Clay Aiken (born
Clayton Holmes Grissom on
November 30,
1978) is an
American pop singer who began his rise to fame on the
second season of the
television program American Idol in 2003.
RCA Records offered him a recording contract, and his multi-platinum debut album
Measure of a Man was released in October 2003. He released four more albums on the RCA label:
Merry Christmas with Love, A Thousand Different Ways, and the Christmas EP,
All is Well.
[Moss, Corey. "No Love for 'Idol' Losers." MTV.com. Retrieved 2007-06-23.][Barnes, Ken. "Idol sales standings: A fairly exhaustive list." USA Today. November 9, 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-23.(article archived)] His fourth studio album (the first album of original material since 2003's
Measure of a Man),
On My Way Here was released on May 6, 2008.
["Clay Aiken heads "Here" on next album." Reuters New York. (Billboard) March 25, 2008.]
In the years following his
American Idol appearance, Aiken has launched eight tours, authored a
New York Times best-selling book
Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life with Allison Glock, and was the executive producer for a 2004 televised Christmas special,
A Clay Aiken Christmas. He has been a frequent talk show guest, particularly on
The Tonight Show and
Jimmy Kimmel Live. He appeared as a guest star on
Scrubs and participated in comedy skits on
Kimmel,
Saturday Night Live and
30 Rock.
Aiken created the
National Inclusion Project (formerly the Bubel/Aiken Foundation) in 2003, accepted a
UNICEF ambassadorship in 2004, and in 2006 was appointed for a two-year term to the Presidential Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities.
[An open letter from co-founders Clay Aiken and Diane Bubel: National Inclusion Project. August 5, 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-05]["Celebrity Ambassadors: Clay Aiken" US Fund for UNICEF website.][ACF Press Office - PCPID Appointments." US Dept of Health and Human Services (2006). Retrieved 2007-06-22.]
Aiken made his
Broadway debut playing the role of
Sir Robin in
Monty Python's
Spamalot in January 2008.
["Clay Aiken meets Monty Python." CNN.com. Retrieved 2008-02-05 (article archived).] His run ended in May but he rejoined the cast as Sir Robin in September and remained through January 4, 2009.
Biography
Personal life
Clay Aiken was born and raised in
Raleigh, North Carolina. As a young boy, Aiken sang in the
Raleigh Boychoir, and as a teenager, he sang in school choirs, church choir, musicals and local theatre productions.
[Aiken, Clay. Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life. (2004), p. 250, ISBN 1-4000-6392-2] After high school, he sang lead with a local band, Just By Chance, cohosting and performing with the band at "Just by Chance and Friends" shows in
Dunn, North Carolina.
[Woerner, Tom. "Scouts Remember Fallen Veterans." The Dunn Daily Record. May 22, 2003. Retrieved 2006-04-07 (article archived).] He was also
MC and performer at the Johnston Community College Country Showcase in
Smithfield, and at the North Carolina Music Connection and Hometown Music Connection shows in
Garner and
Benson. He performed the national anthem numerous times for the
Raleigh IceCaps and the
Carolina Hurricanes hockey teams.
[Aiken, Clay. Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life. (2004) p. 249-251, ISBN 1-4000-6392-2] At the age of 19, with his mother's and grandfather's permission, he legally changed his last name from Grissom to Aiken.
[Aiken, Clay. Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life. (2004) p. 56, ISBN 1-4000-6392-2] Three demo albums of Aiken's vocals were created before
American Idol with the aid of studio time given as a birthday gift by his mother: a cassette called
Look What Love Has Done (by Clayton Grissom), a cassette and CD entitled
Redefined (by Clayton Aiken), and a CD that combined some songs from each of the previous demos: "Look What Love Has Done, Vol 2" (by Clay Aiken).
["Redefined track listing." last.fm. Retrieved 2007-06-24][Demo CD, "Look What Love Has Done Vol 2", track listing. last.fm. Retrieved 2007-06-21.]
