Chapel Hill native Anoop Desai's "American Idol" run ended Wednesday when he was voted off the show. But his music career will continue.

In a conference call with reporters from around the country, Desai said he won't be returning to graduate school at UNC but will instead record a pop R&B album.

He says he'll be back in Chapel Hill in a couple of weeks.

What did you learn from your experience while you were on the show?

Desai: What I've really learned is how to learn from my mistakes and how to bounce back from them.

You were in grad school before you came on the show. Did you have any plans to go back to school, or do you think you're going to pursue a music career?

Desai: I'm definitely going to pursue a music career. If I learned nothing else from this experience, it is that singing is what I am the happiest doing. I think it's what I do the best. So, I'm definitely looking forward to releasing that pop R&B album.

How about a message to all the fans out there?

Desai: My fans especially have been so supportive. They're strategic; they're loving; they're kind. They really do care about me, not just about my music.

When are you coming back (to Chapel Hill), and what do you want to do when you get back?

Desai: I'm coming back whenever we finish press and all that stuff. I think it might be in about a week. What do I want to do when I get back? I want to sit on the couch. I want to wake up at noon. Then, I want to go get a Sunrise Biscuit.

I wanted to flash back to the best day of your life, which was the NCAA Championship game. It was the night before you guys had a show. Did you find a place to watch it?

Desai: I was watching it at the mansion. It was really important for me to watch the game. I knew that I wasn't going home that week because the Heels pulled it out.

Are there any songs you didn't get to sing on Idol that you'd like to sing when you go on tour?

Desai: There are a bunch of wish list songs, most of which are all Stevie Wonder songs because, as I said before, he's my idol. I wanted to do "All Is Fair In Love" for Motown week because I think it's the most beautiful song ever written.

Of all the contestants, it seemed to me that you were really the one who had the strongest link to your hometown. You mentioned Eve Carson at one point, the basketball championship, and you said you were looking forward to coming back to Chapel Hill. Why do you think that is?

Desai: I have such a connection to this place, I think, because of the people. My best friends, I made in Chapel Hill. The best experiences of my life, aside from "Idol," have been in Chapel Hill. I love just the aura of our town. I also wanted to make Chapel Hill proud. That was in large part a reason for me auditioning for the show.

Compiled from a Fox transcript by correspondent Colin Campbell