Showtunes come naturally to Michele

Lea Michele will be the first to admit that playing Rachel, the “Glee” girl whose vocal ability is matched only by her ambitions, isn’t that much of a stretch.

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Michele, 23, has wanted to be a professional singer since she was 8 years old and never wavered in her determination to make it big.

“I didn’t conform to what people thought was cool in high school,” Michele says, speaking of how she differs from her character on Fox’s breakout musical-dramedy series. “I did what I wanted to do, what I believed in. I definitely take a back seat a little more than Rachel does, but I couldn’t be more proud of her.”

The Streisand-worshipping Michele got her first gig in the Gotham production of “Les Miserables,” playing the young Cosette in 1995. Three years later, she scored a plum Broadway role in “Ragtime.”

“Glee” marks Michele’s first significant foray outside the stage. Since the show’s pilot premiered in May, she says she’s been living in a “Glee” bubble, traveling with her castmates through the States and, most recently, Australia to promote the show.

Based on the pilot alone, the skein has already attracted an obsessive group of fans, the self-proclaimed “Gleeks.” One popular debate topic: Who sings a better version of “Take a Bow” — Michele or Rihanna?

“Rihanna has such an amazing energy about her, and she’s so cool.” Michele pauses, laughing. “And I’m not cool. I just tried to do her proud.”

Owning up to her inner geekiness, though, dovetails perfectly with the show’s theme of follow-your-dream self-acceptance.

“So many fans came up to us on that promotional tour, saying, ‘Finally, a show about us,’” Michele says. “It’s very relatable to what kids in high school are going through right now. It’s like it was created for people like me.”