After three years of solid success, Chris Daughtry is at the point in his career where he is approached by aspiring rockers looking for career advice.

Daughtry says he has no idea what to tell them.

“It’s weird,” he says. “I don’t view myself in that way at all. I want to live up to that for them. I don’t want them to ask me for the secret of life and I give an answer and they say, ‘Oh, that’s it? I expected way more from you.’ ”

Not likely.

Fans of the down-to-earth Daughtry aren’t likely to expect him to gas on about the secret of life.

Or the secret of anything, for that matter.

Daughtry is a straight-talker.

He will bring his eponymous band to Memorial Coliseum on Monday.

His career has frustrated everyone’s predictions but his own.

Shortly before he exited “American Idol” in 2006 as a fourth-place finalist, Daughtry turned down an offer from the well-established band Fuel to become its lead singer.

Many pundits branded this a foolish move.

Eight months later, his first solo album became the fastest-selling debut rock album in history.

Asked whether he ever second-guessed himself about his Fuel decision, Daughtry has a simple answer: “Nope.”

Daughtry’s follow-up album, “Leave This Town,” was released in July. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Comprehensive Albums and Top 200 charts.

Daughtry says he and his band mates just strove to “write the best songs we could.”

“We had great songs on the last record,” he says. “But we really wanted to trump ourselves.”

This tour happens at a time when some people who badly want to attend Daughtry’s concert might not think they can afford tickets to a big rock show.

That’s why Daughtry says he insisted that the top ticket price be capped at $40.

“I mean, we have to pay our bills, but I don’t want this band to be known as one that gouges.”

Despite the bargain pricing, no expense was spared in creating the stage show, Daughtry says.

“It’s loud,” he says. “It’s arena rock. There’s fire. There’s a whole big light show. It’s incredible.”

2009 has been an interesting year for Daughtry and his band mates.

Not only did they get to share a stage recently with Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry and former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, but they had more surprising collaborations with country singer Vince Gill and rapper Timbaland.

In this day and age, Daughtry says, musical genres are not so well defined that they keep certain artists apart.

“I attribute it to artists respecting other artists, respecting what they do,” he says. “It’s a cool thing when you get two totally opposite ends of the spectrum coming together. A lot of that is going on.”

Daughtry doesn’t have many complaints about the past three years, but he acknowledges that the loss of privacy that comes with celebrity can be difficult.

“It’s just one of those things that comes with the territory,” he says. “We live with it. We deal with it. It’s a small price to pay.

“But it does make you scared for your kids and your wife when you’re not there. Little things like that. You never know what’s going to happen.”

As a genuine rather than a professed family man, Daughtry is ignored by the tabloids and bad press is not a problem for him.

But he did catch a little flack in January 2008 when Rolling Stone magazine quoted him as saying about “American Idol”: “I feel like it’s definitely lacking some credibility at this point. … It’s in a state of decline and if they don’t do something about it, it’s probably not gonna last too much longer. I’m sure that’ll be used against me, but that’s the truth, you know?”

Among the people who reacted testily to the quote was “Idol” judge Randy Jackson.

Daughtry apologized for the quote on his Web site, but he says it was another “Idol” judge who put things into perspective for him.

“I remember Simon Cowell calling me and saying, ‘Don’t apologize for giving your opinion.’ I certainly have nothing against the show. It certainly got way more interesting in the past couple of years.”

Daughtry says he’s sorry to see longtime judge Paula Abdul depart, but he is a big fan of her replacement: Ellen DeGeneres.

“She’ll directly reflect the opinion of the general public,” he says. “She’s such a huge music fan. Where you have had music professionals on the panel before, now you’ll have someone who sees things from a fan’s standpoint. I think that’s important.”

spen@jg.net