Lea Michele has lavished praise on the top female music stars currently lording the business.

The likes of Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift are some of the biggest hitters in the pop scene and Glee star Michele has seemingly channelled their collective spirit on her debut album.

The singer is due to release 'Louder' in the UK on March 17 and she told Billboard that fellow female stars have directly inspired her record.

When asked what makes her unique from the likes of 'Katy, Miley, Taylor and Gaga', Michele said:

"I love all of those women. They were all inspirations for this record and I just love and respect women who make great music and focus on the vocals. For me as a performer, I really rely on my emotion coming from an acting background. I really use the performance aspect of it in conveying the emotion in my sound.

"Everything that I sing on this album is incredibly personal to me. It's all things I've experienced. Sharing a part of yourself in your music is really important and that's just what I'm trying to do."

When asked meanwhile if she has already thought about a second album, Michele said:

"Absolutely. I know we're releasing 'Louder' right now but I finished this in June, with 'Cannonball' and 'If You Say So' added over the summer. I haven't really worked on it for awhile, so I'm definitely thinking about a second album. I'm already thinking about what I want it to sound like, what I want it to look like. This record is such a strong representation of what the last two years of my life were like and I don't know what's next for me in my life. But I can't wait. Making music is so incredible; you tell the story of your life through music. I plan on it being very happy, very bright. Maybe not as dark."

Listen to Lea Michele's new material below: