Pop/R&B star Jordin Sparks doesn't want to wait for the inevitable.

As the opening act for the Jonas Brothers on their latest tour, she knows it's only a matter of time before tabloids and bloggers start linking her to one of the siblings.

So Sparks, 19, is willing to make a pre-emptive strike. "We can start the rumour that I'm already dating Nick," she laughs.

"We could have so much fun messing with people -- it would be so awesome. I don't know if I'm quite prepared for Jonas mania, but I think I'll be OK."

After all, she sparked her own following of rabid fans -- the Arizona native won the sixth season of TV's most popular reality show, American Idol, in 2007.

Her debut, Jordin Sparks, spawned four hits, including "Tattoo" and "One Step At A Time." Her second album, Battlefield, is due July 21. It's a mix of touching ballads, sassy numbers and big belters, such as the first single, the album's title track.

"I don't want to say it's more mature, but my voice has definitely gotten stronger -- which is what I wanted to show," she says.

"I also got to write a lot more on this album. There are four songs that I wrote and I'm very excited for my fans to hear my heart."

One of those songs is "Emergency 911," a "dancey-type track about a guy who is always late and always makes up excuses." Another is "Faith," which was partly inspired by the U.S. troops in Iraq.

She co-wrote it with Toby Gad and Lindy Robbins four days before U.S. President Barack Obama's inauguration in January.

"Once we finished it, my mom was like, 'Wouldn't it be so awesome if you could sing it at the inauguration?'" says Sparks.

"Literally, 10 minutes later, I got a call: 'Would you like to perform at the (inaugural ball)?' I was like, 'Are you kidding me?' It was so cool."

As flattering as the invite was, Sparks says she was almost overcome with emotion at the event. "OK, so I don't get sweaty palms or dizzy (before a show) -- but that's exactly how I felt," she says. "My hands were clammy and I was like, 'OK, Jordin, breathe or the room is going to start spinning.' 

"I was realizing all the history that was happening and I just felt so honoured to be there in front of the troops who are fighting to keep us safe. It was kind of like slow-motion."

She says she's only experienced the "slow-motion effect" of that performance one other time in her life -- and it wasn't when she beat Blake Lewis for the Idol crown. 

"When I realized I was nominated for a Grammy -- when I got the phone call," she says.

"It was so crazy. I was so excited. It's like the holy grail of singing to get nominated for a Grammy."
Her duet, "No Air," with R&B vocalist Chris Brown was nominated for best pop collaboration with vocals at this year's awards. They ended up losing to Robert Plant and Alison Krauss' "Rich Woman."

Sparks hopes Battlefield will earn even more Grammy nominations -- and a win or two.

"I think it's pretty well-rounded album," she says. "I hope people enjoy it. I worked really hard on it and it was hard to choose all the songs. We recorded over 30 songs so it was hard to decide.

"I still get sad -- I look at the songs and think, 'Why couldn't I put out three albums at the same time?'"

Canadian tour dates include:

July 2, Edmonton
July 5, Winnipeg
Aug. 29, Montreal
Aug. 30, Toronto
Aug. 31, Ottawa

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