THEY are young and talented.

And they helm their own television shows, just like US teenage stars Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez.

Meet the cast of R.E.M: The Next Generation and SchoolHouse Rockz.

Quickly gaining popularity among local television viewers who range from 5-year-olds to those in their 30s, these young stars have become recognisable faces.

Could they be Singapore's answer to tween idols like Cyrus and Gomez? The term 'tweens' generally refers to those between 8 and 14 years old.

For Inka Mader, who plays lead character Inka on SchoolHouse Rockz, being recognised on the streets means audiences 'appreciate what I do'.

Jerilyn Tiffany Koh, 18, who plays M on the spunky detective series, R.E.M, even brushes aside the notion of being popular.

She told The New Paper: 'It's just nice to know that someone watches the show and recognises us.'

R.E.M, which stands for Roxy (Ming Bridges), Elle (Jamie Frankland) and M (Jerilyn), airs on okto every Tuesday at 8pm.

It is the teen version of Kids Central's original series, We Are R.E.M, which ran for three successful seasons seven years ago.

SchoolHouse Rockz began as a musical series on Kids Central last year. In March, okto aired a two-hour movie version which revolves around Inka and her friends at school holiday camp.

okto's manager of channel promotions Christina Jimenez said there are plans to broadcast the movie again in June.

Although the tween phenomenon began in the US nearly a decade ago, Singapore's entertainment industry has largely neglected this potentially profitable demographic market.

With more than 20 million young American consumers, according to US newspaper USA Today, tweens are big business and powerful in the US.

According to a 2007 Reuters report, American tweens spend about US$51 billion ($77b) a year and their family members splurge another US$170b on them.

Young celebrities like Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers churn out chart-topping records and highly rated television programmes and movies. Merchandise, including clothing lines, are also part of their multi-million-dollar empires.

So what's stopping our local young starlets from matching the success of their US peers?

Are they not talented enough? Do they lack the platforms to be groomed into budding idols?

Blame it on the local perception that performing arts is an impractical career.

The young actors in R.E.M. and SchoolHouse Rockz, and their parents are adamant that studies take precedence over filming, which is usually done during school holidays.

Although filming has not affected her grades, SchoolHouse Rockz's Foo Fang Rong is taking a break from acting now that she is in secondary school, says her mother Mrs Jillian Foo.

Acting's a hobby

Fang Rong, 13, who acts in Channel 8 serial My School Daze, said: 'Studies will always come first. Miley Cyrus has put her whole life into it but acting's a hobby for me.'

Young Singaporean actors also face stiff competition, especially from the US.

Stephanie Grawehr, 17, who plays Rosalind D'Almeida in SchoolHouse Rockz says kids are still 'hung up' on US tween idols.

Singapore's small audience pool also hinders the cultivation of Cyrus-equivalent stardom, said Jamie, 20, who plays Elle on R.E.M.

Local shows have limited reach and hence, a smaller fan base, compared to those in the US which are also broadcast in other countries.

Still, the R.E.M. girls feel honoured that people 'look up to us in the first place'.

Jerilyn added: 'Being on a kids' show comes with a responsibility. You wouldn't do something crazy in public.'

As for concerns that fame will change them, their parents are not the least worried.

Apart from parental pressure, Stephanie's mother, Mrs Tess Grawehr, says that Singaporeans frown upon the reckless behaviour displayed by young Hollywood celebrities.

Friends have also kept them grounded.

Ming, who plays Roxy in R.E.M, said: 'My friends actually make fun of me. They don't treat me differently and by doing this, they keep me sane. I wouldn't want it any other way.'

This article was first published in The New Paper