Mitt Romney can’t disavow the conservative views he embraced as candidate during the Republican presidential primaries, President Barack Obama says in a new interview. However, Obama acknowledges that he too is struggling against public skepticism because of the slow economic recovery.

In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Obama covered a range of topics, from his relations with the Pentagon to his reflections on race to his two acclaimed though abbreviated moments of public singing.

“I can sing,’’ he said matter-of-factly. “I wasn’t worried about being able to hit those notes.’’

The interview, conducted earlier this month by Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner, will appear in the issue of the magazine that hits newsstands Friday. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the interview ahead of publication.

For Obama, the magazine interview and its cover portrait will complete a week of outreach to young voters, including a two-day tour of three college campuses in key election swing states and an appearance on NBC’s “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.’’

Analyzing the election campaign ahead of him, Obama avoided characterizing Romney as a flip-flopper, a common criticism Romney faced during the Republican primary contests, and instead tagged him as a candidate who willfully embraces the Republican Party’s most conservative views.

“I don’t think that their nominee is going to be able to suddenly say, `Everything I’ve said for the last six months, I didn’t mean,’’’ Obama said. “I’m assuming that he meant it. When you’re running for president, people are paying attention to what you’re saying.’’

Obama’s answer underscores an approach his advisers have been emphasizing lately, casting the race as one of sharp contrasts between two distinct candidates, parties and ideologies.