March 29, 2006 9:25

Annie ropes in famous pals on new album

And they're a varied bunch

Norwegian DJ/singer Annie has roped in some famous pals to help out on her eagerly awaited new album.

Ex-Smashing Pumpkins/A Perfect Circle guitarist James Iha and dance producer Richard X will feature on the follow-up to 2003’s ‘Anniemal’, which she hopes to release later this year.

She said: "The new songs are more club-oriented — still 80s-sounding, but different. But to be honest, I never really know what things will sound like until I finish the album. I'm sort of in the middle of the album. There's going to be a lot of different people, it's going to be more diverse, but I'm not quite sure which direction the production will go."

Annie told MTV she’s not too worried about losing her core fanbase if she goes in a new direction.

She insists: "It's not going to be a blues album or a country album."

After she finishes recording with Iha in New York, she'll team up with French techno producer Alan Braxe (who worked on Stardust's 1998 worldwide hit ‘Music Sounds Better With You’) and then some yet-to-be-named collaborators.

There will be a single, ‘Crush’, released ahead of the LP.