Q&A with American Idol Winner Kris Allen

Stephanie Snipes: How does it feel to be the American Idol?  

Kris Allen: I feel good. I feel like I've been thrown into the craziest world ever. It's a lot of fun. I'm so excited, seriously. I'm so excited to be here. 

SS: You have gotten to do a lot of cool things after the win. But, performing at the NBA finals? What was that like? 

KA: The Lakers game was one of the weirdest experiences. It was amazing. It really was. I actually had never sung the national anthem, so I was so nervous. I was like: "I can't forget the words. I have to start it right." And then I think I started it too low and I was like, "Crap!"

SS: Next up is the Idol tour. Excited? 

KA: Very excited. Doing 53 shows in the biggest arenas in America. I actually talked with friends about doing shows, I think we were watching like a YouTube concert or DVD, [and I thought] it would be so cool to do that. And I'm getting to do stuff like that. It's a dream, and I'm so excited. 

SS: Do you know what you're going to perform? 

KA: I do. 

SS: Can you say? 

KA: No. 

SS: Darn the secrecy! 

KA: [Laughs] There are going to be some songs from the show. But there's going to be some songs that I actually wanted to do on the show but they would not clear them. It worked out.
 

SS: During the competition, America got to know your family really well. How are they adjusting to this new world? 

KA: They're doing great. I think my family has actually been able to do their jobs now. I think it's been nice for them to get back to their lives and not worry so much about, "Is he going to make it this week?" I think it's nice for them that the show's over. 

SS: I read you played the viola and the ukulele, true or false? 

KA: I have played the ukulele. I played it once. I know very, very little about the ukulele, but I actually grew up playing the viola from 4th grade through high school. 

SS: So you knew early on that music was your thing? 

KA: I don't know if I knew what I wanted to do with it. But my dad was a musician and his dad was a guitar player and singer as well. It ran in their family, so it definitely runs in the family. It's always been there. Music has always been a part of my life.
 

SS: If you could work with anyone who would it be? 

KA: I would love to just talk to Paul McCartney. That would be incredible, but that is definitely like a dream.

SS: Now you're working on your album. Where do you find your creative inspiration? 

KA: Someone asked me awhile back, "Why do artists always write about love?" And I was like, "Love is the coolest thing that's ever happened in the world." I feel like that's definitely an inspiration. And in different situations as well—loving friends or going through a hard time with love, or me and my wife...or seeing other people love each other. That's definitely like the biggest inspiration. When it goes good or when it goes bad. That's something creatively I think about it. 

SS: Is your wife going on tour with you? 

KA: She's not going to come on tour with me. She could follow me around if she wanted too, but that's definitely not what she has in mind for her summer. She's going to be at home, but she'll come to some shows and we'll hang out, which will be nice.
 

SS: What the best piece of advice you received? 

KA: The night that I won David Cook came up to me and said, "Sleep." That's the only thing he said. And I was like, "Okay." That was pretty good. 

SS: What type of music is playing on your iPod? 

KA: The hardest question in the world! 

SS: Is it? 

KA: Yes! Because I seriously listen to everything. I don't have a whole lot on my iPod because, as a musician, I've just got that conscious[ness] that I have to buy music now, so I don’t have a whole lot. I have everything from Kelly Clarkson to Kings of Leon to Paramore to different soundtracks to freaking Britney Spears. 

Catch up with Adam Lambert and the other American Idols!