For Lee DeWyze: 'Right now, it's all about music'
Lee DeWyze wants everyone back home to know he hasn't changed.
"Let's see, right now I'm wearing a hoodie, blue jeans and a beanie," the Mount Prospect native said, speaking from California, "if that tells you anything."
It's pretty much the exact outfit he wore for every "American Idol" performance, including his audition more than a year ago.
And while his clothes haven't changed, his life has. Big time.
A year ago DeWyze was waiting on customers at a paint store. On Tuesday, he spoke to the Daily Herald before singing for thousands in Anaheim. Before the weekend is over, he'll have performed in Sacramento, Seattle and Portland.
"Sure I get tired, but I'm not complaining," DeWyze said. "It's been so great to see all the fans."
After winning "Idol" on May 26, DeWyze and the other top contestants embarked on a hectic nationwide tour starting July 1. An average week has the group playing four concerts in four different towns. When Lee has more than one day off in a row, he's flown to New York or California to work on his own album, scheduled to be released this fall.
"I'm so excited to do my own thing," DeWyze said. "The album, the songs have my own vibe. I would say it sounds like Jack Johnson a little and maybe some Ben Harper."
He's looking forward to his return to Chicago when the tour stops at the United Center for an Aug. 28 concert.
"I can't wait," the 24-year-old said. "I can't talk to my friends and family and fans much at all because I'm so busy. But I guarantee them something special when I get home. I haven't forgotten them."
The American Idol tour, which features the show's top 10 singers, was originally scheduled to end Sept. 16 in Portland, Maine. But eight shows were cut, so now it will end Aug. 31 in Indianapolis.
Before Idol concerts at night, Lee said he either writes music or talks to fans. A huge tour bus takes the group from town to town.
"I was so afraid I couldn't sleep on the bus," he said. "But when you're that tired, you can."
Despite the schedule, it hasn't been all work.
In June, he sang the national anthem at Game 2 of the NBA Finals in Los Angeles, and a few weeks ago, he was crowned top male reality/variety star at the 2010 Teen Choice Awards.
Which, typically, he shrugs off.
"I'm not the kind of person who gets star-struck," DeWyze said. He owns up that he has met some celebrities but won't specifically say which ones, leaving it at "some people." And to answer a question he hears a lot on tour, yes, he's still single.
"Right now, it's all about music, but I'd like to have a girlfriend eventually," he said. "I'm a relationship guy."
In May when DeWyze came home for less than one day for his hometown parade, he said missed the food the most. Today DeWyze finds he can live without the deep-dish pizza.
"Now I miss just driving down Northwest Highway and seeing everything and everyone from home," he said. "I miss the normal stuff, talking to my family and friends kind of stuff. It's been seven months. I guess I'd like to stay home and just hang out for one minute."