Leighton Meester’s debut album is noticeably missing in action after a pair of undeserved flop singles, so her record label Universal Republic have decided to try get some mileage out of their failed investment by using her name to help promote their latest signing, Stephen Jerzak.

The 17-year-old Jerzak was discovered on the prehistoric MySpace, posting tracks on his page that he created himself on Garageband. Universal then came knocking, threw him in the studio and churned out a radio-friendly piece of disposable dance-pop otherwise known as his first single “She Said”.

The song itself is really nothing mind blowing, but the addition of Leighton on the hook really gives it that extra oomph to make you want to listen to it again. Don’t ask me what it is in particular, but anything containing Leighton Meester is automatically awesome (even Gossip Girl – ugh).

Meanwhile, there’s still no news on her long-awaited debut album, but it was reported recently that she asked her GG co-star Ed Westwick to do some guest vocals. Break out the champagne.

Anyway, you should probably pay attention to Stephen now, so take a listen to “She Said” via ArjanWrites below.

Flop princess Leighton Meester was a guest on the Rachael Ray show this week to promote Gossip Girl and her endorsement deal with Herbal Essences, but the best part of the interview was spent discussing her upcoming country music movie Love Don’t Let Me Down, also starring Gwyneth Paltrow and country superstar Tim McGraw.

Love Don’t Let Me Down is due for release later this year and will feature Leighton showing off her musical skills by recording a few country-pop songs for the film, while Gwyneth Paltrow will also return to music once again with a few more traditional sounding country tunes.

During the interview Rachael brought up Leighton’s singing career and asked if she was going to release CD’s in her future, but Leighton avoided the subject and turned the spotlight onto her burgeoning film career instead, trying to keep all the music talk focused squarely on Love Don’t Let Me Down.

I’m suicidal that Leighton’s Love Is a Drug album seems destined to become the new Her Name Is Nicole, but the anticipation for Love Don’t Let Me Down has definitely softened the blow.

It’s been a while since we got an update on where Leighton Meester is at with her music career, so without further ado here are a bunch of cut-and-paste quotes from a new interview which should help satisfy your cravings for the time being.

Not caring about commercial success:

…If you love it [acting], you don’t necessarily care about the commercial success of something, as long as it’s quality. That’s how I also feel about music, I just want it to be good, I want people to get a sense of me through my music.

The sound of her new album:

It’s a mixture of the past four or five years of my life. The songs I’ve released so far, I’m really pleased with people’s response. They definitely reflect who I am as a person and an artist. I can appreciate all different kinds of music, but I’m having a good time making essentially pop dance music. And lyrically, since I’ve written everything, people can see a window into me and how I feel about certain things.

I’ve had raw acoustic songs, pop ballads, piano ballads, super-electro very Euro-sounding … I’ve done rapping, I’ve worked with other artists, so I’ve done the full gamut and been able to discover what I really love. I’ve discovered different things about how I’ve changed over the years and this is why I like to write.

The ridiculously amazing production lineup on her album:

I’ve worked very closely, pretty much on every song, with Shahine Ezell and the other producers that I’ve worked with — Kenna, Stuart Price, Mike Caren, Paul Oakenfold. I wrote two songs with Kara DioGuardi. I also wrote with Jupiter Rising, who’s really awesome, a guy named K.O., who’s an incredible producer and songwriter. I did a song with Toby Gad. I’ve done a couple of songs with the Writing Camp, and I’ve written a couple of songs with a girl named Bonnie McKee.

Working on country music for the soundtrack to her new film ‘Love Don’t Let Me Down’:

The music for ‘Love Don’t Let Me Down,’ oh my god, it’s so good. It’s country music, and Gwyneth Paltrow’s material is more traditional country, really big music — it’s amazing. She sounds beautiful. My music in the movie is a little bit more current, very pop. I have a couple of songs that I feel like are really good in there.

I worked very closely with Nathan Chapman, he produced all the songs. He’s a teenage girl trapped in a man’s body, so we ended up doing a song together, a country song, which was a new experience, but it was really addictive and he’s incredible — the music we made together is amazing, very beautiful. But there are a couple of more poppy songs that we did that could easily cross over, and he worked with Taylor Swift and Jewel. Somebody else that I really looked to for the movie, especially for performance, was Carrie Underwood.