Aiken attended Raleigh's
Leesville Road High School and took courses at
Campbell University before enrolling at the
University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He found his interest in special education while directing
YMCA children's camps as a teenager, and at age 19, he served as a substitute teacher for a classroom of students with
autism at Brentwood Elementary School in Raleigh. While attending college in Charlotte, he took a part-time job as an assistant to a boy with autism, and it was this child's mother, Diane Bubel, who urged him to audition for
American Idol. Although his
American Idol activities temporarily delayed his academic pursuits, Aiken completed his course work while on tour and graduated with a bachelor's degree in
special education in
December 2003.
["'American Idol' star Clay Aiken graduates." USA Today. December 24, 2003.. Retrieved 2007-07-03]
On August 8, 2008 Aiken announced, on his personal
blog, the birth of his son in North Carolina: "My dear friend, Jaymes, and I are so excited to announce the birth of Parker Foster Aiken"
[Aiken,Clay. "Welcome to Our World" Blog (Clay Aiken's Official Fanclub). August 8, 2008. Retrieved: 2008-08-8] The child's mother, Jaymes Foster, is the sister of record producer
David Foster and the executive producer of Aiken's last three albums on the RCA label. "The little man is healthy, happy, and as loud as his daddy," Aiken wrote. "Mama Jaymes is doing quite well also."
[Associated Press. American_Idol_crooner_Clay_Aiken_now_a_father "Clay Aiken Is a Father" News (theInsider.com). August 8, 2008. Retrieved: 2009-25-07.] Aiken said in his book,
Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life, that "It's a Southern tradition to be given your first name from your grandmama's maiden name."
[Aiken, Clay. Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life (2004), pp. 34, ISBN 1-4000-6392-2] His middle name came from his paternal grandmother's maiden name; using instead the married surnames of their mothers, he and Foster followed that tradition in choosing their son's name.
After several years of public speculation, Aiken
confirmed that he is
gay in a September 2008 interview with
People magazine.
In April 2009, Aiken was honored by the
Family Equality Council advocacy group at their annual benefit dinner in
New York City.
[Clay Aiken, Linda Eder and More Hit Tavern for Family Equality broadway.com. April 21, 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-04]
American Idol
Aiken had filled out an application to participate in the reality show
Amazing Race when a friend of his insisted that he try out for
American Idol instead.
[Bronson, Fred. The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits. Billboard Books. ISBN 0823076776.] Television viewers first glimpsed Aiken during the audition episodes at the beginning of
American Idol's second season. The show's judges first saw Aiken as a
nerdy type unlikely to be any kind of idol, but after hearing him sing
Heatwave's "Always and Forever" decided to advance him to the next round. The clip of the judges' surprise during this audition performance was replayed many times over the course of the competition.
Aiken made it to the round of 32 before being cut from the show, but he was invited to return for the "Wild Card" round; his performance of
Elton John's "
Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" sent him on to the final 12 as the viewer's choice. While noted for his performance of ballads, such as
Neil Sedaka's "
Solitaire", his upbeat performances, including
The Foundations' "
Build Me Up Buttercup", were also appreciated. Aiken received enough votes every week to keep him out of the bottom three. Part of his appeal was his "geek to chic" transformation in appearance. "I looked like
Opie," Aiken said to
People magazine regarding his appearance at his
American Idol audition in 2002.
["People Photo Album, Then and Now". Retrieved 2007-05-24.] He replaced his glasses with
contact lenses and agreed to let the show's stylists change his hair style.
[Cooper, Chet. "Interview with Clay Aiken." Ability Magazine. Retrieved 2007-05-24.] With longer, flat ironed, spiky hair and a penchant for wearing striped shirts, Aiken had established a trademark look by the final American Idol season 2 show.
On May 21, 2003, Aiken came in a close second to
Ruben Studdard, who won the contest by 134,000 votes out of more than 24,000,000 votes cast. The result was controversial, as some hypothesized that
Idols voting system was incapable of handling the number of attempted calls.[Seibel, Deborah Starr. "American Idol Outrage: Your Vote Doesn't Count." ]Broadcasting & Cable.
