Following the success of his instantly viral hit “F**k You,” Cee Lo Green (now missing the hyphen of his moniker Cee-Lo) has officially announced his first solo album in over six years. The Grammy-winning singer will release his third LP The Lady Killer via Elektra Records on December 7, his first album since his last release The Odd Couple as one-half of Gnarls Barkley with producer Danger Mouse.
Though details are scarce on the album, the 35-year-old Georgian is working with an all-star team including Salaam Remi (Amy Winehouse), Jack Splash (Missy Elliott, Jamie Foxx) and Fraser T. Smith (Nelly Furtado, James Morrison). Like on previous releases, Cee Lo will foster his unique approach to hip-hop and soul, pushing creative boundaries like on the LP’s first soulful single, “Georgia.”
Recently, the falsetto crooner earned himself a left field hit with the album’s second single “F**k You,” which drew more than two million plays on YouTube within the first five days. The feel-good track, co-written and produced by songwriting trio The Smeezingtons (which includes up-and-comer Bruno Mars), quickly became the most viewed video in the U.K. and was hailed by contemporaries including 50 Cent, who put his own spin on the tune.
Cee Lo has spent the last few years penning hits for other artists, helming tracks like Pussycat Dolls’ “Don’t Cha,” Ameriie’s “Take Control” and Jennifer Hudson’s “All Dressed in Love.” With Gnarls Barkley, he earned the biggest hit of his career with “Crazy,” which won the Grammy for Best Urban/Alternative Performance in 2007. Its parent album, St. Elsewhere, went on to sell more than a million copies.