Hailee Steinfeld is 'incredibly thankful' for musical success

Hailee Steinfeld has been "taken by surprise" by the success of her new single Starving.

The 19-year-old released the track, a collaboration with dance producer Zedd that's racing up the charts on both sides of the Atlantic, in July (16) but it is still proving a massive hit - with 15 million plays on streaming service Spotify last week (end09Oct16).

Hailee told the BBC she is stunned by the response she has received, even though she had hoped her fans would see what she did in the track.

"It’s so funny when you work on something that you love so much and you’re so passionate about it - you have this feeling that it’s something special," she said. "I’m so incredibly thankful and I am taken by surprise by how well it’s doing because you can only hope when you go to sleep the night before you release something that it will do as well as you want it to."

Hailee has also enjoyed a hugely successful acting career, with roles in films such as Pitch Perfect and Romeo & Juliet, as well as her Oscar-nominated turn in True Grit. However, she has also pursued a music career, releasing her debut album Haiz in 2015.

In the video for Starving, the actress/singer is seen gyrating alongside a group of oiled-up male dancers. But while the prospect of getting up close and personal with the hunks seemed exciting at first, the reality didn't live up to Hailee's expectations.

"At first I was like, ‘Oh, this is going to be fun!’ And then the second one of them touches you, you’re like, ‘Oh my God I got it (the oil) all over me, this is so not right!’" she giggled.

Fans are now desperate to hear Hailee's album but the young star admits she still has some work to do before the record is finished.

"It’s funny, for me it feels like - I guess as an artist you never want to stop growing and you never stop growing. And when it comes to making music, especially for me as a new artist, I feel like everything I do gets better and better and better so when I’m back in Los Angeles for a solid minute I will finish what I started!"