Cee Lo's Goth confession

Cee Lo Green was once a goth.

The upbeat soul singer and rapper - who is one half of 'Crazy' hitmakers Gnarls Barkley - admitted that he once went through a darker period where he listened to gothic music and tried to emulate the image.

He told NME magazine: "I did have a Goth phase. I definitely went through a period of my life when I was listening to The Cure.

"I wore a lot of black. It wasn't that I was trying to not be seen, so as much that I felt invisible. It was a way of saying, 'I care that you know I don't care', you know?

"I think Gnarls Barkley had a bit of a mid-tempo melancholy vibe to it."

The 'F**k You' hitmaker said he has spent a long time making sure he chooses exactly the right material for his next solo, narrowing down from 70 tracks for third album, 'The Lady Killer'.

He added: "It took almost three years, which has allowed me to amass quite a bit of material. I've recorded 70 songs, but I have to narrow that down to 14.

"I would describe it as mood music. Foreplay if you will. It's definitely the scenic route, a bit of a journey.

"It's sexy and sophisticated. An evening in the life of a Lady Killer."

'The Lady Killer' is released in December.