Aiken says album marks new chapter in life

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He says he’s grateful for the opportunities the show has given him, but admits that singing isn’t his dream job.

“I always thought I’d be a teacher and I still miss that to some extent,” says Aiken, who taught kids with disabilities before trying out for “Idol.” “I still have friends who teach and when they tell me about kids in their classes, I get kind of jealous.”

Fame has its downside, too. Aiken has been the target of speculation about his sexuality. Tabloid reports earlier this year suggested he had a gay affair. Aiken has never directly addressed the rumors.

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He says talk about his sexual orientation used to bother him, he says, but now he shrugs it off.

“The people who know me, know me,” he says. “I don’t really feel like I have anybody to answer to but myself and God and the people I love.”

Aiken keeps himself grounded by living in his hometown of Raleigh, N.C., where status and celebrity “don’t matter.”

He doesn’t have any grand goals for his career other than to “do stuff that I like singing and other people like hearing,” he says. Still, he doesn’t know what’s next.

“Being open and trying new things has always been the policy for me,” he says. “Maybe we’ll do an album of all original stuff, maybe we’ll find another concept and try to wrap great hit songs around another concept. Maybe we’ll do all Bulgarian hymns.”

For now, he’s concentrating on the new record and his plans to support it with a tour in the new year. But will young fans respond to its slow, crooning style?

Executive producer Jaymes Foster says yes.

“You can’t deny great songs,” she says. “These songs have already proven to be No. 1 hit songs.”

Besides, Aiken adds, love is a universal concept that fans of all ages can relate to.

But he’s quick to point out that the album wasn’t inspired by any personal love affairs: “It was inspired by Clive Davis totally.”

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