Amber Riley Talks Graduating from Glee and Her Upcoming Solo Album

Amber Riley's character Mercedes was front and center on the October 4 episode of Glee, belting out Dreamgirls' "It's All Over" as well as Jennifer Hudson's "Spotlight" and "Out Here on My Own" from Fame. The actress recently chatted with Entertainment Weekly about her status on the show and future plans for a solo effort.

"All I know is I’ve been told that I’m a senior and I am graduating,” Riley said of the show's ever-changing cast departure rumors. “If it is my last season, it is what it is. I’ve been given a really great platform to do other things that I love. I’m happy at the place where I am."

Should Mercedes leave the halls of McKinley, Riley already has a future career path in the works, as she is currently working on her first solo album. “I started when we came back on [the Glee summer] tour,” she said. “I slept for about three days straight. I flew to New York. I wanted to find what my sound was and I was in the studio every single day for a week straight.” Riley hasn't set a release date yet, but notes the style of the album will be “very Motown and very jazzy and bluesy.”

For now, Riley will focus on the series and Mercedes' recent move to McKinley's other glee club headed by Shelby Corcoran (Idina Menzel). "I was scared. I was like, ‘What does that mean? What is she doing?’" she said of Mercedes' decision to switch teams. "Every actor loves a challenge, and I get to embark on something new, something different that Mercedes hasn’t gotten to do. In the next episode somebody might be coming over with Mercedes from [New Directions]."

Glee returns to FOX on November 1, after a brief hiatus.