Leighton Meester to finish album after Gossip Girl ends

Leighton Meester is planning to focus on music after Gossip Girl comes to an end as she wants to release her debut album by the end of the year.

The hit teen drama will finish after the upcoming sixth season, which is being filmed this year (12).

Meester, who plays scheming socialite Blair Waldorf, insists that although she is sad to see the show come to an end, it will give her the chance to concentrate fully on her music career.

She tells E! Online, "It's bittersweet. That's the perfect word for it. But at the same time, it's great to move on and do something different. Playing the same character for six years is great, but it's exciting to do other things... I want to release an album by the end of the year. I probably have 20 songs ready but will release an album with 10 or 11."

Meester has a record deal with Universal Republic and her first official single, Somebody to Love, featuring R&B star Robin Thicke, was released in 2009.