Clay Aiken
Clay Aiken grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, singing in both school and church choirs and local theatre. After high school, he joined the band Just By Chance. He also performed at local singing events and even sang the National Anthem before a Carolina Hurricanes hockey game.
He made three demo albums, all the while continuing his coursework at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in special education. It was the mother of an autistic child with whom he was working who first suggested he try out for the second season of “American Idol.”
Clay hardly fit the image of an American Idol, showing up at his first audition looking a rather nerdy, but he surprised the judges with his version of Heatwave’s “Always and Forever” and he made it through to the next round. He was eliminated from the group of 32, but was brought back as a wild card. After singing Elton John’s “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” he made it into the top 12. He also received a makeover, toning down his nerdy image.
Aiken made it to the finals of season two, facing fellow contestant Ruben Studdard. In a very close finale that garnered more than 24 million votes, Aiken narrowly lost out and finished in second place. In October 2003, he released Measure of a Man 
, his first solo album. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and sold 613,000 its first week, making it the best selling solo artist debut in 10 years and it remains the highest selling debut of any American Idol. It was certified Double Platinum that November and featured the hit singles “Invisible” and “This is the Night.” Aiken won the Fan’s Choice Award at that yea’s American Music Awards.
In late 2004, he released a holiday album called Merry Christmas with Love. It was the fastest selling holiday album since 1991 and debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200. Within six weeks, it has sold over a million copies. In September 2006, Aiken released his third album, A Thousand Different Ways , a compilation of ten cover songs and four original songs, which Aiken co-wrote. It debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 chart. That made Aiken only the fourth artist to have his first three albums debut in the top 5 of the Billboard chart. He released an EP of Christmas songs in November 2006 that was titled All is Well that was released only at Wal-Mart stores. It debuted at #54 on the Billboard Comprehensive Albums chart. Aiken has stated that he is looking forward to making a new album soon.
Aiken has lent his talents to many charitable events including the 2004 Rosalynn Carter Benefit and the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS benefit. He read for the “Arthur Celebrity Audiobook,” which benefited the Bubel/Aiken Foundation. The Bubel/Aiken Foundation, confounded by Clay and the mother who urged him to go on “American Idol,” supports children with disabilities and their being integrated into the environment with their non-disabled peers. He was also the 2004 spokesperson for Toys for Tots and serves as an ambassador for the Ronald McDonald House and UNICEF.
Aiken has been in the center of a few controversies since his “American Idol” success. He mentioned running over a kitten with a car in a Rolling Stone magazine and brought about the ire of the PETA. The question of his sexuality has been fodder for the media, fans, and critics, although he refuses to comment on his personal life. He was also recently involved in an airline altercation in which he reportedly placed his foot on another passenger’s armrest.
Despite any controversy, his fans, the “Claymates” remain devoted and his album sales have made him the best selling star of season two of “American Idol” and the third best selling American Idol in the history of the show.
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