May 17, 2004. Retrieved 2006-04-08. In an interview prior to the start of the fifth season of American Idol
, Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe revealed for the first time that Aiken had led the fan voting every week from the Wild Card week to the finale, when the possibly-random voting result gave Studdard the win.[Martin, Logan. "It's Going to be a Very Strong Season, I Think: An Interview with American Idol Producer Nigel Lythgoe." ]Reality News Online
. January 17, 2006. Retrieved 2006-04-08. Though officially, Aiken was the show's "first runner-up," he has since gone on to be the second season's best-selling star.
Rolling Stone featured Aiken on the cover of their July 2003 issue. In the cover article Aiken said, "One thing I've found of people in the public eye, either you're a womanizer or you've got to be gay. Since I'm neither one of those, people are completely concerned about me."
[Hedegaard, Erik and Jenny Eliscu. "New kid on the block." Rolling Stone. New York. July 10, 2003. Iss. 926; pg. 40.] In subsequent interviews he expressed frustration over continued questions about his
sexual orientation, telling
People magazine in 2006, "It doesn't matter what I say. People are going to believe what they want."
[Tauber, Michelle. "Clay Aiken Facing the Music." People. New York, October 2, 2006. Vol. 66, Iss. 14; pg. 122.]
Aiken made a surprise appearance on the final show of
American Idol season 5, when failed auditioner Michael Sandecki returned to the show to receive a "Golden Idol" award for Best Impersonator for his Clay Aiken-like appearance. Aiken appeared without introduction in a well-tailored designer suit and longer, darker hair with bangs, looking so different that many did not recognize him until he began to sing "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me."
["Clay Aiken Biography: An Idol Returns." People. May 24, 2006. Retrieved 2007-05-24.]["People Photo Album, Clay Aiken 2006." People. Retrieved 2007-05-24.]
The second season of the
American Idol Rewind series (2007) was narrated by Aiken.
["'American Idol Rewind' Returns in National Syndication on Saturday, September 29th." PR Newswire. September 28, 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-07. (article archived)]
Music
On October 14, 2003, Aiken released his first solo album,
Measure of a Man, which debuted at #1 on the
Billboard 200 and was, with 613,000 copies sold in its first week, the highest-selling debut for a solo artist in 10 years, and to date the highest debut of any Idol.
[Aiken CD Highest-Selling Debut Album Since 1993 wral.com. November 6, 2003. Retrieved 2009-08-08] The album received
RIAA Double Platinum certification on November 17, 2003 (a Double Platinum plaque was presented to Aiken by
Clive Davis on October 22, 2003, during
Good Morning America). The album spawned both the hit single "Invisible" and his first hit song, "
This Is the Night" (both co-written by British songwriter
Chris Braide). Later that year, Aiken won the Fan's Choice Award at the
American Music Awards ceremony, and his CD single "This Is the Night/Bridge Over Troubled Water" won the Billboard award for the Best-Selling Single of 2003.
On November 16, 2004, Aiken released a holiday album titled
Merry Christmas with Love, which set a new record for fastest-selling holiday album in the
Soundscan era (since 1991).
[Rogers, Steve. Clay Aiken's "Merry Christmas With Love" holiday album debuts to record sales realitytvworld.com. November 29, 2004. Retrieved 2009-08-08] The album debuted at #4 on the
Billboard 200 and tied
Céline Dion's record for the highest debut by a holiday album in the history of
Billboard magazine.
Merry Christmas with Love sold over 1,000,000 copies retail in 6 weeks and was the best-selling holiday album of 2004, receiving RIAA Platinum certification on Jan. 6, 2005.
Aiken's third album,
A Thousand Different Ways, was released September 19, 2006.
["New Releases, Sept. 19: Elton John, Clay Aiken, Diana Krall" liveDaily.com. September 18, 2006. Retrieved 2009-07-25.] He worked on the album under the guidance of Canadian producer and A&R executive Jaymes Foster.
[Bliss, Karen. "Aiken and Canadian Producer See Eye to Eye." JAM! November 7, 2005. Retrieved 2006-04-08.] The album contains ten cover songs and four new songs, one of which Aiken co-wrote.
Clive Davis is credited with the cover concept.
