"Yeah, I was going to if it was the right song to play on. I hadn't found the right song to play on yet. I like being a singer. I like being the frontman."

And what does he think of the new element of contestants playing instruments in the competition?

"It was interesting - it added another dimension. Anything that shows someone's true talent is a good thing."

There are many other aspects of being on American Idol than just singing. I asked Johns what he enjoyed most about being part of the show.

"The singing is the most important part - the rest of it, the press and the photos and everything, it's fun but I just love performing. So the fact that you get to go out there and sing in front of the audience, that's really a good feeling. I'm massively impressed with "Idol Gives Back". I was so glad to be a part of that. So many good things have happened for Idol, it's so great they're giving back each year now. It's a very good cause."

Soon Johns will be doing what loves most: performing in front of thousands of fans on the American Idol summer tour. Johns was reluctant to give any specific details about the show. Some of his reticence may have been due to the sudden distraction of Carly Smithson playing with his new puppy - during the interview! He told me to "Hold on," telling Carly that the puppy would need to go outside. He quickly apologized - not that I minded, as it was an amusing interjection.

"We'll be doing a lot of different things. I can't believe over the last month seeing how we've put it together. I'm excited. We're doing duets, we're doing some group numbers. There's gonna be something there for everyone. I don't want to give too many details. Absolutely it's gonna be pretty cool. It's almost like mini-concerts - we all will do 3 or 4 numbers on our own. So if you're a Jason Castro fan, or a Michael Johns fan, you're going to see them sing on the stage by themselves with no one else on the stage."

The American Idol tour begins on July 1st in Glendale, Arizona and will travel to 56 cities around the country.