Basically what she’s trying to say is that her album Your Love’s a Drug is probably the best pop album never-released by a B-list popstar since Cassie’s Electro Love.

Oh, and Leighton Meester and Gwyneth Paltrow releasing country music? Amazing!

[Listen]

After more than two months of being available for illegal download on the net, Leighton Meester’s second single “Your Love’s a Drug” has finally hit iTunes. You can check out the official cover art for the electro-pop track above.

The sudden release of the single to iTunes could mean that Leighton’s debut album (also titled ‘Your Love’s a Drug’) could hit stores sooner than expected. The last reports for the album had it due for late 2010, but hit single could certainly speed up the process.

It’s just a shame that the title of the song (and it’s sound) is so similar to Ke$ha’s new single “Your Love Is My Drug”, but it could work out in Leighton’s favor and help the song get some attention since most people didn’t even know that she even had music out when she dropped her first single “Somebody to Love”.

Do you think Leighton could have a hit on her hands?

It looks like singer-actress Leighton Meester has put her music career on the back burner for a while because during a recent interview & shoot with Glamour, the magazine reported that her much-delayed debut album Love is a Drug isn’t due until late 2010.

The move seems to be a combination of the albums lead single “Somebody to Love” bombing on the charts, the follow up “Your Loves a Drug” failing to take off at radio, as well as Leighton’s expanding acting career.

The singer is currently still performing in nightclubs but it doesn’t look like she’ll be able to promote an album amongst all the films she has coming out. She’s already got three movies ready to drop this year; the trashy thriller The Roomate, the Tina Fey comedy Date Night, and the country music drama Love Don’t Let Me Down with Gwyneth Paltrow. She’s also just signed up for two more films, and is in talks to star in a third which will see her acting alongside Disney brat Selena Gomez.

If it ever does end up being released Electro Love 2.0 Your Love is a Drug will feature collaborations with Jesse McCartney, Lil’ Wayne, Polow Da Don, Kenna and more. She even has a song with DJ Clinton Sparks that he gave to her over Fergie.

I need this album in my life!

Aspiring pop star Leighton Meester has worked with some pretty interesting people for her upcoming debut album Love Is A Drug, including popular DJ Clinton Sparks who according to Las Vegas Weekly will duet with the star on a new song that was originally crafted with Fergie in mind.

Though he originally had written their song with Fergie and Will.i.Am. in mind, after hearing Meester sing, Sparks says he decided to save the tune for her.

“She does a verse. I do a verse. We alternate singing,” Sparks explained.

Financially speaking passing over Fergie and Will.i.am for Leighton Meester probably wasn’t the best decision considering her poor chart performance so far, but I’m sure it’ll be a great song so I can’t wait to hear it.

In other Leighton news the 23-year-old has just finished recording her vocals for her new country-themed movie Love Don’t Let Me Down, which also stars Gyneth Paltrow and Tim McGraw. In the film Leighton plays a beauty Queen-turned-country singer who embarks on a tour with a fallen country starlet played by Paltrow who is trying to revive her career.

One of my favorite new pop stars starring alongside one of my favorite actresses in a movie about one of my favorite genres of music… I can’t wait!

Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester is back with a new song “Your Love is a Drug”, which is rumored to be the 2nd single from her upcoming debut album, also titled Your Love is a Drug.

“Your Love is a Drug” is another electro-pop tune similar to Leighton’s first single “Somebody to Love”, but it decides to lose the sublime euro-pop vibe and urban influences of her Robin Thicke collaboration in favor of a more club-ready Kylie Minogue sound. In fact the song wouldn’t feel out of place on Kylie’s last album X, or on a classier more sophisticated version of Ke$ha’s Animal.

It’s still unclear exactly what Leighton’s second official single will be, with Just Jared just last week reporting that it “Make It Rain” featuring Lil’ Wayne would be released next, but today’s “You Love is a Drug” leak makes me think that someone could’ve given JJ the wrong info.

Anyways single or not, are you feeling Leighton’s new song? And yes, I am very aware of the similarities to Ke$ha’s future smash “Your Love Is My Drug”, and no, I don’t think it’s as good (but I still love it).

Leighton Meester will reportedly release “Make It Rain” featuring Lil’ Wayne as her second single, or at least that’s what Just Jared is saying.

The song is from the 23-year-olds upcoming debut album which has now officially been titled Love Is a Drug.

