Paris Hilton: From jailbird to songbird

Is Paris Hilton a glutton for punishment? A year after trying -- and failing -- to set the world on fire as a pop singer and less than a month after serving a 23-day jail sentence for probation violations, the socialite-heiress announced that she has begun laying tracks for a new album with hit-making hip-hop producer Scott Storch.

“I’ve been working on it with Scott for a few weeks,” she told E! Online late Monday.

Contrary to earlier reports, Hilton has not been dropped by her record label, Warner Bros., distributor of her boutique imprint, Heiress Records, a spokesperson confirmed.

Storch -- responsible for chart-topping singles for R. Kelly, 50 Cent, the Game and Beyonce, among others -- was also the musical architect behind much of Hilton’s 2006 CD “Paris.” Although that album entered the national chart at No. 6, selling 77,000 copies in its first week and spawning the Top 20 single “Stars Are Blind,” it’s generally considered a flop and one of the few commercial missteps in the celebutante’s burgeoning brand “presence,” which includes a bestselling book, endorsements for products such as Champagne in a can, a signature perfume and a reality TV show.

Although Hilton hasn’t elaborated upon her plans in any of the usual Information Age confessionals -- that is, on her MySpace page, her record website, www.parishiltonrecord.com, or her personal website -- she made her musical intentions clear in an interview with The Times last August.

“I plan to be doing this for a long time,” Hilton said.

chris.lee@latimes.com