Marc Malkin

No doubt the queen of divas, Mariah Carey, doesn't like everyone proclaiming that hot young upstart Leona Lewis is on the verge of knocking her off her music superstar throne.

Ms. Lewis, on the other hand, definitely doesn't mind being compared to greats like Carey and Whitney Houston.

"It's amazing," the "Bleeding Love" hitmaker tells James Brady in Sunday's Parade magazine. "It's exceedingly gratifying, because they're so great."

Not so great, however, are the possible pitfalls of celebrity...

Lewis, 23, is doing her best not to cross over to the dark side à la Amy Winehouse.

"You can't make your mistakes in private," Lewis says of the fame game. "I have the advantage of a great support structure. I get honest opinions from my family and friends. They aren't always telling me what I want to hear, but the truth helps keep my head straight."

And for all you die-hard Lewis fans out there, you'll be happy to know, Lewis has written more than 100 songs. She says, "I may sing some of them on a future release."