One element that might have led to his early departure was the perception that Johns had failed to define himself as a singer. Johns told me he found it particularly perplexing when Simon told him that he didn't see Johns as a "rock singer."

"The frustrating thing on the show was Simon saying, 'We don't think you're a rock singer.' It's like, 'What are you talking about? (laughs) What's your version of rock?' I've always been into the more blues-oriented side of it."

Johns told me is working on writing songs for a future album, but did not give any specifics on a record deal. Knowing that Johns is partial to both soul and rock, I asked him which musical direction he plans to pursue.

"My record is gonna be totally a rock/soul vibe. Everything from Otis Redding to INXS. Totally love that kind of stuff. I like Michael Hutchence, Jim Morrison - there's different sides to rock. With rock you can do alternative rock, punk rock, grunge rock - different ways to say what rock is."

Prior to Idol, Johns had been kicking around in the recording industry for several years. Though he always seemed to be on the brink of becoming a professional recording artist, nothing seemed to end up working out in his favor. With his years of experience, as well as being at the top of the American Idol age range (28 years old), Johns seemed like a somewhat unlikely Idol candidate. I asked what made him decide to try out for the show.

"For me personally, I had a couple deals before and the record labels that I was on folded. That happened two or three times, and I was getting frustrated with that. I tried to make it every which way I could, but the industry wasn't paying me back, so to speak."

John's wife also played a major factor in his decision to audition.

"My wife said, 'Look you can really sing and you've got an audience that wants to hear from you. Go on American Idol and sing your butt off.' So I said, 'Okay I'm gonna do it' and I went full speed ahead. Went to audition, made it through, and then I got to sing in front of 30 million people each week."

Johns said he had been a fan of the show since season one, citing Kelly Clarkson as his favorite Idol winner. He is also a big fan of Chris Daughtry and Carrie Underwood.