AIKEN NEWS NETWORK JULY 16

[clayMaine-iac]

GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE!!!

GO HERE TO SEE A VIDEO OF CLAY'S DAY IN CONCORD::
WCNC (registration required)

[clayMaine-iac]

Shaky performances dot Idols' kickoff
R e v i e w
By Dan Nailen
The Salt Lake Tribune

- “American Idol'' might be the most-watched television show of the year, not to mention one of the most successful marketing tools in recent memory, but it is apparently no match for the brutal summer concert slump happening across the nation.
   With even tried-and-true acts with decades of hits and history behind them struggling this summer, it should be no surprise that the latest edition of the “American Idols Live!'' tour, featuring 10 of the talent show's finalists, would have a rough time getting people to plunk down upward of $50 for a ticket.
   Wednesday, the Delta Center was at least three-quarters shy of its near-20,000 capacity for the opening night of the Idols' planned 49-city jaunt. Maybe the fans missed Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard, the stars of last year's tour. Maybe it was because there were no Utahns among the finalists, like Bountiful's Carmen Rasmusen in 2003.
   Whatever the reason, it was obvious from the first song that this year's “Idol'' tour lacks the energy and excitement of a year ago.
   That is not the fault of the performers, a group of anonymous amateurs six months ago who made their way into millions of America's living rooms during the course of the televised contest. Winner   Fantasia Barrino and La Toya London are clearly the class of the bunch vocally, but all made a valiant effort on their choreography and classic hits.
   Still, a valiant effort is not necessarily enough to make a show entertaining, and this year's tour will have some issues to deal with as it moves forward. For one, the set and pacing of the show are nearly identical to last year's version. All the finalists had a solo in the first half, while the second half consisted of medleys and duets with various “Idol'' combi- nations.
   Most of the performances were predictably shaky. Jon Peter Lewis, a BYU-Idaho  student, earned the first loud roar of the night when he took the stage, but whoever decided he was the right performer to deliver Stevie Wonder's “Superstition'' and OutKast's “Hey Ya!'' had a severe lapse in judgment. Likewise, Diana DeGarmo's introduction of “a little country-rock from down South where I'm from,'' followed by Michigan legend Bob Seger's “Old Time Rock 'n' Roll'' was an odd detour from rock reality.
   But there was talent on stage, especially when the right song and right performer came together. Lanky John Stevens was fine doing Frank Sinatra's “Come Fly With Me.''
   Fantasia   was strong on Stevie Wonder's “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,'' and London showcased a real range and sexy stage presence on “I Give My All,'' despite a few egregious Mariah Carey-like vocal gymnastics.
   The Prince homage opening the second set was dicey at best, with the group covering seven of his songs in short order. The duet between George Huffs and Jennifer Hudson on “Nothing Compares 2 U'' was strong, but the group's collective rendition of “When Doves Cry'' turned Prince's classic song of psychosexual obsession into something that would make a nice soda commercial.
   Whether "American Idols Live!'' continues to   struggle for an audience will be interesting to see over the course of the summer. If it does, the show's creators might have to settle for beating the stuffing out of every other show on television for the next few years.

SLTRIB

[clayMaine-iac]

THIS ISN'T ABOUT CLAY, BUT IT IS INTERESTING:

Fox makes changes to 'American Idol,' unveils new programming


(GNS)

LOS ANGELES - "American Idol" will nudge its top age limit up slightly next season, but its much criticized phone setup will stay the same.

Gail Berman, Fox network chairman, told TV critics at the Television Critics Association press tour Thursday that the show's age minimum will remain 16 but its maximum will be increased by three years to 28.

As for the phone system, which has brought complaints of constant busy signals, Berman says "it's worked incredibly well."

GAZETTE

[clayMaine-iac]

Best-selling books from Amazon last week

Thu Jul 15, 3:21 PM ET
   

(CP) - Here are the 10 best-selling fiction and non-fiction books for this week from Amazon.ca. Bracketed figures indicate position the previous week:

 NON-FICTION

1 (2) Eats, Shoots & Leaves - Lynne Truss (hardcover)

2 (1) My Life - Bill Clinton (news - web sites) (hardcover)

3 (3) Stupid White Men - Michael Moore (paperback)

4 (5) Souvenir of Canada 2 - Douglas Coupland (paperback)
   

5 (4) Learning to Sing - Clay Aiken (news) (hardcover)

6 (-) Ric Flair: To Be the Man - Ric Flair (hardcover)

