Ira Losco may be reclining in relaxed mode on a window seat, but in reality she does not sit still...

Although she is in the process of preparing her next album, Fortuneteller, she is also working on an innovative project for the local market - a DVD of her unplugged Vodafone Music Jam concert and behind-the-scenes, fun footage, including interviews, to be released next month.

The singer is excited about the project, which is in its final editing stages, and she feels it has that professional, MTV feel.

"I try to attach that professional touch to everything I release, but I would not say I am a perfectionist," she admits, claiming that she knows how to compromise... within reason.

The DVD is a form of memorabilia, which should appeal to fans who enjoy collecting everything their favourite artist releases. "Personally, that is what I do when I am into an artist," Ira maintains.

"I feel the public loves the band and wants to know them more..."

As to the success of the concept, Ira knows the download scenario is killing the possibility of embarking on such projects. "You can watch what you want on YouTube, and nowadays, there is no stopping anyone from filming a concert on camera, or even using a mobile phone, and posting it on the Net!

"This may be rendering artists more accessible, but it is also taking a big bite out of their creativity."

The DVD will be available from leading record stores and off her website... but, sadly, probably also from the marketplace at a fraction of the price.

Indeed, piracy is a scourge that even Ira has to contend with; it is destroying the industry and makes her blood boil.

Ira sells well and not enough fake CDs are printed to hurt her, so she need not devise a strategy to counteract piracy - in the same vein as international stars, who are basing their earnings on live performances. But it is still an irritating issue.

Music is Ira's full-time career, not a hobby... And six years down the line, she does not feel that she has hit a brick wall, despite Malta's limited size and consequent limitations.

But Ira is also looking beyond Malta's shores and things are looking up. Negotiations between her management and Sony BMG in Milan are underway, following the strong interest aroused in a Sony representative at the O'Scia concert she was invited to perform at in Lampedusa after she sang with its founder Claudio Baglioni in Malta.

The fact that discussions are underway is already a feather in her cap and a "big step".

Today, record labels, as a result of piracy, are more cautious about who they sign on, and it really has to be worth it, she explains. Their choices are also completely based on talent and how much artists can prove themselves live, so the opportunities have narrowed.

If the Sony deal materialises, it would open Ira's doors to the worldwide market, allowing her to spread her music into foreign territories - any singer's ambition.

But Ira is not sitting around, twiddling her toes. She is only too aware that these talks take time and are often long drawn out. Meanwhile, her hands are full...

Her summer performances with foreign artists were fruitful and she was invited to join them on their own stages overseas. One particularly flattering offshoot was Riccardo Cocciante's proposal to Ira to audition for the main role in his successful musical Notre Dame de Paris.

"I ended up sitting near him at a dinner after the Valletta Waterfront show. He is a very deep, dark and intriguing character and I could feel he was sizing me up. At first, I wondered whether he liked me - I sometimes think of that - and then I just decided to be myself.

"Unfortunately, I could not take on the proposal at this stage. It would mean touring for months, or even years... I am more about sweating it out on stage, feeling the energy of the band behind me and seeing the audience freak out in front!"

Maybe in the future, Ira would consider using her talent to take on such an opening, but for now, she is busy writing the last three songs for her new album scheduled to be launched in February.

"It is more mature. I am more mature and I have some sort of control. It is quite political, and very now, dealing with world issues. In fact, the title is ironic in that you do not have to be a fortuneteller to know where the world is going...

"It contains minimal relationship matter: Men are simply not worth the time, or at least, the lyrical content."

And on that note, the subject turns to the opposite sex. Despite her comment, Ira has no hard feelings, but the rest of conversation is off the record...