Attitude and perseverance are two words that fit Noella Hutton like a charm. Her music is rife with the former; her career path inspired by the latter. Hutton hails from Ireland, a musically rich country that brought us U2 and countless others. Recent years have seen such strong female singers as Sinead O'Connor and The Cranberries' Dolores O'Riordan find success here. With her self-titled Radioactive debut, Hutton hopes to add her name to the list.

Hutton started singing at an early age in school choirs. "I just loved singing for people," she recalls from Belfast. "It never was a big deal." But music was important in her family. Hutton's mother and sister both sang around the house.

Other musical inspiration came from Janis Joplin and early Madonna. "She was my first heroine, really," says Hutton of the former Material Girl. "The first person I thought was really amazing, because she was her own person and did her own thing. A really strong woman. That influenced me a lot."

Eventually, Noella taught herself to play guitar and formed a band. "There were two of us. Just a guitar and a drum machine," she says. "We did covers of Annie Lennox, Tracy Chapman and Alison Moyet - songs that meant something to me."

Later, she went off on her own and briefly struggled as a solo female guitarist trying to make it big in Ireland. "It's very hard to play at home," she explains.

"Half the people are there to see how you're doing and the others are there to see you fall off your stool. There's always a bit of envy when you're doing better than them."

When Hutton got a demo together, she garnered radio airplay in Belfast and even did some local television. Yet prospects for a decent label deal were dim. "There's not many record companies here," she says. "They're all very clique-ish...I'm not into riding on the backs of other people. I want to do it my own way and in my own time."

After moving to London, Hutton landed a steady gig at Madame Jo Jo's, one of the top cabaret clubs in town. There she met Boy George. "He came backstage and said, 'Jesus, you scared the shit out of me. Nobody's ever done that before.'" George offered her a record deal with his indie record company, More Protein, but Hutton respectfully declined. "I knew it wouldn't have the distribution I needed, but it was really sweet of him."

Her manager, Mick Pallant, sent Radioactive's Jimmy Auth some of Noella's demos. The music was well-received and a deal was struck. So last year, Hutton headed up to Northern California to record her debut with producer Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads, Live) at Bayview Studios in Richmond and the legendary Plant Studios in Sausalito, where Fleetwood Mac did Rumors.

Harrison initially wasn't sold on the idea though. It took her together with the president of the label, Gary Kurfirst, to finally convince him. "But when he started working with me, he completely changed his attitude," says Hutton.

"Jerry was at the top of my list, really. And I couldn't believe my luck in getting him," enthuses Hutton... "I loved the Throwing Copper album he produced for Live. Working with him was such a magical experience. I couldn't even put it into words."

Musicians on the album include PJ Harvey guitarist Joe Gore and percussionist Prarie Prince from The Tubes. "Joe was totally experimental and didn't realize half the stuff when he did it," says Hutton with a laugh.

From the explosive rage of "Fear" to the atmospheric tenderness heard on "In Love with You," Hutton's songs run the gamut of emotions and are very much based in reality. "I never wrote songs to please other people," she admits, "I just did it for my own benefit and therapy. If people are gonna get off on them, get any support or satisfaction from them, that's just a big bonus for me."

Early live reviews have likened her style to that of Marianne Faithfull and Melissa Etheridge. Is Noella a fan of either artist? "I only heard Broken English a few years ago. And I've only been into Melissa for the last couple years. I think [Etheridge] is a brilliant and amazing performer. She's out there and really gives everything."

The Irish lass first tested American concert waters last June, when she joined such luminaries as Sinead O'Connor, Van Morrison and Paula Cole at the Guinness Fleadh Festival in New York City. Later, Hutton wowed the crowd at Club Largo in Los Angeles. Over the summer, her song "Attitude" was also included on a sampler cassette distributed to Lillith Fair concert-goers.