Paris Hilton News

Less than a month removed from her sojourn in a Los Angeles lockup, Paris Hilton is itching to make the transition from jailbird to songbird.

"I'm already working on my new record," Hilton tells E! Online. "I've been in meetings with Scott [Storch] and we've been working on it."

Storch is the the überproducer who helped guide Hilton through her eponymous first album. He's also known for his chart-busting work with Beyoncé Knowles, Christina Aguilera, R.  Kelly, 50 Cent and Dr. Dre.

"I've been working on it with Scott for a few weeks," adds Hilton, whose most recent musical endeavor was as cover girl on the U.K. version of the new Smashing Pumpkins single, "Tarantula"—a favor for friend Billy Corgan.

Sources close to The Simple Life star say she is determined to make the new album better than her last, which met with skepticism and lukewarm sales.

"She takes voice lessons several times a week," says an insider. "She's really serious about her music career."

The 26-year-old even had a meeting Monday with MTV executives, though it's not clear if that meeting was connected to her upcoming sophomore music release or her collaboration with Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee. (Lee has confirmed he's working with Hilton on a feature project but has not elaborated; MTV has described the project as in very early development.)

Hilton's debut album, entitled simply Paris, debuted in August 2006. Released via her Heiress Records and Warner Bros., the album opened at number six on the Billboard 200 and sold more than 600,000 copies. Paris included the modest hit "Stars Are Blind" (a Top 20 single) and "Jealousy," a scathing tune about her feud with then enemy Nicole Richie.

"Of all her projects, her music is the most important to her," says a source close to Hilton. "She really works very hard to be taken seriously in the industry and make good music people will enjoy."