The Fox hit show, Empire, has many tuned in to watch Jamal Lyon, played by Jussie Smollett, carve his way into the music industry in the midst of on-screen family drama. Off the screen, Smollett recently signed to Columbia Records--making major moves in his personal life.
The 31-year-old actor doesn't appear to be slowing down and in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, he revealed his excitement over his new impressive deal and noteworthy label mates.
"There will be a Jussie Smollett album. I signed to Columbia," he replied when asked of his future in music. "So darling [Laughs] I'm label mates with Beyoncé and Adele and Barbra Streisand."
Fans and followers of the hit show will likely share the excitement with Smollett as they enjoy more of "Jamal's" voice and charisma off the Empire set. According to Vibe, Empire sees new additions to its13.8 million viewers on a weekly basis. That's not surprising with a cast list including Taraji P. Henson, Terrance Howard and Gabourey Sidibe.
Though Smollett's new album may attract numbers of Empire fans, he explained to Entertainment Weekly that his album would have a different style than the music on the show.
"It's going to be a whole different thing. Now, the Empire family will still have something to do with it. I would love for Terrence to come and oversee the production of all of the music. And I would love for Timbaland to come on and Jim Beanz. We've all talked and they're all down to work on it."
Separately, there will be an Empire soundtrack (11 tracks), set to release March 10.
Smollett uses his writing skills to create songs that send strong messages for his character in the series. In this clip, he talks about co-writing "You're so Beautiful," with producer and songwriter Jim Beanz for the show. He describes this song as having a lot of "old school soul" and "flavor." Smollett's character Jamal shows off his smooth dance moves as he performs the song on the show.