I’m excited for the Weezy collabo, but I’m not too fond of the album title. Does Leighton not know that “Your Love Is My Drug” is a future #1 smash for Ke$ha just waiting to happen?

The album currently has no release date, but expect things to kick into gear once Leighton wraps up filming the country music drama “Love Don’t Let Me Down” with Gwyneth Paltrow and Tim McGraw.

When Love is a Drug does finally hit stores expect to hear collaborations with RedOne, Clinton Sparks, Adam Lambert, Polow Da Don, Cathy Dennis, Kenna and more.

Leighton Meester has decided to show off her best impression of Casper the sexy ghost in a new official photoshoot for her upcoming debut album, which is due out later this year via Universal Records.

The blindingly white pictures were snapped by celebrity photographer Mark Liddell, who’s previously worked with Britney Spears and Janet Jackson, and just wrapped up the album artwork for Avril Lavignes next record.

Back to Leighton again, the 23-year-old has opened up in a new interview revealing that she’s not only written a lot of the lyrics for her debut album, but has also come up with the melodies for the songs.

“I come up with melodies all day—every minute. I wake up in the middle of the night with ideas and have to record them. I come up with different stuff all the time. I just have a lot of fun in the studio. There’s always a good vibe. I tweak my ideas a lot, but I love the process. I usually just write after a melody, and everything else comes naturally.”

Good to know! Now bring on the actual album, or at least a new single because I’m starting to get a little sick of playing “Somebody to Love” on repeat all day.

Speaking of her next single, rumor has it that it’s a Clinton Sparks production.

It looks like Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester is taking this music thing seriously, with the 23-year-old hitting up damn near every club in Hollywood over the past week to perform a 5-song-set featuring new songs from her upcoming debut album.

She’s also been getting some advice from pop icon Cyndi Lauper after the two met at a recent awards show.

“Recently I’ve spent a lot of time with Cyndi Lauper, and she’s a legend,” says Meester. “She gave me the advice: Never sell your publishing, so I’ll take that.”

She’s also reportedly worked with controversial American Idol star Adam Lambert on her album, which she describes as “fun, new, sexy, cute, electric, [and] emotionally driven.”

Glambert, Thicke, and Lil’ Wayne all on the same album? Lord have mercy.

It’s great to see Leighton out & about performing and making sure she gets snapped on the red carpet. Even if it doesn’t do much it at least increases her exposure as a singer and her performance skills. This is what Cassie should be doing!

Peep some more pics of Leighton at her mini club tour below. [pic source]

Leighton Meester was snapped Saturday night posing backstage at the Y100 Jingle Ball 2009 in Florida, before hitting the stage to perform her debut single “Somebody to Love”.

The singer-actress is currently working on her debut album with RedOne, Clinton Sparks, Rico Love, Lil’ Wayne, Polow Da Don, Kenna and many more. It’s due out around February/March 2010.

My girl Nelly Furtado struck a pose on the blue carpet 40 Principales 2009 Awards in Madrid, Spain.

The 31-year-old is still promoting her Spanish album Mi Plan, but is also writing her next English album with Timbaland.

Since she’s working with Timbo let’s hope that her album is more Loose/FSLS and less Shock Value II.

Singer-actress Leighton Meester was snapped Friday night at the Z100 Jingle Ball 2009 party.

In addition to working on her debut album (Due March) Leighton is also preparing to shoot a new movie about country music with Gwyneth Paltrow.

Gwyneth is in one of my favourite movies The Royal Tenenbaums and I’ve had a soft spot for her ever since, so I’ll definitely be first in line to see her new movie with Leighton.

Skanky Mexican singer Paulina Rubio was snapped in one of her trademark hooker outfits in Madrid on Thursday where she accepted a plaque for her Gold and Platinum certified CD’s.

Work those thigh-highs Polly!

Pop-rocker Pink was all smiles on Friday when the paps snapped her arriving back to her hotel in England.

The singer is currently performing her Funhouse Tour in London. Once she wraps that up she’ll be heading straight out on her next tour  “The Funhouse Summer Carnival tour”, which will have a new setlist and will see her touring across Europe playing festivals, theme parks, and arenas.

P!nk is pretty unstoppable in Australia right now. Her new Funhouse tour DVD is already 23x Platinum after two months, whilst the album is 10x Platinum.