Kris Allen Ready For Tour, Album

NEW YORK - A year ago, Kris Allen was planning on finishing college and getting a "regular job."

The 23-year-old singer from Conway, Ark., says he was looking forward to getting married (he tied the knot last September) and knew he needed a career plan.

"I was like, `You know what? I've got to figure something out.' I went back to college and I was gonna finish school and hopefully something would happen. Just kind of have a regular job, regular life and `American Idol' stepped in," Allen said in a recent interview.

Now the season eight winner of the Fox singing competition (he won the title last week over Adam Lambert) is looking forward to the "American Idol" summer tour, which kicks off July 5 in Portland, Ore.

Allen is also looking forward to recording an album that's like the music he performed on "Idol" -- but kicked up a notch.

"I want it to be different. I want to put out music that's gonna be completely different than what's going on right now in the music world," he says.

Allen says he and his wife, Katy, are learning to deal with being in the spotlight.

He says Katy had to stop using the social networking Web site Facebook because she received so many messages after he won "Idol."