Singer not competing with 'Glee'

Actor Matthew Morrison plays Will Schuester on the Fox series 'Glee.'

NEW YORK -- Matthew Morrison's first single isn't igniting the charts like the songs from Glee, the hit show he plays a teacher on, but the 32-year-old actor-singer says he's not trying to compete with its musical success.

"I know going into this that that won't be possible," Morrison said. "I just want to do the best I can and just continue the growth."

Morrison's single, the pop tune "Summer Rain," was released in early March; it's No. 27 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. Last week he released his duet with Gwyneth Paltrow -- a cover of "Over the Rainbow" -- and this week he dropped his duet with Elton John, "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters/Rocket Man." Morrison said there will be a "big unveiling" of one more star-studded duet.

His self-titled debut is out May 10. He said the first single isn't a reflection of his entire album.

"The single is fantastic and I love it, but I wouldn't classify that as my sound," he said. "There's a lot of really kind of deeper songs [on the album] and I felt like if I started with one of those, I couldn't go to a more poppy place later."

On Glee, Morrison stars as Will Schuester, Spanish teacher and glee club coach.

He said the album's most personal song is "My Name," about the duality of his Glee character and his real self. "I walk down the street and people are like, 'Hey, it's Mr. Schu' or 'It's the guy from Glee,' and no one really knows my name," he said. "You're in people's living rooms every single week and they feel like they know that character and they think that's who you are."