7 (6) Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim - David Sedaris (hardcover)

8 (-) The South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor-Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Heavy Weight Loss - Arthur Agatston (hardcover)

9 (-) Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Matter - Gordon Neufeld nonameblogger.D., Gabor Mate M.D. (hardcover)

10 (-) Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most - Douglas F. Stone, Sheila Heen, Bruce Patton (paperback)

YAHOO

[clayMaine-iac]

SALES NEWS:

MOAM HAS REAPPEARED ON THE BILLBOARD 200!!!![/i]

CLAY SOLD 6,033 COPIES LAST WEEK TO BOUNCE BACK TO 192 ON THE LIST!!!!

SOLITAIRE BOUNCES UP ONE POSITION FROM 6TH TO 5TH PLACE ON THE SINGLES SALES CHART:

SINGLE SALES CHART
WOOOO HOOOOO!!!!!!!!

[Her]

Deanna, thanks for the news and look at you with the new avie!!!

***********

We're not crazy, we're enthusiastic. No, really.
 

New flavor of the Day.

...I'M CLAZY!!! :D

[clayMaine-iac]

Her, you're welcome!!!

I'm not crazy!!! {{mumbles, mumbles}}

I'm just enthusiastic!!!

Yep--that's me!!!

I likey my new avie!!! :  :  :  :

Deanna

[bisi]

http://www.gotriad.com/article/articleview/10272/1/17/

The feats of Clay
Kevin Harvey, Staff Writer
(Friday, July 16, 2004 1:00 am)

pg. 1 / 1

   
Who says second place is the first loser? Since narrowly losing “American Idol 2,” Clay Aiken has enjoyed success not usually associated with being defeated. His first single, “This Is the Night,” stayed at Billboard’s No. 1 slot for 12 weeks. “Measure of a Man,” his first full-length album, debuted last October at No. 1.

A Raleigh native and a graduate of UNC-Charlotte, Aiken says that shows in his native state are among the best on the tour.

“North Carolina always has the best crowds,” Aiken says before a concert earlier this week in Charleston, W.Va. “They’re usually more hyped.”

   
Aiken, who started his nationwide tour earlier this month in Bismark, N.D., will perform tonight at the Greensboro Coliseum. Here are some thoughts of the 25-year-old who admits he winds down by watching movies on his bus and talking about what he calls “random stupid stuff.”

Is this your first trip to Greensboro?

No, I’ve been there quite a few times; I’m not that far away. I’ve never performed at the Greensboro Coliseum before, but I used to sing the national anthem there.


You try out for “American Idol,” then suddenly you get on TV, and before you know it you have a hit record and a national tour. Is yours a Cinderella story?

I think so, that’s one way to look at it. It’s not anything I expected. Somebody was some kind of fairy godmother. It wasn’t anything I had in the cards for myself. To be honest, I was pretty surprised by it all.


You were the first runner-up to Ruben Studdard, yet you’ve enjoyed more post-“Idol” success. How do you feel about outshining the guy who beat you?

Well, I think people who think I have more commercial success are somewhat mistaken. Single sales I do better in, but in radio airplay he does better. We both have successes in different areas, and the competing question I’ve tried to get rid of. The media just doesn’t want us to be ourselves.


Has fame jaded you?

I don’t think it’s jaded me. I do think I behave differently in different situations, but it hasn’t changed me. I carry myself different when I’m at work. I have to pay attention to where I get my gas now (laughs). The other day, the band members asked me if I wanted to go to the mall. Then they were like, “Oh yeah, you’re you.”


With all of the work you do, how do you maintain your sanity?

I spend a lot of time it the hotel room watching TV. When we’re on and I get to the venue, I do about 75 of these (interviews), you do the sound check, you do some production notes, then you do the show. I like the opportunity to get some chill time.


What do you do in your spare time on the road?

To wind down, I kind of like to sit around and talk about random stupid stuff, watch a movie on the bus and go on with life as normally as possibly.


How do your friends feel about all the attention?

My closest friends are the ones who don’t care about what I do. We go on vacation and they don’t see me any differently. One of my best friends is on the road with me right now. He makes sure everything works and gets done, and he doesn’t even pay attention to what we’re doing. My best friends aren’t interested in the fame.




• • •



Clay Aiken at a Glance:

Birth date: Nov. 30, 1978

Personal statistics: eyes, green; height, 6-feet-1; hair color before makeover, red; hair color after makeover, brown

Goals in life: “Success, happiness, stability. I would love to be known as a generous and selfless person.”

