Two months after the announcement of his divorce to wife Surata Zuri McCants, Ruben Studdard is back on the market and gearing up for the March 13 release of his fifth studio album, Letters from Birmingham .

In a candid interview with The Huffington Post, the "American Idol" Season 2 winner opens up about his album, his divorce, the state of today's singing competition shows and why he doesn't see himself as a spokesman for health and wellness.

What's the concept behind the album's title, Letters from Birmingham?

Me and one of the writers of the album were going through the airport in Atlanta and they have this historical display in each of the concourses. So in one of the concourses they have a Martin Luther King exhibit, but they also have a transcript of the letters from a Birmingham jail. And I remember it just instantly hit me like, That would be a great thing for an album. This album is really a reflection of life for me. And it's also a thought-provoking title like, "I wonder what Ruben is talking about on this album."

And then also Birmingham is the place where I garnered a lot of my support. My hometown was always behind me. Whether I was wearing the 205 jersey or whether it was the No. 1 state for votes while I was on "American Idol." They really supported me and I just wanted to kind of do something to draw them back in to let people know that I'm still proud of where I'm from. I want to do all that I can to continue to put Birmingham on the map. So it's important for me to find ways to incorporate the little things about who I am in every album.

The album's lead single, "June 28th," dives into your personal life a bit. Can you elaborate on the song's lyrics?

The song is kind of self-explanatory. In life we all go through different situations that cause you to reflect. I had the opportunity to be married to a wonderful person. And for some reason two good people couldn't make a good thing work. But in life, the one thing that I love about being an artist is that you can sometimes use the pain that you go through to make beautiful things. And I think that's what "June 28th" is really about.

How personal would you consider this album to be in comparison to your previous efforts?

I think it will be my most personal album. Because the first album I was just getting songs from everybody because, of course, I was on tour with "American Idol" and I really didn't have the opportunity to be as involved as I wanted to be in the album. And with this album I was able to pour my heart out into the songs. And also I'm 33 years old. I'm not the same cat that I was when I first came out. So I feel a lot different about stuff. There are a lot of sexy songs on there; it's just a real R&B album from top to bottom.

Source: The Huffington Post | Brennan Williams