["Clay Aiken Releases New Album." Access Hollywood. August 3, 2006. Retrieved 2007-06-24 (article archived)] One additional song, "Lover All Alone", written by Aiken and
David Foster, is included with the album on
iTunes. Debuting at #2 on the Billboard chart,
A Thousand Different Ways made Aiken the fourth artist ever to have his first three albums debut in the Top 5 and scan over 200,000 in the first week.
["Clay Aiken Album 'A Thousand Different Ways' Debuts at Number 2 on Billboard Album Chart With Sales Over 205,000." PRNewswire. September 27, 2006.]
Aiken's fourth album,
All Is Well (an
EP of four Christmas songs), was released exclusively to
Walmart on November 28, 2006, and was released to
iTunes as a digital download in December 2007.
["CD: All Is Well: Songs For Christmas." (2006) walmart.com. (article archived)]
Aiken stated in an April 2007 interview with
People that he was planning a new album, and during his
May 2007 appearance on
Jimmy Kimmel Live, he mentioned that he was in
Los Angeles interviewing producers for the new album.
[Richards, Constance. "Clay Aiken: 'Idol Is a Drug'." People April 3, 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-13.] Aiken found a song, "On My Way Here", written by
OneRepublic frontman
Ryan Tedder, that struck a chord with him and became the inspiration for the album's theme in addition to the album title. For a cohesive sound, Aiken chose Mark '
Kipper' Eldridge to produce the entire album.
On My Way Here was released May 6, 2008 on the
RCA label.
[Cohen, Jonathan. "Clay Aiken Heads 'Here' On Next Album." Billboard. March 21, 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-21.]
According to an article posted on
Billboard.com Aiken and RCA parted ways shortly after his
On My Way Here album was released. Aiken's rep confirmed to
People magazine that Aiken left RCA.
[Clay Aiken Parts Ways With RCA Billboard. by Shirley Halperin. February 20, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-20.][Clay Aiken Leaves His Record Label People. by David Caplan. February 20, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-20.] A fifth album,
The Very Best of Clay Aiken, was released at the end of March 2009 on Sony's
Legacy Recordings Playlist Series.
[ Clay Aiken’s favorite songs to be released through the Playlist Series ClayOnline News. 02/27/09. Retrieved 2009-02-27]
On August 10, 2009 it was announced on Aiken's official website that he had signed with
Universal Music’s
Decca Records and he would have new music out by early 2010.
[ We Are Excited To Announce... ClayOnline News. August 10, 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-10]
Television
Aiken has made many television appearances.
He sang
The Star-Spangled Banner on opening night of the 2003
World Series and appeared in numerous television specials during the winter of 2003, including
Disney's Christmas Day Parade and the
Nick At Nite Holiday Special, where he sang the "
Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth" with
Bing Crosby via special effects. Aiken starred in and executive produced his first TV special (December 2004), titled
A Clay Aiken Christmas, with special guests
Barry Manilow,
Yolanda Adams, and
Megan Mullally; the special was released on DVD later that month. On July 4, 2004, Aiken was one of the performers in the
A Capitol Fourth concert in
Washington, D.C. and performed in the
Good Morning America Summer Concert Series in 2004 and 2005. He also sang "
Isn't She Lovely" on the popular television show Scrubs.
Aiken was the musical guest on
Saturday Night Live in 2004 and participated in several skits. He has appeared multiple times on
The Tonight Show, interviewing with
Jay Leno as a guest in addition to singing, and has become a regular guest on
Jimmy Kimmel Live. The Kimmel appearances often feature skits: in one,
Jimmy Kimmel's then girlfriend
Sarah Silverman confessed to an affair with Aiken, and in another, Aiken expressed his distaste for Kimmel's jokes about him by beating him up. In May 2007, he spent the first half of his interview on horseback while talking about his recent
UNICEF trip to
Afghanistan. A few weeks later he appeared as a spokesperson for "Guillermo's Mustache" in Kimmel's fictional DVD informercial shown on the
Dancing With the Stars finale. Aiken made his acting debut on
Ed in early 2004, playing himself, and in 2005, he was interviewed by
Erica Kane on
All My Children. He played the role of cafeteria worker Kenny on the
Scrubs episode "
My Life in Four Cameras". In December 2006, he made an appearance as himself on
Days of our Lives.
