Nicola goes it alone

Girls Aloud star releases details of her new solo single...

09:34 06 May 2011

Girls Aloud star Nicola Roberts has confirmed that she is to release her first solo single this summer, followed by a new album in the autumn.

The scouse singer's debut track, Beat of my Drum, will be available to buy from 5 June.

Nicola has described her new song as a "fun record", saying:

"It was important my first single was different to anything else around. I love that it's a song everyone can sing and dance along to."

The track is taken from her forthcoming album, Cinderella's Eyes, which will be released later in the year.

Nicola has reportedly spent the past year working on the record with collaborators including Diplo, who has worked with M.I.A and Beyonc, Dimitri Tikovi, Metronomy and electropop duo, Dragonette.

"The album has a very British sound, that was important to me. I co-wrote all of the songs on the record.

"The stories I tell in the album are things that have happened to me and life in general. Some are happy, some songs are a little cheeky and one song is sad.

The album will be released as part of Nicola's new deal with Universal and a second single is set to precede the album's release this autumn.

Roberts has enjoyed a huge amount of success as a member of Girls Aloud, scoring 20 top ten singles and selling over three million albums in the UK alone.