AIKEN NEWS NETWORK MARCH 27

[Pamela]

AIKEN BRINGS SEDAKA BACK

By Fred Bronson

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - When Clay Aiken sang "Solitaire" on "American Idol" last year, songwriter Neil Sedaka (news) told him the track would forever be known as a Clay Aiken song.

It turns out Sedaka's comment was prophetic, as Aiken's recording of the song that Sedaka wrote with Phil Cody (news) enters the Billboard Hot
100 at No. 4. That beats the No. 17 peak of the Carpenters' version in
1975.

"Solitaire," which is No. 1 on Hot 100 Singles -- along with "The Way,"
which is now the B-side -- originally was recorded by Sedaka in 1972
for the Kirshner label and reissued in 1976 on RCA, the same label that
released Aiken's single.

Sedaka made his Hot 100 debut as an artist the week of Dec. 8, 1958,
with "The Diary." He had already appeared on the Billboard pop singles
chart a little more than four months earlier as a writer, when Connie
Francis (news)' "Stupid Cupid" was a new entry the week of July 28, 1958.

That gives Sedaka the songwriter a chart span of 45 years, eight months
and one week. "Solitaire" is his highest-charting song since Captain &
Tennille's cover of "Lonely Night (Angel Face)" peaked at No. 3 in  1976. Sedaka's biggest hit as a songwriter is Captain & Tennille's version  of "Love Will Keep Us Together," which was No. 1 for four weeks in 1975.

Sedaka was last on the Hot 100 as a songwriter exactly 20 years and one
month ago, when a parody of "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" by the American Comedy Club spent its last week on the chart. Cody was last on the survey 16 1/2 years ago, when Huey Lewis & the News' "Doing It All for My Baby" was in its final week.

"Solitaire" is the fourth song to debut in the top four of the Hot 100 since 1999, when chart rules were changed. All four titles are associated with "American Idol."

"God Bless the U.S.A." by the American Idol Finalists debuted at No. 4
the week of May 3, 2003. Aiken's "This Is the Night" and Ruben
Studdard's "Flying Without Wings" debuted at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, the week of June 28, 2003.

YAHOO LINK

[Pamela]

PEOPLE MAGAZINE Q & A WITH KELLY

March 26, 2004

Kelly Clarkson
The original American Idol talks about beating Clay Aiken at Scrabble and making the most of their road trip.

By LAURA DOWNEY

Clarkson sometimes spends up to 15 hours on the tour bus. "It's weird," she says. "It's not like you have a separate bedroom or anything."

Kelly Clarkson isn't alone much as she winds her way through a 30-city tour — "Miss Independent" has fellow American Idol alum Clay Aiken to share the bill and the fun. Clarkson, 21, the show's original champ and a Grammy nominee, wraps up her road trip on April 16 in St. Paul, Minn. But in the meantime, she's keeping busy by playing games with Clay and keeping tabs on her — and his — eccentric fans.
PEOPLE recently caught up with the singer and learned how she's managing to stay low-key in the spotlight.

How is it being on the road with Clay?
He's just a laid back, simple guy — just like me. Well, simple girl like me. We get along real well. ... We just started getting to know each other the past couple of weeks.

How are the fans? Any crazy experiences?
This is a question for Clay — his fans are kind of crazy. Mine are funny. I've had a group of girls — I call them the red-shirt girls — they sent me a big triple-Z bra and it said "We support you Kelly" across it. I know Clay got a rose bouquet, but they were panties. Like rolled up panties made to look like roses.

With two entertainers on the road, the companionship must be nice. What do you do to pass the time?
We were on the bus the other day playing Scrabble, and I'm trying to beat Clay so I can say I'm the Scrabble queen. But then the bus hit a big bump and all the Scrabble pieces hit the floor. We haven't gotten to finish a game yet. I'm going to beat him, but he just doesn't know yet. I remember how mad I got — I know I was winning!

Does it feel weird touring with runner-up Clay and not fellow Idol winner Ruben Studdard?
Not so much, I wasn't really planning on touring with anyone — then ... I found out that he was touring at the same time and I thought, Why don't we just tour together? We just hooked up.

Justin Guarini recently complained about how the record label treated him. What do you think of that?
It's good for him. He wanted to do his own music and he wanted to get away from the whole American Idol thing and he wanted to separate himself. He got what he wanted. It's definitely a good thing. He's so talented -- he's going to be back no doubt with a great CD and great music

While on the road, Clarkson says she has "every type of music in my show except for opera."

Are you finding that you and Clay have a lot in common?
The other day (we were) talking about how we can be onstage singing, and through the show you can be thinking of something totally different than the song. I could be thinking about dinner that night, or just anything.

What about any pet peeves? You're in pretty close quarters.
Clay likes to find whatever pushes your buttons and run with it until he gets knocked down. We'll be having a discussion and he'll take the devil's advocate part and it will press my buttons.

Are you getting the celebrity treatment on tour?
Well, people try and I won't let them. They try and carry my stuff and put it in my room, but I try to keep it as low-key as possible and make everyone comfortable. I'm just not really into it.

But what about onstage? Do you go for the full star wardrobe?
I do my own style. I like to keep things simple. My ritual of getting up every day is I wake up on the bus, I'll slip my contacts in, I'll put the makeup and hair on with my makeup artist, then I'll put my jeans and shirt on and go onstage.

Any other rituals?
I just pray to God that everything goes according to His plan. Other than that, I am not real superstitious or anything.

So what's next for you?
I am already planning the second CD. I've already written most of it, I'm working with a couple of producers right now. I plan on having (it) out at the end of this year.

Finally, any advice for this season's American Idol finalists?
Be yourself and have fun. Pick great songs, as song choice is everything.

Transcribed by ShelbyRose at the Clackhouse.

[Pamela]

Not about Clay, but from an interesting article about singing/songwriting.

The Aspiring Songwriter- Is it essential that artists also write songs to land a deal today?

Eric Beall- I assume when you ask about a "deal," we're talking about a record deal, not a publishing one. Obviously, it's essential that an artist write in order to get a publishing deal. On the record side though, I think there continues to be a place for artists that don't write-at least in specific markets. In the country market, you continue to have artists that don't write, or at least don't write much; in the pop/AC market you have people like Clay Aiken, Celine Dion, and Josh Groban. Of course in the rock market, most artists are expected to come up with their own material.

I think there is some concern at most labels about signing an artist who doesn't write-as it can be incredibly hard to consistently turn up hit songs, album after ! album. At the same time, I think there's concern about signi! ng artists who insist on writing, when they're not really topnotch songwriters. It works both ways. What you really like to see, as an A&R person, is some sense that artists understands their own strengths, weaknesses, and limitations. If they really have something to say musically, then by all means, they should be writing. But if the artist is only a marginal songwriter, they really should stay out of the process, and focus on finding the best material they can.

MANHUNT.COM

[ACcountryFan]

:arrow: there are so many great songwriters who don't get much attention because of the thing you quoted: the pop/rock industry, in general, frowns on acts who don't write or have a hand in writing their own songs. i don't really care about the songwriter when i listen to my favorites sing. a good artist will make songs they sing sound as if THEY wrote them. for years i had assumed that Barry Manilow wrote the song "Mandy" since it's his best-known hit...but he didn't write that song but i don't hate it because he didn't write it. a good singer, like i said, can make songs their own through their delivery.