His American idol: “My mother is the strongest person I know.”

Favorite type of music: “I love music with strong melodies where the singer really has to sing. I like jazz, some slow R&B and pop/country ballads.”

Favorite male pop artist: Jon Secada or Peter Cetera

Favorite female pop artist: Shania Twain and Faith Hill

If he couldn’t sing, which talent would he most like to have: “I wish I could draw like my friend Meredith. Even her handwriting is art.”

His definition of an American idol: “Someone with a talent that leaves a mark on American society and inspires people to think, feel, love, act.”

His favorite judge: “Randy. He is probably the best at giving truly constructive criticism.”

His least favorite judge: “I’m not stupid enough to answer this question.”

Advice for other “American Idol" hopefuls: “Believe in yourself and practice, practice, practice.”

If he could be a performer from any era, which would he choose? “Big band in the 1940s. Music really brought people together during that era.’”


Source: www.claytonaiken.com


Kevin Harvey, a senior at UNCG, is a writing intern this summer with the News & Record’s Life section. Contact him at 373-7319 or kharvey@news-record.com.

[clayMaine-iac]

Clay Aiken very aware of his ultrafast ascent to stardom

Thursday, July 15, 2004

By Lynn Elber

The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - Clay Aiken is well aware of how far he's come in a short time - from unknown to best-selling pop singer.

"I try to remember it was just barely a year ago that I was sitting in North Carolina not doing much but teaching and going to class and turning my homework in late," said Aiken, a native of Raleigh. "And it could very easily come back to that at any moment, so I try to remember that as much as I can."

A one-time YMCA camp counselor who majored in special education, Aiken was the second-season runner-up to soulman Ruben Studdard. This year's winner was Fantasia Barrino of High Point.

Aiken's first album, RCA's Measure of a Man, has been a big hit. In March, he finished a successful series of concerts with the first-year American Idol champ Kelly Clarkson. He recently performed at PBS' A Capitol Fourth in Washington.

And now he's on the road for his first solo tour, which will hit 12 states, including a stop Friday at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Aiken labels it a "progression" of his concerts with Clarkson, with "the same band, the same crew, even the same bus driver, believe it or not," but with a new set, different material and video flourishes.

He's added songs connected to American Idol that were purged from the previous tour.

It was perhaps selfish, he said, but fans didn't get to hear familiar tunes including "This is the Night" and "Solitaire."

"I wanted to make sure I distanced myself from the show a little bit. Both of us wanted to graduate," he said of Clarkson. "We both wanted to recognize that's where we came from, but at the same time stand alone without the need to have American Idol tacked on.

"When you write this article, I can guarantee you're going to write 'American Idol alumnus Clay Aiken.' Both of us want to be known as Clay Aiken or Kelly Clarkson," he said.

It might just be a question of time, he concedes.

He and other American Idol contestants are fond of the obscure fact that Gladys Knight was discovered on Ted Mack's Amateur Hour.

"I would love to have that kind of history," Aiken said, but diplomatically added: "I don't want to abandon that part of me because I wouldn't be here if not for that show."

He and second-season finalist Kimberley Locke, who has become a friend and Aiken's roommate in Los Angeles, were waxing nostalgic over tapes of the show recently.

"Man, I wish I could go back and do that show again," they agreed, according to Aiken. "It was just a lot of fun."

With his contractual obligation to American Idol over, he's free to pursue any and all dreams. He wants to cement his musical status ("I'm not really an established recording artist yet") and is intrigued by the idea of returning to television in some way.

And what about long-term goals?

"I'll tell you where I don't want to be: washed up and still trying to struggle to get people to buy my albums. I want to enjoy this like it's a fun summer camp experience.... But if at some point it's over, I want to understand it's time to go back to school."

Clay Aiken will perform at 8 p.m. Friday at the Greensboro Coliseum. Tickets are $35 and $45 and are available from www.tickets.com or by calling (888) 397-3100.

journalnow

[Pamela]

From RHT

"I just heard from someone in Neil Sedaka's office at Sedaka Music. Apparently, Neil is receiving a "Songwriters Hall of Fame Award" in a ceremony airing on the Bravo Channel this Sunday at 9 p.m. ET, and a "special guest" taped a very brief tribute to Neil on his receiving an award at the ceremony. Hmmmm...wonder who THAT is..."

