McPheever set to strike fairgrounds

The nationwide outbreak of McPheever that accompanied Katharine McPhee’s run to second place in the 2006 season of “American Idol” has passed. Now she merely has tens of thousands of loyal fans.

Her popularity may have peaked in 2007 when her debut album hit No. 2 on the Billboard charts and she was voted No. 2 among FHM’s Sexiest Women in the World.

But her second album didn’t do too shabbily, either (it reached No. 27), and men still think she’s hot (AskMen.com ranked her at No. 43 last year). And McPhee is quite comfortable with her current level of popularity and success.

“I’ve had a love-hate relationship with the word success,” the 26-year-old singer said in a phone interview on Thursday. “You could never live up to the world’s view of success, so you have to define what it is to you. As far as staying in the limelight, the key is to create stuff people are interested in, stay loyal to your fan base and be persistent.

“Do you define certain (American) Idols who go to Broadway as unsuccessful just because they aren’t Carrie Underwood? I don’t even focus on it. I focus on what success is to me.”

McPhee, who will perform Sunday night at the state fair grandstand, has released two albums since her “Idol” turn. For “Unbroken,” released earlier this year, she made a conscious effort to include more original songs.

“My first record I wrote on as well, but the latest record is more personal,” McPhee said. “I wrote with amazing singer-songwriters that I personally look up to — Paula Cole, Rachael Yamagata and Ingrid Michaelson. It was a pleasure, and also a great step for me toward growing as an artist.”

McPhee is still sharpening her songwriting skills, but her ability to sing has rarely been questioned. Singing, of course, is what’s measured on “American Idol,” and it’s what McPhee loves best.

And for her third album, she’ll get back to those performance roots. “Christmas is the Time ... To Say I Love You” is tentatively scheduled for release in October.

“It’s been kind of a fast and furious thing,” said McPhee, who was driving to the recording studio as she gave the interview. “I’ve been traveling so much, so the time frame is very limiting and kind of choppy. Yet I’m amazed by how focused I’ve been in terms of what I want and don’t want on the album. My mom had me growing up on all the Great American Songbook songs, so I know the standards like the back of my hand. It’s what I do best in some ways. As an artist, I’m going to be most proud of this Christmas record. I’m in my zone.”

McPhee — the daughter of a voice teacher mom and an event producer dad — came close to being eliminated in early rounds of “American Idol,” but fans shouldn’t fret over how close she came to not having a music career. Certainly, her second-place finish gave her career a huge boost, but she says she’d be singing and recording even if she had been bumped off “Idol” early.

“When people ask me what I’d be doing without ‘Idol,’ I say I’d be doing the exact same thing,” McPhee said. “I don’t really feel like I have a choice. I feel like it’s what I was meant to do.”

Fans who like seeing McPhee as much as they like hearing her will be pleased to know that her passion extends to acting. She appeared in the 2008 movie “The House Bunny,” a 2009 episode of “CSI: NY” and several other films and episodes.

“It’s not something that’s just random,” McPhee said of her other creative outlet. “I grew up in L.A. pursuing acting long before ‘Idol.’ The roles are something I went out for and that I got, projects that I wanted to do. It’s taking up a lot of my time. I am fully pursuing acting.”

If you go:
Who: Katharine McPhee, with opening act Bomshel
When: 7:30 p.m. Sunday
Where: Missouri State Fair grandstand
Tickets: $15 (grandstand), $20 (track)
Websites: katharinemcphee.com, mostatefair.com.