Artist of the Week: Kris Allen

Kris Allen becomes media headline soon after being crowned as the winner of "American Idol" season eight on May 20 and beating down judges' favorite Adam Lambert. Following his victory in the reality singing competition, he is expected to be signed to 19 Entertainment/Jive Records, which have always been the home for the Idol winners, to release a solo studio album.

Prior to hitting studio for his solo debut effort, Kris has a winning song called "No Boundaries". The single has been available for digital purchase one day after the Idol finale result show and has climbed to number 11 on Billboard Hot 100.

While many acclaimed producers such as Howard Benson and Lauren Christy have stepped out offering which direction Kris should take for his new record, Kris himself explains that the only thing he wants to do "is just be respected in the music industry." He also hopes to "turn [his Idol win] into a good thing: Pressure to make good music and get out there and work hard."

Tracing back his journey in the Idol, Kris is one of the finalists who received the least screen time. His appearance during the audition week was shown only for about several seconds. His Hollywood week solo performances were even not televised.

Though so, Kris is one of those receiving many compliments from the Idol judges throughout the reality singing competition. He was praised due to his folks-inspired interpretations of modern pop songs. In one of the show's episodes, he was called "engaging and kinda adorable/sexy" by judge Paula Abdul.

Kris was not always poured with positive words as his several performances failed to satisfy the judges. One of the unfavorable comments came from Randy Jackson who claimed that Kris got "pitchy from note one" when singing "Falling Slowly" by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova during Top 7 episode. He was also criticized by Simon Cowell who labeled his performance on Top 5 episode as "a little bit wet."

Post Idol, Kris visited several popular TV shows including "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and "Live with Regis and Kelly", for interviews and live appearances. As for the next project, he will hit the road for Top 10 "American Idol" summer tour which will be kicked off at Rose Garden in Portland on July 5.