With the Wednesday night (5/20) finale of "American Idol" in the books, Season 8 winner Kris Allen and runner-up Adam Lambert are off to new adventures.

The two will first team up with the eight other Top 10 contestants--Danny Gokey, Allison Iraheta, Annop Desai, Lil Rounds, Matt Giraud, Megan Joy, Michael Sarver and Scott MacIntyre--for " American Idols Live [ tickets ]," a summer arena tour that kicks off July 5 in Portland, OR.

Allen and Lambert will then focus on their solo careers, recording new albums that are projected to hit shelves late this year or in early 2010.

This year's final two contestants spoke to reporters on a conference call today (5/22) to discuss their experiences on the Fox-TV reality competition and their plans moving forward.

Lambert, widely considered the favorite to take the title with his flashy appearance, charismatic nature and consistently positive feedback from the judges, has no hard feelings about being named runner-up.

"I know it sounds cliche, but I really feel like I won by getting to the final [round]. To me it's not about the title of 'American Idol,' it was the experience. I was able to use 'American Idol' as a platform to get myself out there and now I have a career, so there's no need to dwell on the negative. I couldn't be happier for Kris. He's a good friend of mine and I think he's immensely talented."

Meanwhile, Kris Allen is just getting used to his new title of "American Idol."

"Adam deserved it just as much as I did," Allen explained. "He was the most consistent person all year. He's one of the most gifted performers that I've ever met and he's really just a great guy. We became great friends and we told each other that day, 'You deserve it,' and he shot it back at me. I think it could have gone either way."

Allen, a soft-spoken Arkansas native, realized preparation is key for this competition.

"For me, I've always been a procrastinator and on the show I felt like the times that I worked the hardest were the times that I did the best. I think the biggest thing that I've learned is that the harder you work for the thing that you love the most, then everything you want is going to come true."

Lambert, who as a stage actor recently appeared in the Los Angeles production of "Wicked," embraces his over-the-top onstage theatrics, which set him apart from Allen and the other contestants.

"It's all in the name of good entertainment. First and foremost, it is about the music, but it packages it in a little more of a flashier, more dynamic way, in my opinion. I think theatricality is just one way of performing. And I don't think it's a better way or the way, but it's my way."

The edgy rocker, whose weekly performances on the show ran the gamut from Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" to The Miracles' Motown classic "The Tracks of My Tears," isn't interested in committing to one genre for his debut album.

"We're at the drawing board right now. Obviously we want the album to have a cohesive sound, but I think it can be a collection of different styles with me at the center of it. Everybody knows who I am singing it, so that's the common thread."

Allen, however, won't give much away about his solo record, only that it will not follow in the footsteps of his duet with country star Keith Urban.

"I don't feel like I would go that country way. That's not my type of music and that's not the feeling that I want on my album, but we did have a great time together. He's a great guy and I respect him so much as an artist and musician."

The singer/songwriter and new 'Idol' is ready for the future, whatever it may bring.

"I think I've been getting ready for this all my life," Allen said. "I've done a lot of things in my life. I've been in a lot of places and life gets you ready for whatever's going to happen next. This has been a culmination of everything that I've already been through and, you know, I don't even know. I just think that everything's going to be great. I'm really excited."