Since the beginning of the year, the former "American Idol" contestant, pop hitmaker and Broadway star has spent exactly one night in his own bed. It was a couple of weeks ago, when he flew down from New York on his day off, just to see home for one evening.

So after he finishes promotional duties for his new album, "On My Way Here," which comes out Tuesday, Aiken, 29, plans to spend the summer in the Triangle. Touring will have to wait.

"I'm going to enjoy the backyard a little bit," he says on the phone from New York.

The last few months have been extremely busy for Aiken, as he just finished a 15-week run in the role of Sir Robin in Broadway's "Spamalot." He spent his days in the studio working on the album and his evenings at the theater.

"On My Way Here" is Aiken's first album of original material since 2003's "Measure of a Man." It's also the first album in which his label, RCA, gave him control over which songs to sing.

"Measure," which included the hit "Invisible," featured poppy songs intended for top-40 radio. This time around, the self-described "Barry Manilow II" chose songs he felt were a better fit. The title track is a mellow yet contemporary song that would fit the play-lists of stations such as WRAL-FM.

The album features eclectic sounds, he said, from pop to a bit of R&B, as well as a couple of songs with big string parts, which he called "almost orchestral."

But lyrically they have a common thread. Aiken chose songs that he thought people could relate to.

"I wanted to find songs that, lyrically, could be universal," he says.

A certain freedom comes with choosing his own songs, but it brings some responsibility as well. Aiken, though, doesn't feel any added pressure.

"The truth is, if this does beautifully, excellent. If it doesn't, at least I can't blame anyone else."

Anyone else, say, like the record company.

"They've always tried to fit a square peg into a round hole with me. This time they said, you know what, 'just let him do what he wants to do.'"

He believes it worked.

"We finally put a square peg into a square hole, because we were allowed to do what we felt most comfortable doing."

Wait. Has Clay Aiken admitted that he's square?

He burst into laughter.

"Have I ever said anything different?"