After hosting and performing in the
American Idol Christmas special in 2003, Aiken has had several subsequent hosting jobs. He was a special correspondent for
The Insider for the 2005
Emmy Awards, and on the sets of the sitcom
Reba with
Reba McEntire and
Dancing With the Stars. He co-hosted
The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet in 2006, and on November 17, 2006, filled in for
Regis Philbin as guest host on
Live with Regis and Kelly. During an interview, Aiken covered
Kelly Ripa's mouth with his hand.
[Serpe, Gina. "Ripa Rips Clay; Rosie Responds." eonline.com. November 21, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-17.] The incident drew considerable media reaction after Ripa complained at length about the incident on her show the following Monday.
["The Z List : This Week's Biggest Losers." TMZ.com. November 25, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-17.] Aiken made fun of the controversy on the
2006 American Music Awards the next night with
Tori Spelling.
["People Photo Album, Comic Relief." People.com. Retrieved 2007-05-24.] On the
The Tyra Banks Show in 2006, filmed before the Ripa incident, Aiken mentioned wanting to have his own talk show someday, and Banks switched seats with him and let him interview her for one segment of the show. Aiken was a guest judge on the April 8, 2009 segment of Banks show
America's Next Top Model; in what the show refers to as a teach, he worked with the remaining 8 contestants on their acting skills prior to the judging.
In November 2007, Aiken was a contestant on a celebrity edition of the game show
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?.
["Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" (2007)]
Original Air Date:
1 November 2007 (Season 2, Episode 9) Playing for his charity, the
Bubel/Aiken Foundation, he chose to drop out after the ninth question with $300,000, despite having a copy and a save at his disposal. If he had played the tenth question, he would have won $500,000; Aiken and the 5th grader playing with him both had the correct answer.
In May 2009, Aiken made a guest appearance on
30 Rock in the season 3 episode
'Kidney Now!'. It was revealed in this episode that he is the cousin of the show's character
Kenneth["NBC Universal Media Village (2009-05-14). 30 Rock " 05/14/09 9:31 pm" NBC Universal Media Village Retrieved 2009-05-19.]
Broadway
On January 18, 2008, Aiken made his
Broadway debut when he joined the cast of
Monty Python's Spamalot for a four-month run, ending on May 4, 2008. He played
Sir Robin, in the
Tony Award-winning musical directed by
Mike Nichols. In addition to Sir Robin, Aiken played the 1st Guard and the Brother Maynard roles.
[ (article archived)] On August 12, 2008, it was announced that Aiken would resume his role as Sir Robin beginning on September 19 and ending on January 4, 2009.
On December 23, 2008 Aiken had his
caricature unveiled at world famous
Sardi's restaurant.
Tours
From February through April 2004, Aiken and
Kelly Clarkson embarked on the "Independent Tour" as co-headliners. Following this tour, he was scheduled for a few summer solo tour dates, but demand ultimately led to the booking of 50 dates across the United States, resulting in what many fans called the "Not-a-Tour".
Disney (Buena Vista) was the exclusive sponsor of this unnamed summer tour, promoting their
Aladdin Special Edition 2-Disc DVD with a preview of Aiken's rendition of "
Proud of Your Boy", a song originally intended for the first release of the film but cut when the Aladdin storyline changed during production. A music video featuring Aiken is on the
Aladdin Special Edition DVD.
[Clay's Aiken's tour sponsored by Buena Vista United Press International, July 10, 2004. Retrieved 2009-08-20.] On this tour, he also performed a duet, "Without You," which was released on
Kimberley Locke's 2004 debut album
One Love.
In November 2004, Aiken launched his third tour of the year, which revolved around a
Christmas theme. "The Joyful Noise Tour", sponsored by
Ronald McDonald House Charities, featured a conductor and a 30-piece orchestra.
[Dreaming of a Clay Christmas © 2004 McDonald’s Corporation (pdf). December 17, 2004. Retrieved 2009-08-20] In some cities, Aiken was supported by the local philharmonic or symphony, such as the
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Local choirs from high schools and elementary schools also participated at each concert.
