Girls Aloud have achieved huge success in the U.K., outselling every other girl group in history, but they remain a virtual mystery in the U.S., where only a few vagrant hits have strayed onto chancier dance floors. Then there’s Nicola Roberts, the ice-skinned and flame-haired Aloud member: known simultaneously as the most polarizing and mystifying fifth of the group, she’s become this decade’s ultimate British cult pop star (in a nation that prides itself on producing oddball glamor). Upon their hiatus in 2009, figurehead Cheryl Cole went onto to become an X Factor judge, boilerplate solo pop queen and national tabloid treasure. Meanwhile, Roberts kept a low profile, working on what would become her just-released debut solo record, Cinderella’s Eyes.

Produced by avant-pop heavy hitters like Joseph Mount of Metronomy, Diplo, Dimitri Tikovoi, Dragonette, it’s a maverick commercial pop release in line with Roberts’ work in Girls Aloud. A Top 20 success on the U.K. charts, Cinderella’s Eyes is also well-reviewed by critics stateside. Like Roisin Murphy and Robyn before her, she seems destined to become one of international pop’s dark horses.

Outside of music, she’s also thriving. Her striking physical appearance — which once made her a target of playground hecklers and media abuse — is now hailed by the fashion community as inspiring, her arctic doll-like appearance setting her apart from the tanned and blonde Stepford wives of pop. Fortunately, Roberts’ own confidence with her looks has grown, too; she’s creeping onto fashion icon turf, with designers chasing her down and her Cinderella’s Eyes artwork displaying her as queen of her own hyperstylized fantasia. Rolling Stone talked with Roberts in London.

What were your priorities in making a solo record?
I didn’t want to be swamped down with the so-called dos and don’ts of how to make a pop record. I wanted everything to come through what I felt or what I wanted to create. Electro, as a style, can really give you that. Coming from working with [Aloud producers] Xenomania, I got used to the idea of breaking pop rules, so I continued with that in my solo experience. There are some vocal surprises on this record; not for me, but maybe for my listeners who never heard my full range before. There are some crazy falsettos on there; the vocals are erratic, which I wanted. It mirrors the emotion I felt when singing it; I let it go there. This record is about that: giving in, letting go, pushing things to the edge.

How did you choose your collaborators?
I wanted to make a unique record, and I knew who to choose based on the sounds they could give me. That came from listening to plenty of music on my own. The dramatic, intense electro sounds came from Joseph of Metronomy; I’d been a massive fan of his work and he liked the Aloud, and I knew he was more than capable of imagining and creating a record with me. For what eventually became my first single, “Beat of My Drum,” I could already hear it forming in my head — I could hear the sounds play out, I just couldn’t relay them. Being a fan of M.I.A. and Major Lazer’s “Pon De Floor,” I turned to Diplo and he made it a reality.

You shot your first two videos for “Beat of My Drum” and “Lucky Day” in New York and LA. What did you take away from the experience?
I hadn’t been to New York before. I find Americans to be a lot more open as people. They smile, they genuinely seem like they want to help you if you need something; they’re warm people. In London, it’s so busy, busy; I feel everyone is on their own track, and just trying to get to where they need to be. Apart from the hot weather, the American experience was great for me!