As Nikki McKibbin walked into the launch party for "American Idol Rewind," flashbulbs in her eyes, red carpet beneath her stilettos, she couldn't help but do a little "rewind" of her own. That night, her debut Chenoa Music single, "The Lie," was No. 1 for the third time at idolwaves.com -- and it hadn't even been officially released yet. Its extravagant video was already completed and ready to premiere on "TRL." And, at last having put together a team of veteran hitmakers who understood her as well as her legion of fans did, she knew that her album was going to blow people's minds. She was at a crossroads in her life, and there was no turning back. This was the moment she had been waiting for... the moment she had been working toward.

Her time had finally come.

Over and over again during the freshman season of "Idol," Nikki proved her mettle, challenging herself with, and conquering, chart-toppers made famous by her own idols: Janis Joplin, Pat Benatar and Stevie Nicks.

Her eventual signing with prestigious 19 Management was a no-brainer. However, rather than go with the flow and record the country album that her new handlers encouraged her to, she dug in her heels and held out for a deal that would allow her to do what she wanted to and, "Idol" devotees will attest, does best: rock.

While Nikki shopped around for just the right mix of producers and management, her popularity could have waned but, miracle of miracles, it didn't. Through concert gigs, non-stop TV work -- she's competed on "Fear Factor," "Battle of the Network Reality Stars"... you name it! -- and an remarkably widespread web presence, she actually managed to raise her profile. Then lightning struck: She met Chenoa Music's CEO, Joe Cannizzaro. If she didn't believe in kismet before, she started to that day. A dyed-in-the-wood rocker himself, Joe immediately "got" Nikki. She was a rocker, plain and simple. So together, they set out to create an album of such undeniable power that she wouldn't be known as a mere idol. No, by the time they were done, she'd be a legend.

At once, Nikki and Joe teamed up with his longtime muse, Annica, a gifted singer-songwriter in her own right, to develop material for the album. And when they heard "The Lie," they knew in that instant that they had found Nikki's breakout single, a cut so sharp that it would set the tone for the entire rest of the project. With Joe and Annica at the boards, Nikki recorded the song with the cream of the crop of the music industry -- mix engineers Don Budd and Woody Woodruff -- along with a cover of Mr. Big's "To Be With You" (arguably the catchiest tune to come out of the '90s). The result? So potent a production is "The Lie" that it's less likely to be described as in-your-face than it is in-your-veins.

Next Nikki and Joe set about producing what can only be described as an epic video -- a big-budget extravaganza set in the Middle Ages, shot in a castle in the mountains of Santa Cruz and featuring real Highland warriors, swords and all. Nikki even makes her acting debut, playing the black-hearted villainess bent on dispatching the ho (Annica) who's been “muggin down” with her man. The first time the team screened the finished product, even they were surprised: It was better, and more elaborate, than half the movies currently filling the multiplex. It seemed to Nikki like she was finally on her way, like nothing could go wrong. This couldn't be real... could it?

It not only could, it was. And, though Nikki didn't know it then, the best was yet to come.

Joe hadn't even begun discussing his riot girl with the major record labels, but already "The Lie" was being discussed around boardrooms and message boards alike. The buzz was deafening. What's more, the single hadn't even been officially released when it nudged Kelly Clarkson, ironically, out of the top spot on idolwaves.com and then proceeded stayed put. Unbelievable, Nikki thought. Just unbelievable. As she waved to her admirers outside the "Idol Rewind" party, all of this ran through her head -- but only briefly. She didn't have time to dwell on the past, however amazing it may be; she was standing at the precipice of her future, and she couldn't wait to find out what would happen next.

Since she first captured the public's fascination, Nikki had been told repeatedly -- by fans, by managers, by labels -- that she was one of a kind. Now, at last, she was going to prove it. If she could, she'd have sent this message to everyone who thought they knew her from her days on "Idol": You ain't heard nothin' yet! With a flip of her trademark red hair, she turned and marched into the party. It, and the world, wouldn't know what hit it.