Catching Up With Clay: Tour, Book, CD On Way

What is next for the singing sensation?

One year after he was named "American Idol" runner-up, Aiken is headlining his own concert. Over the next 2½ months, he will play to audiences in U.S. 52 cities.

"Everybody's having a good time. It's a fun show. It's a lot longer than the last one was, so there's a lot more entertainment packed in there.," he said.

The pop star is also packing in more projects, like a book due out in November. The memoir is titled, "Learning to Sing, Hearing the Music in Your Life."

"We address some great things that have happened and we address some things that I wish had not. Either way, the point is that despite how bad the music sounds, you can learn something from it," he said.

If that is not enough, Aiken is putting out a Christmas album in November, too.

He is also working on his second CD, which he hopes will come out early next year. Aiken says the music will be a little more uplifting than his first.

"It's not going to be like 'Kum Ba Ya' or anything, but it's a little more positive stuff mixed in there. I think it'll be a little more of an eclectic mix, a microcosm of who I am," he said.

Aiken's life has been flipped upside down. Is he happy?

"Of course, there are still times when I'd like to have some time off and that doesn't really happen, but for the most part I'm happy. I'm enjoying something I love to do," he said.

Aiken performs at the Greensboro Coliseum Friday night.

His next performance in Raleigh is scheduled for Oct. 18 at the

North Carolina State Fair

.