In late 2006, countless American teenagers fell for JoJo’s upbeat pop hit ‘Too Little Too Late.’ The song reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and broke into the top twenty in over twenty countries. What the fans may not have realised was that the tune was co-written by a young woman from Donaghmeade in Co. Dublin, who is fast becoming a fixture on the LA and New York music scenes.

20-year-old Ruth-Anne Cunningham was born into a musical household and from an early age could be found singing in church with her guitar-playing parents. “I started off writing songs for them on father’s day and mother’s day – it was kind of my special thing,” she recalls. “I’m glad I started so young – If I was just starting out now I don’t think it would come to me as naturally as it does and I might struggle to pick things up a bit more.”

With her musical talents having been nurtured by the Billy Barry stage school, Cunningham became part of a girl group called La Dolce Vita. In 2004, a song she wrote for them, ‘Battleground’ won the 2FM/Jacobs songwriting contest and this proved to be the boost she needed to make the move up to the world stage. Picked up by manager Eamon Maguire, she was given the opportunity to work with songwriters in Los Angeles, including the legendary Billy Steinberg, the man behind hits such as Madonna’s ‘Like A Virgin’ and The Bangles’ ‘Eternal Flame’. “It was great working with him,” says Cunningham. “He has an amazing way of putting things – he’ll come out with something that makes me think ‘How does he know that about girls?’” she laughs. “He’s a real character, one of the most interesting people I’ve met.”

‘Too Little Too Late’ was the successful fruit of Cunningham’s collaboration with Steinberg and Josh Alexander, earning them a 2007 ASCAP songwriting award for best pop song. Cunningham has since collaborated with Steinberg again, penning ‘Over It’, the debut single for last year’s American Idol runner-up Katherine McPhee. Although Cunningham is a big American Idol fan, she doesn’t reckon its Irish and UK equivalents You’re A Star and X-Factor would have been much help to her career. “I think those shows are more for TV purposes and the artists aren’t really looked after once the show is over,” she says. “American Idol really invest in their winning artists and guide them in the right direction – you can see that with Kelly Clarkson’s album winning two Grammies and doing so well.”

With her songwriting credentials now firmly established, Cunningham has turned her attention to her own performing career. She’s determined to pursue two paths, writing for other artists as well as recording and performing her own material. “I can’t decide which one I prefer,” she admits. “I like when I’m in conversation with someone and ‘Too Little Too Late’ is mentioned – they’re always surprised when I say I co-wrote it! People really appreciate it and you’re more credible when you’re known as a songwriter,” she says, “but I also love the thrill of performing on stage and everything else that comes with being a singer.”

So are there any differences between the songs Cunningham writes for herself and others? “It’s not really a case of keeping the best for myself,” she says. “Some days I’ll say ‘I want to write for this person, I’ve a good idea for them’, other days I feel like writing for myself. I think my own songs are more personal. When you’re writing for other people, you’re not thinking about what they’ve been through in their life, you have to think about Top 40 radio and making a hit. They have to be good songs either way, but my heart is in the songs I sing myself.”

Her ultimate inspiration is the late Jeff Buckley: “I’d love to hear his voice again, sing with him or to have him sing one of my songs.” Her more recent favourites include Rihanna’s ubiquitous hit single ‘Umbrella’ and British singer James Morrison’s recent album: “I like his soulful rock style, that’s kind of the direction I want to go in,” she says.

Carving out her career has meant a hectic jet-set lifestyle, but Cunningham is taking it all in her stride. “The jet lag isn’t as bad as it was, I’m getting used to now,” she says. “Although last time I was out there I was in and out in a day and the security staff interrogated me because they thought it was a bit suspicious!” Cunningham has no plans to move Stateside full-time, but says she will be heading over for a few months next year to fully concentrate on her new career.

As we speak to her, Cunningham’s just stepped off the plane from London, where she was working on a new Britney spears track and some of her own material with several different producers. Over the next few months she’s set to play a series of gigs around the UK as she attempts to get her name noticed on this side of the pond. After that, she plans to choose a producer to work with and head into the studio to put together her debut album. It’s a plan that would be the stuff of dreams for most 20-year-olds, but turning dreams into reality is something Ruth-Anne Cunningham has gotten pretty good at it in recent years.