[Rogers, Steve. Clay Aiken reschedules "The Joyful Noise Tour" holiday concert tour dates realitytvworld.com. November 29, 2004. Retrieved 2009-08-20]
[
Aiken Waukegan 06-12-01.jpg|175px|thumb|left|Aiken at a 2006 Christmas tour appearance in [[Waukegan, Illinois]]] During the summer of 2005, Aiken, with a seven-piece band and three back-up singers, toured with the "Jukebox Tour", performing songs of the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, as well as a few favorites from
Measure of a Man. He also performed a few new songs being considered for his next album.
[The Way We Make a Difference The JukeBox Tour - Toronto, ON .thewaywemakeadifference.org. August 25, 2005. Retrieved 2009-08-20]
In early November 2005, Aiken launched his second Christmas tour. The 2005 Joyful Noise tour featured a series of vignettes, written by Aiken,
[Kragen, Pam. "Pop nerd Clay Aiken brings 'Joyful Noise' to San Diego." North Country Times. November 9, 2005. Retrieved 2007-06-25 (article archived)] which told the story of an older woman who had lost the Christmas spirit and a young boy who helps her find it again. A cast of actors, dancers and back-up singers traveled with the tour, and members of local theater groups were added in each venue for smaller, non-speaking roles and crowd scenes. The tour opened in
Vancouver,
British Columbia, on November 2, and ended in
Clearwater, Florida on December 30. According to
Pollstar, Aiken's first five tours grossed $28 million dollars.
["American Idol's Biggest Winners." Forbes.com. January 15, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-21.]["Popularity Contest." The Wall Street Journal. June 22, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-22.]
In December 2006, Aiken began his third Christmas tour, comprising performances in 18
Midwest and
East Coast cities. Aiken was supported by local orchestras, which also opened the concerts with a program of seasonal music.
[A Clay Aiken Christmas: Carols & Comedy .americanidolworship.com. December 21st, 2006. Retrieved 2009-08-20]
A 23-date tour in support of his third album,
A Thousand Different Ways, began on July 4, 2007 and ended in
Orlando, Florida on August 19. On this tour Aiken hired local symphonies to back him, along with tour regulars Jesse Vargas, pianist, conductor and arranger; Sean McDaniel, drummer; and Quiana Parler and Angela Fisher, backup singers. Three days into the tour, Aiken and a woman were involved in an in-flight altercation in which she allegedly shoved him. As a result of the scuffle, Aiken and the woman were later questioned by the
FBI.
[Forme25775 "Aiken apparently questioned after airplane incident." Tulsaworld.com. July, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-09.] Aiken told
ET that he had been sleeping when the incident occurred.
["Clay Talks to ET About Airline Drama." ET.Com July 09, 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-12.]
His fourth annual Christmas tour, "Christmas in the Heartland," began on November 26, 2007 in
Wichita, Kansas.
["Clay Aiken Adds Dates to Magical Holiday Tour 2007." TicketNews.com June 25, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-25] That 21-date tour ended on December 22, 2007 in Merrillville, Indiana.
He has ended all of his Christmas tours with his signature Christmas song, "
Don't Save It All for Christmas Day."
Faith and philosophy
In 2004 Aiken made the
New York Times Best Seller List, debuting at #2, with his "inspirational memoir" titled
Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life, written with Allison Glock, and published by
Random House. Barely mentioning
American Idol, in the book he instead turned his focus to the people who had the most influence in his life — his mother, grandparents, siblings, teachers, and friends — and to the importance of religion in his life.
While not self-identified as a
Christian music artist, Aiken was featured in
Christian Music Planet as an "American Idol Christian" in 2004, and in a cover story, "Clay Aiken's Balancing Act", in the
January/
February 2005 issue.
[Argyakis, Andy. "Clay Aiken's Balancing Act." Christian Music Planet. January/February 2005. Archived, subscription required.] His pre-
Idol demo albums included several selections of
contemporary Christian music (or CCM) and
gospel songs. A performance of the
Commodores' "Jesus is Love" at the American Music Awards in 2003 earned Aiken and
Ruben Studdard a standing ovation. Aiken has sung a few CCM songs at his pop concerts, and has made Christmas albums, Christmas television specials and performances, and Christmas tours essential elements of his career.
