Blake Lewis, runner-up of the latest "American Idol" competition, performs on the NBC "Today" television program in New York's Rockefeller Center, Thursday May 31, 2007. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Blake Lewis wants to be known as an artist and not just an "Idol" — or, more accurately, an "American Idol" runner-up.

The 26-year-old Washington state native, who finished second to Jordin Sparks on the "Idol" sixth-season finale in May, takes great pride in being able to say, "I'm the first person, really, to have creative control coming off of American Idol' and making his own album." That includes co-writing 12 of the 13 tracks for his debut, "Audio Day Dream," due Dec. 4 on 19 Entertainment/Arista.

Lewis worked on the set's first single, "Break Anotha," and "Gots to Get Her," which is based on Irving Berlin's "Puttin' on the Ritz." He also created specialized intros and outros for the songs.

"Being on American Idol' was the lottery ticket," Lewis says. "It's one of the most amazing experiences I'll never have again ever in my life. I'm not a big fan of television at all, but it's an amazing way of communicating with people. I tell people that all I was put on this earth to do is communicate my art to people, and what better way to do that than on American Idol.' "

RCA Music Group senior VP Aaron Borns says Lewis' gregarious, high-energy presence on the show resulted in a recognition that will give "Audio Day Dream" a leg up — which is crucial, given its late-fourth-quarter release.

"With the type of demographic Blake appeals to — younger pop consumers — we were able to seed as much as possible out online and spread as much information into the marketplace even before the record was finished," Borns says. That included a SayNow campaign for "Break Anotha" that debuted the single Oct. 29 via a cell phone fan-out to Blakeheads who registered for the promotion. They received a taped message from Lewis and a chance to hear the song before it was serviced to radio.

"That was a really fun way to do it and continue to engage the fans in something that sort of rewards them for their fandom," says Borns, who adds that a couple of thousand people took part in the initiative. "They feel like they're right in there with him all the way through the process."

Borns says Lewis will make TV appearances throughout December, including on MTV's "TRL" and Fuse, as well as "a real aggressive sweep of major-market radio shows." The label is planning an equally heavy Internet advertising blitz along with special editions of the album for iTunes and Wal-Mart — the latter of which will feature a 17-minute video special about Lewis' career and the making of "Audio Day Dream."

Borns also expects Lewis to engage in some guerrilla-style marketing to help promote the album. "He's a young guy that likes spending time on the Internet and communicating with fans, posting videos on his Web site, all those things," Borns says. "He's all about sharing the process with his fans."

Lewis, meanwhile, says the most fun he has is making the music. "Audio Day Dream," he says, was "a blast" that allowed him to work with a "dream team." It included good pal Ryan "Alias" Tedder of red hot band OneRepublic, who worked on eight of the tracks, as well as J.R. Rotem, BT, Mike Elizondo, David Hodges and S A M & Sluggo. Fellow "Idol" finalist Chris Richardson co-wrote the song "What'cha Got 2 Lose?" with Lewis and Rotem, and Lupe Fiasco guests on "Know My Name."

"I don't want to be put in a box," Lewis says. "If there's any box I could be put in, it's pop music. The surprise is that hopefully, it's an album you've never heard before, but it's very pop and mainstream. I just go with my gut feeling and my instincts and intuition. I did that on the show, and that's how I approached the album, too."