Sorry, Jay Sean fans. If you were expecting a new song to follow his first two Stateside singles "Down" and "Do You Remember," you'll be disappointed. While many a message board (and Sean himself, at one point) touted the ballad "War" as his third single, the pop/R&B singer has, in fact, moved on — not on to another gem from his U.S. debut, All or Nothing, but a brand-spankin'-new album.
"We are basically straight on to the next one," Sean told MTV News when we caught up with him at the New York studio of the Orange Factory, the production outfit behind the majority of All. "I was already halfway through the album by the time 'Do You Remember' was hitting radio. We listened to it, and we were like, 'You know what? I want to hit them with something fresh right now, not something that is off [this] album. Let's go now, while we are ahead of the game, while we are ahead of the curve.' "
Last September, Jay Sean became the most successful male U.K. urban artist in U.S. chart history, with "Down" topping the Billboard Hot 100. The singer is now well on his way to releasing a new album.
"I'd say we are three-quarters done," Sean said. "The majority of the album is [produced] by the Orange Factory, the same people who did 'Down' and 'Do You Remember.' I think this album is a little more grown and sexy. Not saying that I've grown older and sexier, but for me, this album is a natural progression. And that's where I wanted to go and where it felt right.
After dropping two singles, boasting the likes of Lil Wayne, Sean Paul and Lil Jon, the artist from Hounslow, England, already has a few more exciting partnerships in the can for this next project — and another he's hoping will come to fruition. And Sean recently made his own guest feature on Mary J. Blige's emotional "Each Tear."
"She's actually gonna be on my album as well," Sean said of Blige. "You're gonna see Pitbull on the album. Wayne, of course. We are gonna get some of the Young Money characters involved. But really, I'd love to work with Rihanna. So I'm gonna see if I can come up with the right song for that."
Who would you like to see featured on Jay Sean's next album? Tell us in the comments!