He described himself in
Learning to Sing as a proud
Southern Baptist who had journeyed away from those roots in his late teens in search of a religion with more
liberal social policies, and then returned to that church because of family and social ties although he remains at odds with the church on some issues.
[Aiken, Clay. Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life (2004), pp. 221–230, ISBN 1-4000-6392-2.] When asked in a
PBS Kids interview to name his idols, he responded, "When people ask me what three people I’d like to have dinner with, living or dead, I say
Jesus Christ,
Mr. Rogers, and
Jimmy Carter."
["It's My Life." pbskids.org. October, 2003. Retrieved 2007-06-24.]
Aiken makes it clear that he is aware not everyone shares his religious beliefs and it is not his intention to press these beliefs on others. When he worked as a camp counselor at the
YMCA, he challenged other camp faculty by insisting that singing "overtly Christian songs" was inappropriate, as some of the kids were
Jewish. "I stood firm... no child is going to have a spiritual crisis on my watch."
[Aiken, Clay. Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life (2004), pp. 228, ISBN 1-4000-6392-2.] His public philosophy, geared towards inclusion and service to others, reflects his stance that decisions about religion should be made at home.
["Bubel/Aiken Foundation."][Aiken, Clay. Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life (2004), pp. 227–229, ISBN 1-4000-6392-2.]
Activism
Aiken has donated his time and his voice to multiple benefit events and concerts, including the 2004
Rosalynn Carter Benefit, the America's Promise Benefit, and
Heather Headley's
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS benefit, "Home," where he sang a duet with Headley.
["Heather Headley: Home." broadwayinspirationalvoices.com Retrieved 2009-08-05.] He was one of the celebrity readers for the
Arthur Celebrity Audiobook (Stories for Heroes Series), which benefits the
Bubel/Aiken Foundation and other charities, and served as spokesperson for the series. He was also a spokesperson for the 2004
Toys for Tots drive, and acted as an ambassador for the
Ronald McDonald House Charities. Aiken worked with the
Make a Wish Foundation to make one little boy's dream of singing on stage with Clay Aiken come true.
[John's Wish Make-A-Wish Foundation of Philadelphia & Susquehanna Valley. Retrieved 2009-01-10.]
In September 2006, Aiken was appointed to the Presidential Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities by President
George W. Bush. Appointees serve a two-year term; Aiken was sworn in September 14, 2006 by HHS Assistant Secretary for Children and Families
Wade F. Horn, Ph.D.
In April 2008, Aiken told
People Magazine that he was too busy to do as much as he would like, but "If there's something I can do remotely, I would've been happy to do it."
["Clay Aiken Defends His Busy Schedule." People. April 24, 2008.]
While appearing in Spamalot, Aiken used his free time and celebrity to help raise funds for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) during their fund drives and auctions.
[Broadway Bears Raises $127,000 for BC/EFA; Spamalot Bear Is King Playbill, by Andrew Gans, February 19, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-27.][BC/EFA's Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction Raises $496,380 broadway world.com, by BWW News Desk, September 22, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-27.]
National Inclusion Project (formerly BAF)
Aiken has been a dedicated advocate for education and for children's causes. His interest in
autism issues led him, along with Diane Bubel (whose son Michael is diagnosed with autism and was tutored by Aiken), to found the
National Inclusion Project (formerly the Bubel/Aiken Foundation), which supports the integration of children with disabilities into the life environment of their non-disabled peers.
[Clay Aiken’s Foundation Becomes The National Inclusion Project newswiretoday.com. Press Release. August 20, 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-20.] The Foundation runs summer camps which reflect its mission,and also presents Able to Serve awards to support the volunteer efforts of children with physical and mental disabilities.
[National Inclusion Project, "Let's ALL Play." Retrieved 2009-08-06.]["Youth Service America, Partners & Sponsors." Retrieved 2006-06-23.] In July 2005, Raleigh's
WRAL-TV reported on an internet campaign mounted by critics questioning how Aiken's foundation used its money. WRAL news hired an independent accountant who reported that program services totaled $920,000 in 2004—around 85 cents on every dollar donated—which is considered a solid percentage compared to other charities.
