2006 "American Idol" winner Taylor Hicks has split with Arista, which released his self-titled major-label debut in late '06. The set has sold 699,000 units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

"Taylor is going to record on his own for the next album," says a source close to the situation, who declined further comment.

Hicks told Billboard last year that he had signed a three-album deal with the label following his "Idol" victory, and that "We all knew what we were getting into when we signed the contracts."

"Everybody signs the deal at the top 24 period," he said. "You know, by that point, you take anything you can get. That's the way I've always been. I've tried to hustle gigs my whole life, and I'm still hustling gigs, believe it or not."

The artist, whose inspirational memoir, "Heart Full of Soul," was released last July, added, "You could write a pretty good book" on the intricacies of the contracts "Idol" contestants sign.

In a post on his MySpace.com site just before Christmas, Hicks said he was planning on releasing a new album and DVD in 2008, as well as touring, but did not provide further details.