SHE’s desperately trying to sound cool and collected, but Ayshan Kemal finds it impossible to hide her excitement.

As a quarter of pop’s next big girl group, Fe-nix, she can’t believe her luck.

“I’m so lucky to be able to write my own songs and perform for an audience,” she says breathlessly. “It’s a fairytale and every girl’s dream come true.”

Causing a storm with their blend of underground beats, catchy choruses and sassy urban edge, the feisty foursome’s sexy ‘dirty pop’ is hotly tipped to take the charts by storm.

And Londoner Ayshan, 25, and bandmates Jade, 21, Tanya, 24, and Priceless, 22, (they only use their first names, in true girl-band style) are loving every minute. I caught up with the girls in their London studio, before they set out on their first tour together – as support for N-Dubz – which on Monday arrives at Oxford’s O2 Academy.

Ayshan met Canvey Island friends Jade and Tanya on the dance scene as they each ‘bumped and ground’ their way through endless competitions. The trio then set out to find a rapper, and discovered Priceless, from Wolverhampton, on networking site Myspace.

The debut result of this happy union is single Lady Baby – a remake of the Ghost Town DJs’ R&B classic My Boo – which is going down a storm on the nation’s airwaves.

But don’t fall into the trap of thinking these bubbly and undeniably talented women are the product of some cynical impressario. As well as getting the group together, the girls write and perform their own material.

“We didn’t just want to do the same old thing. We wanted a new vibe and flavour,” says Ayshan.

And, before you ask, they are not the next Girls Aloud.

“We are labelled as the ‘bad girls’ of pop,” giggles Ayshan, who previously tried to crack the music industry as part of N-Trigue. “We are more edgy and not clean cut or squeaky clean.

“I love Girls Aloud, but they are very ‘pop’ and commercial. We are hip-hop and much more urban.”

They’re a mini United Nations. Tanya has Indian roots, Jade is half-Arabian, Priceless is Jamaican and Ayshan has a Turkish-Cypriot background.

“We are like the UN and we are are looking to enshrine our cultures in our music by doing something different – so we’ve got Turkish, bhangra and reggae influences,” she adds.

“We go into the studio, get a vibe from the backing tracks – which are R&B, reggae, rock and pop – and come up with different contexts. We want to get the message to young people that we are not living in a sugar-coated world. No Prince Charming is going to come along.”

“There are feel-good tracks and songs about relationships, about being happy, sad, or just feeling okay. We just tell it like it is – and that while dreams do come true, we’ll be writing about how much hard work it is.”

And if being signed by a record label isn’t enough, the girls have also been snapped up by hip-hop mogul Nelly’s Apple Bottom clothes brand, as the faces of their 2009 European campaign. But it’s the tour that’s got them excited.

“We are all big fans of N-Dubz, so when we found out we were supporting them, we were like ‘Oh My God!’”, says Ayshan. “It’s all we talk about every day,”

“I’m not nervous, but I am excited,” adds Tanya. “It’s an amazing opportunity for us – and we’re going to enjoy it.

“I can’t wait to come to Oxford and see you guys,” chips in Priceless.

And how do they feel about their roles as fashion icons?

“Nelly doesn’t know us personally,” smiles Tanya, “But he likes our vibe and obviously thinks the clothes would look good on us.”

But fame is not going to their heads. “I’ve still got the same friends I had at primary school,” says Tanya proudly. “I don’t hang out with any celebrities and I haven’t been to a club for ages!”

And how do they unwind?

“Shopping and pampering ourselves,” says Ayshan. “And doing girly things - as well as spending time with friends and family.”

“I’m actually trying to put on more weight,” laughs Ayshan. “We love pigging out on pizza!”

And do they have a message to anyone hoping to pursue their dreams and follow in their footsteps? “If you want something in life, you’ve got to go for it.

“There is lots of peer pressure on kids,” says Tanya. “Be yourself, and don’t follow fashion – create fashion.”

Ayshan agrees. “Find out what you love doing, and believe in yourself. Anything is possible!”