‘American Idol’ notes: Phillip Phillips’ new single, Kree Harrison, Carrie Underwood

As radio airplay junkies, we’re thrilled to start off this “American Idol” notes article with a Phillip Phillips announcement: We now know the name of the next single that Phillip is sending to radio from “The World From the Side of the Moon.”

So what is it? How about “Where We Came From”?! This is a song that we campaigned for to be the second single over “Gone, Gone, Gone” mostly because we personally find it a little bit catchier, and it also shows off more of his songwriting ability. This is the first single Phillip has released that he has a writing credit on, and there is a message in here that is especially endearing when you remember that he is a guy who found fame for himself on a singing competition, where it is pretty easy to lose track of your identity and your history in the midst of all the fame and noise.

Overall, Phillip’s album has come close to a million albums sold, and he’ll easily have passed that number in the months ahead as he gets set for a tour this summer with John Mayer.

Kree Harrison’s future – Citing a report from HITS Daily Double, Mjsbigblog has a pretty fascinating post up today about the future of the show’s runner-up, who could end up becoming the first-ever artist in second place on the show to not be signed to a record contract after the fact. Thus far, she has been passed on by UMG’s Mike Dungan, as he had the first right thanks to the label’s relationship to the show and 19 Entertainment.

Does this mean that Kree will struggle to get music out? Hardly. She’s already working in the studio, and in some ways, not being forced into a deal could be a positive. Her status now allows her to take her time making an album that is truly hers, where she can work more on songwriting. It’s not easy being a female country singer in a world dominated by men, so all we can do right now is wish her good luck.

Carrie’s cover – Finally, we turn to a woman who has been able to make it in country music, and the new cover for Carrie Underwood’s “Blown Away” tour DVD. This tour will be made available on Tuesday, August 13, in stores and online. Carrie made millions of dollars going all across the United States and Canada performing over the past year, as she clearly understands one of the most-valuable rules of all for a country artist: You live based off of what you are able to do on the road.

Want some more “American Idol” news on Adam Lambert and others? Just be sure to check out the story over at the link here.

Photo: Interscope, Arista