Gavin DeGraw explores a "Sweeter," sexier side

(CBS) Gavin DeGraw released his third studio album, "Sweeter," just last September, but already the singer-songwriter is plotting his next release.

The New York native told CBSNews.com he hopes to release another album sooner rather than later.

"Ideally, you always want to be able to put out a record every six months or 10 months," he said. "But it would be rough because you spend so much time on the road, getting that album out there, that you need a significant amount of time to get your writing done in that specific amount of time."

For now, DeGraw, 35, is busy touring behind "Sweeter," which features the platinum single "Not Over You," co-written with OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder. When the pair got together to write the track in Tedder's "underground studio" in Denver, Colo., it all came together very quickly.

"We went through some ideas and a few minutes later, we had the chorus written," DeGraw said.

"We found that theme that people can relate to," DeGraw said referring to "Not Over You," a song about love and relationships. "We really felt like we had the right spark for the flame."

And the spark worked.

"We played it for a couple of people and they freaked out," DeGraw recalled about introducing the demo to music execs.

DeGraw is now looking to the next single - possibly the title track, a song he thinks is a good representation of the entire album. With its throwback yet modern vibe, DeGraw strove for something a little sexier with the song.

"You want something that's kind of sexy, but as a man, you don't want it to be like wimpy-sexy," he said. "You want it to be tough-sexy. I'm trying to find that fine line."

But it's not that DeGraw hasn't tackled "sexy" before.

"I was always making songs that were pretty intimate," he said. "There were a few songs that I think kind of had that -- 'In Love With a Girl' but I wanted to go a little bit further."

Regardless of what kind of vibe the song has, DeGraw's music is always personal.

"Every time you write a song, you try to think about a chapter in your life or the story of a buddy of yours told you," he said.

DeGraw is currently playing the new material for fans in concert, recently wrapping up a European tour and now gearing up for another U.S. leg, set to kick off March 8 in Lexington, Ky. While on the road (and off), DeGraw hopes to keep the good vibes going.

"I feel like I'm really hitting my stride on this one and I don't want to miss a step on the next record," he said. "I really want to set this thing up correctly again if I can."