American Idol Kris Allen charmed viewers all season long with his guy-next-door appeal and ability to rework popular songs into new works of art. On a press call soon after his win, Kris opened up about life as a newlywed, the winning song, and his future album.

Kris' first audition was a very scary experience for him. He drove to the stadium and waited for 14 hours because he was in one of the last groups to audition. He was so sick that day that he couldn't talk, and remained silent for the 14 hours. Something you many not have known is that Kris auditioned for American Idol with his brother. He said to his brother while they were waiting for their turn, "I really hope you get through because there's no way I'm getting through." Kris thought his audition was okay, but he was really surprised he was put through to the next round.

Kris married his high school sweetheart, Katy, just 8 months ago. It's been a wild ride since he's been involved with Idol throughout the length of their marriage, but they have a strong foundation from being together so many years. Katy has talked about quitting her job now that Kris is the American Idol, but she wouldn't work for Kris. She has her own interests which include acting and charity work. Kris will support his wife with her endeavors the way she supported him throughout his Idol journey.

After Kris was crowned the American Idol of Season 8, he said "Adam deserved this." Kris explained on the call that he thought Adam deserved it just as much as he did, and that Adam "was the most consistent person all year. He was seriously one of the most gifted performers that I've ever met." Kris went on to say that Adam's a great guy and they formed a close relationship, so they both kept telling each other, "You deserve it!"

When asked what he learned from his experience on American Idol, Kris said that he had always been a procrastinator, but on the show he felt like the times he worked the hardest were the times he did the best. "I think the biggest thing I learned was that the harder you work for the thing that you love the most, then everything you want is going to come true."

With Kris, what you see is what you get. Kris did exactly what he wanted to do on the show, and that will be the similar vibe you'll get from his CD. He may stray a little bit, but performances like "Ain't No Sunshine," are the kinds of tracks he hopes to lay down on his record. His goal is to make music that has feeling and moves people. Kris has been writing songs for about 6 years, although he hasn't had much time to write in the past eight months. Kris said, "I love writing music; I think it's the way that I express how I feel. I'm not a man of many words; I'm not very expressive or emotional, but it come out in my music. That's who I am." Kris doesn't know if he'll be writing any of the songs for his first album.

Although Kris had a blast performing with Keith Urban in the finale, he doesn't think he'll go down the country music route. It's not the type of music that he plans on putting out, but he values the experience.

As a low key person, how will Kris handle the limelight? Kris believes he's been getting ready for this all his life. "I've done a lot of things in my life; I've been in a lot of places. Life gets you ready for whatever is going to happen next." Next up for Kris is the American Idol tour with the rest of the Top 10. While touring around, Kris will simultaneously be working on his debut album, which he hopes to release this fall.

Lastly, Kris would like to thank all of his fans. He said the fans are the reason any of the Idols are where they are today. "Thank you. I would not be here without you and I'm stoked and hoping that you're not let down with the CD. I know that it's going to be great."

Watch Kris' winning performance of "No Boundaries."