MANILA, Philippines - Although Chris Daughtry?s band carries his hame, he insists he?s just part of it and everything that people see onstage is the result of a collective effort.

The band is pretty interesting because it has, among its members, bassist Josh Paul who played with the thrash metal group Suicidal Tendencies. Another member, drummer Joey Barnes, sang with another band called Suicide Darlings.

?Idol? alumnus

But fans? attention is naturally focused on Chris, the lead vocalist and songwriter who first came to prominence as the fourth-placer in Season 5 of ?American Idol? (2006).

Formed right after he left ?Idol,? Daughtry?s self-titled debut album was released on Nov. 21, 2006. It became No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for two weeks and outsold ?Idol? winner Taylor Hicks? debut effort.

Crossing formats

The album proceeded to sell more than four million copies and was named ?Number One Selling Album of 2007 by Billboard. It was also the fastest-selling debut rock album in (the music sales information system) Soundscan history. The first single off the album, ?It?s Not Over,? was the eighth most played song across all formats on US radio in 2007, and the second single from the album, ?Home,? was the 10th most played song in the US in the same year.

Below are excerpts from a phone interview with Chris himself, a few days before coming to the Philippines for the band?s concert in Eastwood City tomorrow.

Describe your relationship and the dynamics of the band. Who really calls the shots?
It?s a typical band in the sense that whatever happens onstage is a group effort.

What was it like to go to Africa and be part of ?Idol Gives Back??
It was an eye-opener. It was something you can?t really appreciate, no matter many times you see it on TV, you won?t get to understand what?s going on there until you see it with your own eyes.

You once said that not winning ?Idol? gave you more credibility as a rocker. Do you still believe that?
It just worked out better for me because I?ve been in a band all my life. For me, it was never interesting to be a solo artist. That was never the route I wanted to take.

You were able to go home to your family in May. How often do you see them and how do you spend time with each other? How have your wife and kids adjusted to your rock-star lifestyle?
They?re mostly at home but there are times when it works out in the summertime. Yeah, we just had a month-and-a-half break to be able to stay home. I also got to see them last week.

Has the record label (RCA) taken the band in the direction you?ve envisioned for yourself? What areas of your career do you think still needs improvement?
So far the label has been very supportive of everything we?ve turned in. We?ll see what happens with the next record. But we?re very proud of the last one, and what we?re working on now.

What?s the most memorable experience you've had since touring in 2007?
There?s been a lot... We went on tour with Bon Jovi, Nickelback, and we did our own tour. It?s all been a great ride for us... One good thing after another...

What was it like to tour with Bon Jovi?
Singing with Jon Bon Jovi every night was definitely cool for me... We played ?Blaze of Glory? every night... it was so cool.

You have four stops in Asia in July. What can fans expect from the shows?
We?re gonna give them everything we give our US fans... Just a loud rock show... Never a dull moment.