The blonde jazz singer said she was "devastated" when reports appeared last November that she had turned to working in a strip club.

But, wearing a strapless red frock cinched in at the waist, she said she would be using what she had learned to positive effect in her latest venture - by "incorporating lots of burlesque into the show".

The 21-year-old, who has drawn comparisons with Marilyn Monroe, is on a nationwide talent hunt for 18 glamorous women aged between 18 and 30 who can be her backing band. The singer said she wanted to find "an army of beautiful girls who have the same happy-go-lucky attitude as me".

She went on: "I want them to be really diverse and unique and to have their own sense of style. They should pick a song that's going to be retro and sexy.

"I really want it to be so much fun. I love the whole '40s era, that kind of glamorous thing."

Victoria enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame after being spotted at a restaurant in London, where she worked as a singing waitress.

She was asked to perform a medley of jazz ballads at a glitzy yacht party in Cannes in front of stars including George Clooney and Brad Pitt.

Her success seemed sealed in 2007 when she signed a record deal put at £1.5 million.

The talent search is being hosted on her website www.victoriahart.co.uk.