“I found that my best motivation has been a chip on the shoulder.”

They told him he couldn’t, and he proved them wrong. David Cook won the hearts of millions on ‘American Idol’ by straying from standard bubblegum pop, and staying true to his rock roots. Now, the Missouri-bred former bartender-turned-reality-show-winner finally gets his rockstar status, as he releases his debut self-titled album.

AOL Music caught up with Cook after his electrifying Sessions performance to talk about his new music, the other David, crazy tabloid rumors and his sex symbol status.

You’ve said that people are going to be surprised by this record. How so?

Everybody associated with the record really allowed me the creative freedom to try different things. So the end result is a very eclectic rock record that’s still cohesive as an album. It’s exciting, because from the time I started playing in bands, the sounds that I’ve played have evolved, and I feel like this record is a nice definition not only of the last year of my life, but the last 25.

Was there any pressure to cut pop-friendly songs?

No. What worked for me on ['American Idol'] was that I was able to take these pop songs and make them fit some level of rock mythos. I don’t feel like I misrepresented myself on the show to where I would have had to make a pop record. But if by pop you mean popular, then I hope that the record is just that.

What ran through your mind when you heard Chris Cornell had a song (’Light On’) for you?

I had to try and step back and not be a Chris Cornell fan for a second, because I wanted to be unbiased and analytical with the song. The good news is that it’s an amazing song. It has a message of this love amidst distance, and I think everybody can relate to that on some level. It’s just a real easy song for me to internalize, and I went on gut instinct with it — kind of like I did on the show. If a song grabs me in the first 30 to 45 seconds, it’s a song I need to be doing.

What is the most personal song on the album?

Probably ‘Permanent.’ I knew that the record was lacking this kind of bare, honest, naked song, and so I was writing with Raine Maida and his wife, Chantal. Chantal played this really beautiful piano melody and it immediately struck me — I want this to be a piano lullaby to my older brother, who’s been battling a brain tumor for a long time. I ended up writing the lyrics while we were recording another song. I didn’t allow myself to be metaphorical or be anything other than, “This is the exact thought that I’m thinking, and I’m going to put it on paper and leave it alone.” The end result was ‘Permanent.’ So we tracked it in a studio with a 15-piece string orchestra, a piano and me on vocals, and somehow we managed to tune into the vibe of the song. Rob [Cavallo] was crying, my aunt was crying, I was crying, of course, because I do that all the time! [laughs] It was just one of those really emotional moments.

How’s your brother doing?

My brother’s good. We’ve been very fortunate as a family to get quite a bit of good news pertaining to his illness while I was on tour. Knock on wood, hopefully it’s all good news ahead.

You’ve been very active in cancer charities since your brother was diagnosed.

I’ve been given this amazing opportunity to say things and have people listen. I just feel like there are things way more important than me playing a guitar and putting out a record. And while I’m absolutely excited and gracious about what lies ahead, I would rather see my brother alive and well than go platinum.

Do you miss anything about your anonymity?

There are times when I miss being able to not have to worry about what to say or how to act. Just being a carefree human being. But having to worry about those things is just part of the deal. I get to do what I want to do for a living, which is to play music and hopefully have a lot of people listen. So I miss it, but not enough to want to change it.

Have any old friends or relatives come out of the woodwork since ‘Idol’?

Not really, no. I have my friends, and they’ve remained my friends throughout the whole thing. I don’t really have to worry about it, because they’ll call me on my B.S. before anybody else will.

Besides winning, what was your proudest ‘Idol’ moment?

Probably the tour. I got to go home and play two nights in Kansas City, and I believe we sold out both nights. While I’m singing these songs, I can point out people in the audience I grew up with. And there was a vindicating feeling there, because I think every musician can say at some point, it was like, “You’re never going to make it. You should do something else.” And I found that my best motivation has been a chip on the shoulder.

Who do you think is the most underrated ‘Idol’ contestant and who’s the most overrated?

I can really only speak for my season — I would say the most underrated was Carly [Smithson]. She has a monster voice, and I felt like there were some weeks I was like, “Wait, what are they hearing?” And it was really that way with everybody. I remember Syesha [Mercado] did a performance one week, and I was absolutely blown away, and the judges were kind of lukewarm about it. I was backstage just like, “We’re hearing something different. We have to be!” So underrated — Carly and Syesha. Overrated — I’m not touching that one! [laughs]

OK, so how about your opinion on the fact that more people voted in the Season 7 ‘Idol’ finale than they did in the 2004 presidential election?

On the one hand, that’s pretty rad. On the other hand, you’d obviously like that to not be the case in this election. 56 million votes is a lot. I remember hearing that number and just thinking, “My mom must have called 55 million times or something!” Theater of the absurd, I guess.

You’ve remained good friends with your ‘Idol’ runner-up, David Archuleta. What’s one thing about him that fans might not know?

Archie sings everything. Like, if you make any reference that could be turned into a song … You can say anything like, “I need a sandwich,” and he’ll think of some song that incorporates the phrase, “I need a sandwich,” and he’ll sing it.

So does he sing his orders at fast food drive-ins?

Yeah! [laughs] He’ll be the guy that’s like, (singing) “2 beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, pickles on a …” He’ll be that guy every time.

So what would ‘Archie’ say is something about you fans might not know?

I bite my fingernails. It’s pretty gnarly. I chew them down.

That revelation may ruin your sex symbol status. Have you gotten used to that yet?

No! [laughs] I get more of a kick out of playing video games than making sure my hair is in the right place. If people want to say it, great, I’m absolutely flattered. But I don’t think you’re going to see me rocking any “Blue Steel” looks into the camera anytime soon.

Have any of the Cougars for Cook gotten out of hand?

We got into New York, and we’re outside waiting on a car, and this woman in her 50s comes up to me and says, “I have to give you a hug!” And she hugged me, but not in a creepy fashion. I think there was this weird juxtaposition of some sort of celebrity status, but on the flip, I’ve become this accessible person to these people because of ‘Idol.’ These people know things about me I wasn’t 100 percent sure I knew about myself at the time. And so the “celebrity barrier,” if you will, is kind of non-existent for me, and it’s great. I actually love it, because I get to feel like a normal person as opposed to feeling like a butterfly under glass.

Have you read anything about yourself in the tabloids that was off the wall?

Two things actually — one while I was still on the show. Some news organization reported that I died. I went to the hospital during Dolly Parton week for some blood pressure issues — purely a precaution. But some family members heard that I died. But as you can see, I’m alive and well. And then the other one was the National Enquirer, which said that I was shopping at high-end Hollywood boutiques, and that I’m so full of myself that I refused to close the curtains while I was changing. I’m not taking my shirt off for anybody anytime soon.

Explain to us exactly what ‘Mr. Jaguar’ is.

Oh no! [laughs] OK, Mr. Jaguar is, for lack of a better word, a male beauty pageant that my high school puts on every year. And I was fortunate enough to win it in 2001. So, if you walk into my home, side by side you will see my ‘American Idol’ plaque and my Mr. Jaguar trophy. [laughs] This is all a joke, by the way.

You can watch the video performances here.