Lindsay Lohan

By Natasha Stoynoff

12/14/2004 at 06:00 AM EST

"I'm tired of people lying/ Saying what they want about me," Lindsay Lohan sings on "Rumors," her first single off her debut album Speak. But there's plenty to talk about as the 18-year-old makes the move from actress to singer: In just one week she faced down accusations of lip-synching on ABC's Good Morning America (her rep says the Dec. 6 performance was "100 percent live"); she saw her father Michael Lohan sentenced to rehab; and she has kept her chin up amid questions about her sudden split from That '70s Show's Wilmer Valderrama. Now the teen queen is speaking for herself, and she recently filled PEOPLE in on her busy life, including being single, recording an album and dealing with all those emotions.

Now that you're single, are a lot of guys asking you out?
I haven't had a lot of guys asking me out, but it feels good to be single. I'm young, I'm 18, so it's nice to just be out there and see what's out in the world.

What qualities do you look for in a guy?
Just a good personality – and definitely loyalty. I need that in my next relationship. I need loyalty and trust because I didn't always have that.

You're definitely in a transitional period now. How has the change been going from acting to singing?
I think it's similar because it's still taking personal emotions and putting them out for people to see and hear, and in film you do that, but just in a different way.

With the breakup and your father's troubles, you must be dealing with a lot of emotions. How do you not let it get you down?
You just have to ignore it. And none of it (about my dad) has been true, to be honest. So I really can't do anything about it except to laugh, because if I worry about it, I'm just going to be torturing myself and I'm not going to be happy.

And how do you feel about being compared to other actors turned singers, like Jennifer Lopez and Hilary Duff?
I'm sure they will compare us – especially Jennifer because I work with (recording exec) Tommy Mottola. ... People are always going to compare you to someone else and I'm so different from both of them in so many ways.

Have you heard Duff's song "Hater"? Supposedly, it's about you.
It's totally flattering that someone's writing a song about me. As far as I'm concerned, everything's cool between me and her, so I don't even think that song's really about me.

Would you ever consider doing a duet with her?
If we did a movie together or something, I think that would be cool for a soundtrack.

Who are you a big fan of right now?
I really like Gwen Stefani. I think she's cool. She has a really cool vibe to her. I still love Janet Jackson. I like Melissa Etheridge. I listen to Journey.

Journey? They're a bit before your time.
Oh yeah! And I'm a big U2 fan and Coldplay, Eminem of course. I listen to everything.

So, anything else new coming up for you? I hear you might be working some magic in the updated I Dream of Jeannie movie.
It depends if they want to go older or stay younger. We'll see what happens. But, oh my God, it would be so much fun. Just the iconic factor of Jeannie – that would be so much fun. ... But I'd never call my husband "master" in real life.