A talk with American Idol, Phil Stacey

Phil StaceyChris Daughtry isn't the only idol to perform here at Riverbend this year, Nordia.

A finalist from last season, and a graduate of nearby Lee University, Phil Stacey will open up for Jars of Clay tonight by singing the national anthem.

Stacey took time earlier today to catch us up on what life has been like for him, since his run on American Idol.

American Idol finalist Phil Stacy says life has been non-stop since making the top ten on American Idol...

Cleveland's hometown favorite has came home to resume his career in the navy.

1733 "...They encouraged me to do my audition, they supported me through the whole thing, they're sending me on the tour. My first priority was to get back, and resume my post as a United States sailor."1753

But, Stacy's idol days aren't over yet.

The singer is about to embark on a five-month American Idol tour.

And, he hopes to fulfill his dream to record his own album this year.

1842 "...I think, I write and sign honest music, music that I feel in my heart, and, I think, if you pick a Phil Stacy CD up, it'll probably be in the country music section."1855

Stacy's grateful for all the support he's gotten from his many fans in the area, especially at Lee University, where he graduated just a few years ago.

523 "everywhere we go now, people want to stop us, they want to talk to us, and it just means the world, it means there was a connection made between that person and ourselves. It's just been really cool, because, we feel like we have just a huge amount of new friends."1540

While he hopes those fans will still be around when he does put out that first album, he says it's not the most important thing he takes with him from the Idol experience.

1943 "we did an event called Idol Gives Back. We raised somewhere near 100 million dollars, just in fighting poverty. And, I think what we raised more than anything else was awareness. That poverty is an issue that's killing children all over the world, it's hurting families across the United States, and we have the power if we join together we can beat poverty."2004

Stacy vows to do what he can, no matter where his career takes him.

From Riverbend, Rebecca Cruz, WDEF, News 12.

You can see the entire Phil Stacey interview under Extra Coverage.