Lady Gaga has finished her new album, after her debut The Fame topped charts around the world.

The 24-year-old, known for her flamboyant costumes as much as her records, plans to release the album early next year, according to Rolling Stone magazine.

"I think I'm gonna get the album title tattooed on me and put out the photo," she told the publication.

"I've been working on it for months now, and I feel very strongly that it's finished right now. It came so quickly. Some artists take years; I don't. I write music every day."

The "Poker Face" singer, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, hinted that her new music was likely to be more serious than her hit debut, which turned her into one of the pop world's biggest stars.

"I have been for three years baking cakes - and now I'm going to bake a cake that has a bitter jelly," she said.

"The message of the new music is now more bitter than it was before. Because the sweeter the cake, the more bitter the jelly can be."