeting.

Lindzi.com: What makes you happy?

Emmy Rossum: Puppies! That’s true. They do make me happy. What makes me happy? Seeing a great film or going to a great concert… Thanksgiving. I always cook everything for my family. Being around my friends and family. When they have success and when they can share in mind… that makes me happy.

Lindzi.com: What makes you insecure?

Emmy Rossum: The fear that I’ll disappoint my family or the people that I love.

If the past is any indication of the future, Ms. Rossum need not fear a thing.