Ashanti wanting to write all the songs on her new album

NEW YORK (Ashanti Fans Website) - Singer-songwriter Ashanti will head back into the studio in January to work on the follow-up to her self-titled, Murder Inc./Def Soul debut album.

Ashanti penned all of the songs on her debut set, and she said to fans why she intends to also write all of the songs on her second album: "I plan on keeping that pen goin', boy, because that's definitely where the money is, you know? And I just find that, in my opinion for me, you know, you feel it more when it's your own lyrics when you're on stage, and you just have that passion because you know exactly what you were thinking about when you wrote that record and why, so it just brings everything together."

Ashanti currently has six nominations for the 30th annual American Music Awards. She is up for favorite album pop/rock, favorite new artist pop/rock, favorite female artist hip-hop/R&B, favorite album hip-hop/R&B, and favorite new artist hip-hop/R&B. Ashanti is also in the running this year's American Music Awards "Fans' Choice Award," for which she is facing off against Creed, the Dixie Chicks, Eminem, Enrique Iglesias, and Nelly.