Sheridan Smith is recording her first album of original songs.
The 36-year-old actress is set to hit the studio next month to record the new LP, following the success of her debut album ‘Sheridan’ which was released last year and was comprised of covers from musicals.
A source told The Sun newspaper: "Sheridan wants to prove she’s the real deal by releasing her own material."
Her first record – which was co-produced by Tris Penna and Steve Sidwell who worked on George Michael’s ‘Symphonica’ tour and subsequent live album – reached number nine on the UK chart and also earned her two Classical BRIT Award nominations.
The ‘Cilla’ star wants to sing about her real life experiences on the record with songs set to be inspired by the tragic death of her dad Colin Smith in 2016 and her recent engagement to insurance broker Jamie Horn.
The source added: "She feels she’s been through enough drama in her life to top the charts and has even joked to mates she’ll be the UK’s answer to Taylor Swift."
Sheridan landed her deal with East West Records after impressing with her vocal talents on stage and screen, with roles in musicals ‘Into The Woods’, ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ and ‘Legally Blonde’ and most notably when she played late singer and TV presenter Cilla Black in the 2014 TV series ‘Cilla’.
Cilla’s hit ‘Anyone Who Had A Heart’ was covered by Sheridan and was one of the highlights of the LP along with ‘City of Stars’ from ‘La La Land’, ‘And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going’ from ‘Dreamgirls’ and ‘For Forever’ from the contemporary Broadway smash ‘Dear Evan Hansen’.