"It's going to be a monster album," Cho, 40, said Monday. "I think it could be a triple-disc. But I don't know if I'll ever work on another one."

Cho, who will perform April 4 at Treasure Island Casino near Red Wing, has gained fame as a Korean-American comic who takes no prisoners on stage, whether she's talking about gender rights or poking fun at her mother's traditional Asian ways. She also has her own reality show, "The Cho Show," which includes her charming parents.

Now, though, she's so serious about music that she attended last week's South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas. She talked by phone from her home in Los Angeles.

What was the scene like at South by Southwest?

It was amazing. I really loved it. I wrote a song with John Wesley Harding. I got to see the Decemberists and Girl in a Coma. I hung out with old comedy friends I hadn't seen in years.

Most people would kill to be able to write songs with your co-writers.

I just asked the Indigo Girls to write with me and they said "Yes." What's so fun about this is getting to see how the different artists write. I just love the process of working with them.

Is songwriting different than you expected?

It's quite difficult. It's difficult marrying comedy to it. Comedy has its own kind of musicology. But in music, you have to be much more precise. It's much more a balancing act than I anticipated.

Plus, I'm playing guitar and accompanying myself. That's another challenge, having never played the guitar. I had to teach myself in a very short time.

What happens if one of these big-name collaborators sends you a clunker of a song?

That hasn't happened yet. If it doesn't work, it's also my fault, because I'm writing all the lyrics.

At Treasure Island, will you be doing a mix of music and standup comedy?

It's everything -- standup, some songs, some works in progress.

Do you change your act for a casino audience?

No, it's the same as in theaters. It's basically the same thing -- casinos are theaters now. It may have been different in the early '90s. But nowadays people go to the casino for entertainment. Before, when they went to the show it was a break from losing money. It was a super-hard gig because everyone was p_____ off. Comics always said, "Oh s___, I have to do a casino show." But now, it's a great show.