Marc Anthony will spend the first half of 2001 in the studio and the second half delivering the results.

The Puerto Rican pop singer plans to record and release three albums this year — an English pop LP, a salsa album and a Christmas disc.

"This year's going to be all about music," Anthony said Monday. "My plate is pretty full."

First Anthony will record the follow-up to his self-titled English-language debut, working primarily in his birthplace, New York. He'll head to Puerto Rico in March to work on the Spanish disc with his salsa band. Both of those albums are expected in the summer and may be released simultaneously, his Columbia Records spokesperson said.

The holiday album, which will likely be bilingual and comprise mostly traditional Christmas songs, is due in the fall. If his recording timeline pans out, Anthony could tour as early as the summer, the spokesperson said.

Anthony was already an established salsa star when he released his first English album in 1999, just as Latin pop was exploding into the mainstream. Marc Anthony included the pop hit "I Need to Know."