At this point, you would have to be living under a rock if you have not even heard murmurings of Fox’s new hit series, “Empire”. With the record shattering ratings, which have increased each week since its January 7th premiere, “Empire” is proving to be a force with no signs of slowing down. One of the series’s characters, Jamal, played by Jussie Smollet, sees himself playing the role of the gay, aspiring singer, son of Empire Records’ head honcho, Lucious Lyon. It appears that Jussie’s talents on the hit show have caught the eyes of some of the music industry’s elite players as he revealed in an interview with Ew.com that he has been signed by Columbia Records.
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.
Surely this comes as great news to Jussie, but perhaps also to the other aspiring singers and rappers on the show. It’ll be interesting to see how many others from the show land recording contracts based off the massive exposure the show is giving. If you’re not familiar with some of Jussie’s work, take a listen to some of his tracks that he’s performed on Empire, below.
