Singer KT Tunstall performs at the ELLE magazine Green Issue party in Los Angeles on Thursday, April 5, 2007. The party was a benefit for stopglobalwarming.org. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

AP file photo "I really love hearing amazing, strange stories from people," says Glasgow native KT Tunstall, shown in December 2006.

Just another 10-year overnight sensation, KT Tunstall, now a rich — and pretty funny — rock star, will stop by the Marjorie Luke Theatre in Santa Barbara on Sunday night to play a few of her foot-friendly pop rock songs. Forget about the sophomore jinx: Tunstall's second album, "Drastic Fantastic," creates a strong impression that she will be able to avoid the dreaded day job indefinitely. Plus, she can afford finer food.

Musicians have their entire lives to record their debut. When it's good, people notice. When it's not, Domino's is always hiring. Tunstall's 2006 debut, "Eye to the Telescope," propelled by "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" (good for a Grammy nomination) and "Suddenly I See," sold almost 4 million copies. "Hold On" was the first single off the new album, which is still selling well seven months after it debuted at No. 9 on the U.S. Billboard 200.

The 30-something Glasgow native, calling from France, seems to have adjusted well to life on that endless, senseless — and darn fun — road trip.

Good morning — where are you?

We are in Lille, France. I had to check with our guys because I actually didn't know where we were. How terribly "Spinal Tap" of me.

So "Drastic Fantastic," are you a rich rock star now?

Well, kind of, I suppose.

Excellent. Can you lend me a dollar? I'm just a poor writer.

Sure. Send me an address and I'll spend $2 getting that dollar to you.

Great, I'll buy a third of a good beer. Compared to the first album, where does the new one fit in?

The second is a product of touring the first one for three years and becoming really tight with the band, and certainly making a lot more use of my electric guitars. There were a couple of songs I'd written around the time of "Suddenly I See," like "Saving My Face" and "Little Favors," which is a really old song, but I've changed it a lot. "If Only" is another one that really kind of screams out to be played in a rock style.

For a lot of musicians, the second album is a problem because they had their whole lives to do a good job on the first. Happily, this is not the case with you.

Oh, thank you. I hope it doesn't sound like I did, but it was great because on the first album, I was nervous about using really old songs. People say you have 10 years to write your first album, and I really didn't want to grave-dig on that first one because I'd been playing for almost 10 years. There's a mixture of older songs and newer songs on the second one.

What was your big break that made you into such a tuneful tycoon?

The big break was before my album was released in the U.K. Nas, the rapper, had a spot on Jools Holland's program, the Holy Grail TV show for any British musician wanting to get some airtime, and he pulled out 24 hours before the show. Two girls who scout for the show had seen me do "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree," which ironically wasn't on the album, and my record company sort of poked me in the ribs and said, "You should do that one." It was me, Anita Baker, Jackson Browne, the Futureheads and the Cure — an amazing night. I didn't have time to worry about it, and so I managed to pull it out of the bag without being too worked up.

What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started?

It's hard to say because I'm so happy about where I've landed. No one can warn you about all the self-promotion the record label is prepared to put you through, and since you've spent so many years trying to get anywhere, it's difficult to say no to anything. But at the end of the day, it's a good feeling having put the hours in and worked myself to the bone to make it work.

What's the first thing you bought that you couldn't afford before?

Really nice, expensive food. I went to this totally posh supermarket and just went for it and bought tons of food.

Is there a typical KT fan?

They're really isn't, and that's one of the things I'm really proud of. There'll be kids as young as 6 and 7 down in front, which makes it really difficult for me to swear, up to pensioners. You see these old women in the crowd just going mental.

What do you think is an artist's role in the real world?

I think the only real role you can pin on artists is to create, inspire and move. I don't subscribe to this role-model responsibility thing. I do it for myself because I feel strongly about climate change. Someone asked me the other day if I'd be the spokesperson for a new Web site that gives young people advice about how to not get (bleeped) up at festivals. I am not the sensible voice of reason for teenagers going to festivals, you know? I also think the more involved you become as a spokesperson, the less mysterious your music is.

Where do songs come from?

I really love hearing amazing, strange stories from people. There's also biographical stuff, especially when you've had a twist in a situation that you didn't expect.

Does bad love make for good songs?

Yeah, but so does good love. I don't like writing songs that live in cells — I always have a window. I don't really like the "no escape" song, but I'm also a big fan of a good depressing song, even though it's not been a mainstay of what I write.

What's the worst advice you've ever been given?

That's a really good question — I've never been asked that before — and I love it. Get a job?

What advice would you give to an aspiring musician?

Go and gig. Don't sit in front of a computer unless that's the kind of music you make. If you want to be a live performer, just go out because it's gonna do you way more favors than trying to get your demo perfect.

— E-mail music writer Bill Locey at blocey@pacbell.net.