THERE is no time-wasting on the cards for Tessanne Chin, the local songbird who swept season five of NBC talent show The Voice a week ago.

Immediately after her brief Christmas holiday with family and a performance at the Rose Bowl on January 1, Chin plans to hit the studio to record her debut project with the Universal Group, which is part of her prize package.

“The number one priority right now, apart from pushing Tumbling Down (the Ryan Tedder track composed for the winner of The Voice), and putting publicity on it, is getting into the studio and writing songs. Because no matter how good a singer you are, you can’t sing other people’s songs for the rest of your life,” Chin told journalists at the weekly Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange yesterday.

Chin, who returned to the island last Friday after a gruelling three months of competition on the hit NBC show, was a picture of confidence as she discussed preparing for this debut project.

“We had a brief meeting with the label, and I fully understand that it is going to take the same amount of effort and work… our work has just begun. But luckily I am prepared for it and I want it. So if it means we are going to have to push our own stuff and do our own things until whatever, then that’s what I’ll do,” she affirmed.

Chin admitted that the experience of her sister Tami Chynn, who was signed to the same label four years ago but saw nothing come from that arrangement, has greatly informed her perspective.

“Tami’s experience has made me less naive about labels. People tend to think: ‘labels, she all right now.’ No! You’re gonna have to do all the work yourself…. and I’m prepared to do it. If anything, it has made me more tenacious, in that I’m gonna do this one way or the other. I don’t just do this for me, I also do it for her,” Chin said.

Regarding her upcoming album, Chin said she was excited about the opportunity to work with Tedder on this project. And, while she does not want to be rushed into putting out the album, she understands that timing is important.

“As the winner of The Voice you have to understand that the next season starts in February and there will be another winner of The Voice, so it’s time for us to get cracking and start recording so that we can debut our new album or single during that period,” she said. Without even a note recorded, and no name decided on, her album is already available on pre-order from iTunes, with a tentative release date set for March.