By JOY FANG

THINGS have changed dramatically on American Idol since Kris Allen took the No. 1 spot on the reality singing contest last year.

Following his win, judge Paula Abdul quit the show, and has been replaced by comedienne Ellen DeGeneres. Judge Simon Cowell will leave after this season wraps as well.

But ask Allen - who spoke to my paper from Los Angeles on Wednesday morning - what he thinks of the developments, and he tells you that he doesn't think the show will suffer for losing Cowell.

"Obviously, people tune in to see what Simon is going to say. I think they're gonna miss that... (but) the people who run that show know exactly what they are doing, and without Simon there, they'll find some way to pull people in," says the 24-year-old, who will play a show on Feb 10 at Zirca Mega Club.

But, in his opinion, DeGeneres will "give Simon a run for his money - she's gonna put him in his place".

"She's just a great personality, and a cool person," he says.

He would know - he appeared on her show after his Idol win.

Talk turns to how Allen is compared constantly to the show's decidedly more flashy runner-up, Adam Lambert (that wayward former theatre singer who's also known as Glambert).

He swats aside cheeky attempts to get him riled about the issue with the calm bearing of a Zen monk.

"I'm not trying to be like Adam and he's not trying to be like me," he says.

Ask him about how he's reacted to reviews of his album - most of which have called his music, to put it politely, "safe" - and he says placidly: "I try not to read the reviews."

He adds: "I mean, if people like it, they like it, if they don't, they don't."

His self-titled debut album was released a week before Lambert's last year, and it hit No. 11 on Billboard charts. An impressive feat, unless you consider that Lambert's For Your Entertainment made it to No. 3 on the charts.

According to USA Today, Allen's sales stand at 245,000 copies sold in the United States, compared to Lambert's at 477,000.

Still, Allen - the Arkansas native who married his girlfriend of seven years in 2008 - isn't letting any rivalry affect his friendship with Lambert.

He says he and Lambert, who were roommates during Idol's run, still "text all the time".

That's despite the fact that there was turmoil surrounding Allen's win. Many, Cowell reportedly included, thought that Lambert should have won, as he is seen as more creative and cutting- edge than Allen.

But Allen - who earned praise for his folksy renditions of songs like Kanye West's Heartless on the show - shrugs that off too.

"We're completely different artistes," he says.

And what can the Singapore audience expect from this all-round nice boy from his first concert here?

"I think (my band and I) are going to go out there and do our best, and just have a good time," he says pleasantly.

Just like we would at a wholesome all-American picnic. How nice that sounds.

joyfang@sph.com.sg

Kris Allen will perform at Zirca Mega Club on Feb 10 at 8pm. The minimum age for entry is 16. Tickets cost $99. To book, visit www.tickets.com (tel: 6296-2929).

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