Empire’s Jussie Smollett Signs a Deal with Columbia Records

Congratulations are in order for Empire’s Jussie Smollett!

The singer/actor revealed to Entertainment Weekly that he’s signed a record deal with Columbia Records and is working on a solo album.

Check out a few excerpts from his interview:

You guys keep growing each week in the ratings. Have you been able to enjoy the success?

It hasn’t clicked yet. The other day I went to Whole Foods and bought some chewable Vitamin C and got mobbed by like 15 girls. Today I was seven minutes late to work and I’m never late to work. I have been late to work two times. But a van of women were in Whole Foods and I was there to get my salad for lunch. Literally, they come up and they’re like “Jamal!” And I was late because they had to stay there and try to figure out how to use their camera phones.

I kind of feel like how Michael Jackson must have felt after “Thriller” was out and he had to come out with “Bad.” Here we are through the first season and we’re five months out until we start the second season, and I’m like, “What the hell are y’all gonna do next?” Because it’s going to be very difficult to top this season.

Is there going to be a Jussie Smollett album now?
There will be a Jussie Smollett album. I signed to Columbia. So darling [Laughs] I’m label mates with Beyoncé and Adele and Barbra Streisand.

Will it be Empire music or is it a whole different thing?
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.

We’re definitely looking forward to it! Read the rest of Jussie’s interview here.