Season 8 winner Kris Allen released his new album, Thank You Camellia today. His new album delivers on everything his fans love him for and more. The album is a showcase for the easy, lived-in richness of Kris’ voice as well as his knack for crafting hook-filled pop melodies and writing heartfelt lyrics that explore the ups and downs of love. These talents were very much on display on Kris’ 2009 self-titled debut album, which featured the 1.7 million-selling hit single “Live Like We’re Dying” and was released a few months after the Arkansas native won the eighth season of American Idol. For Thank You Camellia, Kris has cranked everything up a notch by co-writing every song and being heavily involved throughout each stage of the writing, recording, and production process. Listen to tracks from his new album here!

With the subject of love as his starting point, Kris dug deep to traverse the emotional terrain of his relationships and emerged with a batch of songs that felt true to his experience. “Out Alive,” “My Weakness,” and “Better With You” celebrate the spirit of fighting for what is good, while “Teach Me How Love Goes” and “Leave You Alone” find him sorting through the wreckage when it’s not.

“Love is the one thing that I know and the one thing I don’t know,” he says. “I know how to love. I know how to love my family, I know how to love my wife, I … read more