Season 8 finalist Anoop Desai has been touring around the country with the Top 10 Idols this summer. With only two weeks of concerts left, Anoop opened up to AmericanIdol.com about his future, his fans, and southern barbecue.

Even after performing nearly 40 times while on tour, Anoop said, “I still get a rush from performing.” His favorite thing about being on tour is “being up on the stage and singing every night.” Although he will miss that nightly rush when the tour is over, Anoop said he is “eager to get back home.”

As eager as Anoop is to return to his home in North Carolina, he will only be there for two weeks. Anoop will be moving to Los Angeles to work on getting a record deal, partake in meetings, and work on recordings. “I hope something will come out of my move to L.A. It’s the place to be.”

During Anoop’s audition for American Idol, he talked with the judges aboutthe thesis he wrote on Southern Barbecue. Now having traveled around America on tour with the Idols, Anoop shared, “I had barbecue in St. Louis, Kansas City, and Memphis, but I’ll always be partial to North Carolina’s barbecue.”

In previous interviews, Anoop named recording artist Ne-Yo as one of his music inspirations. During his set on tour, Anoop sings “Mad” by Ne-Yo. “It’s been cool to sing a Ne-Yo song, but it’s also a challenge to make it new and to make it my own. Surprisingly, a lot of people don’t know … read more