2014 ended on a high note for Days of our Lives' Jen Lilley (Theresa Donovan, who released a Christmas song with costar Eric Martsolf (Brady Black) this holiday season. But it looks like 2015 will be even better, because the actress is now recording a full-length album!
"One of my goals for the year was to record a Christmas CD, and that's how the song came about, and then it just became bigger and bigger and bigger," Lilley recalls of the snowball effect her and Martsolf's rendition of the classic tune "Baby, It's Cold Outside" has been able to achieve. "We recorded with Frank Sinatra's musicians, and once we got in the studio, they were like, 'Oh, we didn't realize you guys could really sing,' and Eric and I were like, 'Wait, what?' And then they said, 'Well, most actors think they can sing, but they can't,' which I didn't realize, and then they said they want to record two full albums with me next year."
Lilley will record her album at the legendary Capitol records with several of the label's producers. The goal is to get Lilley signed to a record deal.
RELATED: Find out the somewhat-ironic New Year's Resolution that Jen Lilley is making for 2015 here!
As you'd expect, Lilley is over the moon with the offer and already has big plans for her future as a singer. "One will be a full Christmas album, and one will be, well, I don't know, I'm thinking I'm going to do a 1940s album, because I love 1940s music," she shares of the direction she'll be going for the two albums. "I would like to write original songs, but maybe I'm not at that skill level yet. Maybe I'll start studying that this year and aim for that next year. But we'll see."
Either way, the actress can also look forward to working with "I Will Survive" singer Gloria Gaynor, who has expressed interest in recording a duet with Lilley. "It's so exciting," the actress enthuses. "I was like, 'Wait, what?! With me?! What?' I keep checking to see if people are actually listening [to 'Baby, It's Cold Outside'], because I keep thinking this is all like a weird dream that I'm going to wake up from and think, 'God, I'm such a narcissist!'"
As for whether or not music might take the actress away from daytime remains to be seen. "I've thought about that a lot," Lilley admits. "It's hard to say, but I definitely don't think I could go on without acting. I really enjoy the art of storytelling, and I think singing is storytelling too, but I will always want to act more than I want to sing -- I think. Because they asked me that, too. They said, 'You could quit right now and become a full-on recording artist.' And I was like, 'Yeah, I don't think that's what I want to do.' I want to do both, and I think you can do both. People do it. But... if it was like an option of going on tour musically, or doing a movie, I'd rather do a movie, I think. Ask me again in a couple of years!"
CORRECTION:
An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Jen Lilley had been signed to Capitol records. The actress-turned-singer will be recording at her album at Capitol records.
What do you think about Lilley's decision to record a full-length album? Do you think she has a promising future as a recording artist? Would you be upset if she chose to leave DAYS to pursue a music career? Share your thoughts in our Comments section below, on our message boards, or you can also click here to submit feedback.
