Katharine McPhee Working on Columbia Records Debut

Katharine McPhee is a busy woman. In addition to starring on NBC's 'Smash,' the singer and actress is still working hard on her career as a solo artist. The former 'American Idol' contestant, who recently chopped off her hair into a shaggy lob which looks fab on her, is currently recording her Columbia Records debut.

The album is set to drop later this year, and finds the brown haired beauty working with Linda Perry, who has penned huge hits for Christina Aguilera and Pink, and Ryan Tedder, who also writes songs for people like J. Lo when he's not fronting OneRepublic. McPhee did appear with Tedder during OneRepublic's 'Idol' perf a few weeks back. ICYMI, watch it here.

For those of you at home who are not serious 'Idol' trivia buffs or if you just have a short memory, Kat competed on Season 5 of the series and eventually lost to Taylor Hicks. Who? Right.

Miss McPhee may not have taken the crown, but she has had a long and successful career in its wake. We're looking forward to seeing what she does with her new record on a new label home. Bring it, Kat.

Watch Katharine McPhee Perform With OneRepublic on 'Idol'