Rumor, gossip or allegation?  I guess we'll have to watch and find out.

[Pamela]

AIRPLAY CENTRAL has a nice interview from Nashville.

[Pamela]

Press Release
Source: Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc.

Bubel/Aiken Foundation Announces New Partnership With Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
Friday July 16, 6:00 am ET  
Fundraising program to benefit young people with disabilities

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., July 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Clay Aiken's foundation for children with developmental disabilities today announced a new partnership with Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. The new program will utilize Krispy Kreme fundraising programs across the United States to raise important funds for the Bubel/Aiken Foundation, which serves to bridge the gap that exists for young people with developmental disabilities.

Clay Aiken fans and supporters nationwide can contact any local Krispy Kreme store to participate. Individuals can register to sell Krispy Kreme doughnuts or partnership cards. All proceeds will be donated to the Bubel/Aiken Foundation.

During the week of July 19th - 25th, Krispy Kreme stores nationwide will also host a special Bubel/Aiken Foundation week. The week is designed to build awareness and raise funds for this important cause.

The Clay Aiken Challenge

"I am proud to announce this special partnership with Krispy Kreme to build awareness for an important cause that is near to my heart," said Clay Aiken. "I am blessed with passionate fans who support me in so many ways, so I am issuing a challenge and will reward the fan who raises the most funds through the program with a great trip for two to one of my upcoming shows."

As a native of Krispy Kreme's home state of North Carolina, Aiken has long been a fan of Krispy Kreme and has issued a challenge to other fans. The individual who raises the most money through Krispy Kreme fundraising programs will win an all-expense paid, exclusive trip for two to attend a Clay Aiken concert or taping.

Long before he became an internationally known musical artist, Clay Aiken's life ambition was to help individuals living with disabilities. "I fell in love with working with individuals with autism and I planned my life out. I was going to teach for six years and then I wanted to go to William & Mary to get my Masters in administration. I still would love to. I could still see myself as a school principal at the age of 50," says Clay. Although Clay's time and energy has turned toward the music industry, he remains passionate about assisting mentally disabled individuals, specifically children, to live full lives in the real world.

Clay, a Raleigh, NC native, intended to pursue a career in special education and was in the process of completing his degree at UNC-Charlotte when he met Diane Bubel and her then 13-year-old son, Mike. Clay cared for Mike, who had been diagnosed with autism, for over a year. During this time, Clay grew close to the Bubel family and came to appreciate their relationship with Mike: "Working with a number of families over the span of five years, I have never seen a family make raising a child with a mental disability look so easy as the Bubel family did. While often the task can be daunting, the Bubels go about their family life with an eternally positive attitude."

For more information on the Bubel/Aiken Foundation fundraising challenge, visit http://www.bubelaikenfoundation.org or visit your local Krispy Kreme store.

About the Bubel/Aiken Foundation

The mission of The Bubel/Aiken Foundation is to provide services and financial assistance to facilitate fully the integration of children with disabilities into the life environment of those without. The Foundation will create awareness about the diversity of individuals with disabilities and the possibilities inclusion can bring. Through collaborations with the disability, education, entertainment, and media communities, the Foundation will recognize those whose commitment to breaking the stereotypes attendant to the developmentally disabled has broken barriers and extended the boundaries of the human experience for all.

About Krispy Kreme

Founded in 1937 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Krispy Kreme is a leading branded specialty retailer of premium quality doughnuts, including the Company's signature Hot Original Glazed. Last year, non-profit organizations raised more than $47 million using Krispy Kreme's fundraising programs. Krispy Kreme currently operates more than 380 stores in 44 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Krispy Kreme can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.krispykreme.com .

YAHOO

[Pamela]

Clackhouse

Clay was just on the news in Charlotte. It was one of the best interviews I've seen recently. They showed him at Camp Gonzo playing with the children. He talked about Project Gonzo, his friend from home being on the road with him and radio play. Remarked about the lack of radio play in Charlotte saying it was political. He has had success in other parts of the country but, KISS would not play him. They were upset with 19 and something else. I can't remember his other comment.

He was so cute in his shorts, flip-flops and long sleeve plaid shirt. Very natural with no make-up. He hair was not styled for the Clay look. This is the look I like.

He said only one little girl recognized him when he walked in the room. (The anchor mimed the little girl having wide eyes and putting her hand over her mouth. A little fangirly moment.) The rest of the children thought he was just someone coming to play. He looked so comfortable with the kids. He was scooting around on something like a "turtle." At one point he is watching the children making crowns. He asked the little boy if he was going to be king for the day. The boy said he was making it for his father. So sweet.

