Lee DeWyze Felt Judge Simon Cowell's Advice "Mattered the Most"

In the month since 24-year-old Lee DeWyze won the ‘American Idol’ crown, it has been a crazy new life. Next on the calendar is the annual ‘American Idol Live!’ North American tour, hitting 51 cities from July 1 in Detroit to Sept. 11 in Cleveland. Joined by this year’s eight other ‘Idol’ contestants (including runner-up Crystal Bowersox), DeWyze, still an eligible bachelor, isn’t quite ready to give up work for a committed relationship. At least he has a busy work schedule to keep him busy, and the envelope given to him by Ryan Seacrest from May 26’s finale, announcing him as the ‘Idol’ winner. DeWyze is also writing his first major-label CD (through RCA), ‘Beautiful Day,’ which hits stores and digital download Oct. 26. He took a few minutes to talk with Fancast Thursday in L.A., preparing for the ‘American Idol Live!’ tour. (See Lee LIVE in concert!

How have you been living day to day since your big ‘Idol’ win?
It’s all day, every day, busy. It’s a good reason to be tired. It’s a good reason to be doing this. But to go from what I was doing before, to what I’m doing now, it’s just a different life. Different everything. So, it’s just a blessing to know I can cut an album, tour, and do what I always wanted to.

How do you recuperate?
You really don’t. You sleep when you can sleep. It is the best thing you can do. That’s the biggest lesson I think, to anybody who’s ever doing anything like this. Sleep, when you get a chance do it.

How do you keep from feeling overwhelmed?
Literally, they give me my schedule for the next week. I get tomorrow. And then tomorrow, I will look at the next day. I know I have stuff going on next week, [but] I have no idea what it is. I know it’s there, [and] I know I’m going to look at it. Right now, I am one day at a time. You cannot take in your whole week. You will get swallowed up by it.

What’s the best gift you got for winning ‘Idol’?
[Ryan] Seacrest gave me, you know the envelope he reads from, “the winner is”? He came up to me, and he said, “Hey man, you can have this.” I thought it was kind of cool. It was a nice memento from the show. A lot of fans have sent me some really nice things. My family sent me some stuff. It’s cool that people are looking out for us and really being supportive. Knowing the people enjoy what I was doing and to get to do it even more [it's great].

You have been approached by some big name artists to work with you on the CD, I am sure.
Yeah I have, but I’m not supposed to say. Definitely artists I respect and would love to work with.

What’s the CD going to sound like?
Everything from rock ballads to folk to bluegrass rock. I don’t really have a limit on what I like to do musically. Mostly, if I like the way something sounds, I want to do it. I know what I want. I want good melodies. I want stuff that at least I can connect with.

How do you focus creatively with so much going on?
It’s hard sometimes. When you are tired or have a lot going on, it’s good to break away from that creatively. But, yeah man, when you get in that studio, it opens up a whole new door for me. I get to do my thing, and it is an awesome experience. I write stuff on my own, but you know, in the studio, guitars, drums, recording systems, everything around me is ready to go.

Who impressed you most on ‘Idol’?
It would be Simon. He gave me the most advice that I used. You take the good with the bad. What he said to me that mattered the most was to [record] songs that you will have on your album. That’s what I that’s what stuck with me and that’s what I try to do.

What’s up with a girlfriend?
When I find the right girl at the right time, I’m all for it. Now, music is my main focus. Because if a relationship started now, it really would be hard for me and hard for her. Whatever happens, happens. I’m definitely up for a relationship. With the right girl, it will happen.


Source: Nicolas White/Fancast