A fortnight ago a young woman from Perth climbed out on the sodden wing of the Airbus A320 floating on the Hudson River. The shock of near-death might’ve overwhelmed some of us but for this particular girl, it was as though all her Christmases had come at once.

Seems like Emma Cowan - who uses the much sexier stage-name Emma Sophina – is a budding but mediocre singer, currently flitting around the world on a so-far fruitless quest for fame (having raised the funds by working for a WA mining company). Her Myspace gives hints of her long-running clamour for glamour:

Please vote for me to win a competition to sing with Steve Wonder…

No success though until that plane dunked and thrust Emma into the spotlight, which she’s been lapping up. Except the next day, when the meedja printed, like, embarrassing pictures of her rescue:

Emma Cowan … was more interested in the less-than-flattering pose she struck just moments after her rescue.

“Yeah, that’s me with my mouth open,” she joked of a picture that appeared in yesterday’s Post. “Nice yellow jacket and my mouth wide open. Can you imagine a worse photo to go around the world?”

Riiiight. No matter Emma… this is media-hungry America and you’re blonde, pretty and apparently a “devout Christian”, so there’s plenty willing to feed your ego:

Aussie singer Emma Sophina’s big dream has come true – she recorded a single that she wrote with a couple of big-time Grammy-winning producers. All she had to do was survive the crash of Flight 1549 in the Hudson River.

“It’s definitely a thank you for the pilots,” said Sophina, looking every inch the rocker in a black top and jeans, after she laid down the vocals at the studio of Tony Black and Mark Swersky on the Jersey Shore. “The song is called, ‘Send Another Prayer.’”

Swersky, who has written songs for Joe Cocker, Natalie Cole, Hilary Duff and other singers, said Sophina has caught the attention – and hopefully the ears – of big record companies.

I very much doubt it: I’ve heard this song and it’s a real steamer. Hint to Emma – if you want to thank the pilot, send him a card.