["Clay Aiken's Nonprofit Group Comes Under Critic Scrutiny." WRAL.com. July 18, 2005. Retrieved 2006-06-23.] CNN picked up the story, and Aiken appeared on
Showbiz Tonight to provide details about the Foundation's programs.
["Showbiz Tonight transcript." CNN.com. July 25, 2005. Retrieved 2006-06-23. Archived, subscription required.] In late 2004, the Foundation was awarded a $500,000 grant by the US government to develop a K–12 model for inclusion in community service projects to be used in schools across the country. In addition,
State Farm granted $1.5 million dollars to the Foundation to help develop a primary education curriculum focused on teaching social and life skills through service to children of all levels of ability.
["America's Good Neighbor Teams up with Recording Artist Clay Aiken's Bubel/Aiken Foundation to Promote Inclusive Education." CSR Wire Press Release. November 2, 2005. Retrieved 2006-04-08. (article archived)]
On August 5, 2009, in an open letter from the founders, Clay Aiken and Diane Bubel stated "As we realized the impact the Foundation has already made, it became apparent that even bigger accomplishments could be on the horizon. To that end, we along with the rest of the Board decided that a new name for the Foundation would establish long-term credibility and stability. We sought a name that would signify the Foundation’s position as a national leader on inclusion as well as recognize the Foundation’s start and the efforts of its faithful supporters. After much thought and deliberation, we are proud to introduce the organization we co-founded as the National Inclusion Project."
UNICEF
In November 2004, Aiken was appointed a
U.S. Fund for UNICEF National Ambassador, with a mission to help ensure that children everywhere are afforded a
primary education.
After the
tsunami at the end of 2004, he participated in the
NBC4 telethon, which raised over $10 million, and recorded
public service announcements in support of South Asian tsunami relief. He later recorded a video, featuring the song "
Give a Little Bit", to be used as a
public service announcement to raise money for tsunami victims. He was the 2005 spokesperson for the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF drive.
[Shultz, Susan. "Clay Aiken: A Day In The Life!" Entertainment Tonight video interview with Jann Carl. Air date: September 28, 2006. Retrieved 2007-06-06.] At the CD signing, two young fans asked Clay to autograph their shoulderblades and then went to the local tattoo parlor to make them permanent; later that day on
Jimmy Kimmel Live they were brought on stage to show the tattoos. Although some of his fans have been criticized at times by the media as being obsessive,
["obsessive fans make Clay want to quit." realityblurred.com. November 15, 2004. Retrieved 2006-04-05.] he defends the group as a whole. When Kimmel said to Aiken that his fans were "crazy", Aiken stated that they were merely "enthusiastic". In 2003, in anticipation of the release of
Measure of a Man, fans all over the country decided to get together and hold parties to celebrate the release of the CD and purchase copies at midnight. In 2006, for the release of
A Thousand Different Ways, release parties were held in more than 80 cities in the United States, Canada, and Singapore.
[Lazzaro, Stephanie. "Fans' most anticipated album worth all nighter." nineronline.com. October 23, 2003. Retrieved 2007-06-21.]["Clay Aiken Album 'A Thousand Different Ways' Debuts at Number 2 on Billboard Album Chart With Sales Over 205,000." top40-charts.com. September 28, 2006. Retrieved 2007-06-21.][Kam,Nadine. Idol’s hold grows into his own ‘Clay Day’ Hololulu Star Bulletin. October 10, 2003. Retrieved 2009-08-05.]
Discography
col-begin
col-2
Studio albums
col-2
Compilations
DVDs
- A Clay Aiken Christmas (2004)
col-end
Awards and nominations
Professional
American Music Awards
- 2003: Won - Fan's Choice Award
- 2003: Nominated - Favorite Male Artist - Pop or Rock
Billboard Awards
New Music Weekly Awards
- 2004: Won - Top 40 Male Artist of the Year
American Christian Music Awards
Achievement
American Idol season 2 performances and results
Note 1: No one was eliminated that week due to the disqualification of Corey Clark.
See also
