Before I won 'American Idol,' I'd never been in a professional studio at all. I'm getting more used to it. I'm really weird, though: I sing way better in a crowd of 3,000. It's easier than singing in front of 2.

I remember, when I was younger, it was such a big fantasy for me. Now that I actually have a career and have made an album, it's really surreal.

In every interview, when they would ask me who should be a judge, I would always say Harry Connick, Jr., so I think I had something to do with him becoming a judge! He has a blunt, dry sense of humor. You never know if he's joking or not, and I think that's going to catch a lot of people by surprise.

Love is one of my favorite things to talk about. Every song will be about losing it or finding it, seeing a guy and not knowing if you want to tell him how you feel yet. I guess I'm a hopeless romantic.

Yeah, but there's nobody who represents romance to me like Cary Grant.

Arthur Conan Doyle was entranced by the notion of a brilliant detective who can deduce everything a stranger has been up to from the merest clue, and yet can't have a trusting relationship with his closest friend.

My wife, Fionnuala, and I have been married for more than 20 years.

Matching tattoos don't ensure the longevity of a friendship, any more than any other mutual hardship.