The news anchors were complimentary. One said he was remarkably unaffected by the fame. The woman anchor, who also did the interview, seemed very impressed with Clay. They also mentioned the tour, Greenville, and the upcoming Charlotte stop.

[Pamela]

Clay Aiken spends day at summer camp in Concord
 08:09 AM EDT on Friday, July 16, 2004
 

By SONJA GANTT / 6NEWS
CONCORD, N.C. -- Before he was Clay Aiken the ‘American Idol’ runner-up, Aiken spent summers not on stage but in gyms playing with kids as a camp counselor. They called him Gonzo then and now he's created a camp called Camp Gonzo.

"It's kids with disabilities, kids without disabilities, all in the same program all doing the exact same thing. They’re all having the exact same camp experience so it's exactly what we wanted to do,” Aiken said.

Through his Bubel-Aiken Foundation, Aiken has raised enough money to pay for 10 weeks of camp combined in Concord, Raleigh and Kansas City. He is on tour now, but thrilled on his day off to spend the day in Concord and see first hand what he's dreamed about for more than year.

Aiken’s day Thursday was very different than the one he now lives daily. Aiken is on tour and learning how to cope with the instant stardom ‘American Idol’ brought.

"I have a friend of mine, one of my best friends from back home from here, is on the road with me now and he helps coordinate everything so you keep enough people around you who don't care about the celebrity they just want to hang out and talk and watch movies and kick you in the butt when you do something wrong," Aiken said.

He’s also learning about the struggles of being an artist and what he calls the political nature of getting air time.

Also online
 
Watch interview with Clay Aiken
"What's ironic is that we've had success in radio everywhere else in the country. In Charlotte, the KISS station won't play it. It's a very political situation. They're upset with 19. They're upset with whatever and they won't play the music,” Aiken explained.

But he's encouraged by the success of other artists who sell a lot of CD’s, but don't get much air time. Aiken said he finds it best to think of all the trappings of celebrity the way a child might think of summer camp.

"Because at the end of the summer these kids will go back to school and it’s very possible that in a year or two I'll go back also,” Aiken said. “So you have to take every minute that happens and enjoy it for what it is.”

Aiken takes the stage in Greensboro Friday night. He'll be back in Charlotte October 16 at Carowinds.

WCNC (registration required)

[Pamela]

Clay in People magazine...again! Is he in there every week now?  

People July 26

He's in the "Scoop" section with other 'celebrity' pictures under 'Pop Quiz' where they mentioned his tour. The best one? "Kelly Clarkson called your fans crazy." He answered "They're not crazy, they're enthusiastic."

 8)  ::waves to Her::

[Pamela]

Small-town guy, big success
Posted Thursday, July 15, 2004 - 2:05 pm

By Donna Isbell Walker
ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
dwalker@greenvillenews.com

Clay Aiken says he isn't interested in being defined by record companies, industry executives or album titles.
The North Carolina-born singer, whose second-place finish on last year's "American Idol" has led to a double-platinum debut album called "Measure of a Man" and a headlining tour, has his own take on who he is and what he wants to accomplish with his music.

"I'm a nerd. That's OK with me, and if people want to buy that, then great. That's wonderful, and hopefully we'll have a long career," Aiken said over the phone from North Dakota, where he was preparing for the opening night of the tour. "If they don't, I'm not willing to change who I am to sell an album."

When Aiken sat down last year to record "Measure of a Man," he laid down the law to his record label; Aiken said he wouldn't record certain types of songs, particularly those with sexual content.

Perhaps it was a gutsy move on the part of someone making a first album for a huge and powerful record label, but 25-year-old Aiken, who auditioned for "American Idol" at the urging of friends, said he was ready to walk away from the project.

Doing it his way

"It wasn't necessarily always a dream of mine to have a record deal. I didn't even expect to do this until a year-and-a-half ago. And so it was not such a dream that I was not willing to give it up. I had rules that I wanted people to abide by, and if they didn't want to do that, if that didn't work, then OK, this isn't for me."

The album, filled with songs about love and loss, was given the title "Measure of a Man" because Aiken was adamant that it not be self-titled, as is common with first records. Clive Davis, the venerable head of RCA Records, wanted Aiken's name as the title, but Aiken balked.

"I kind of had a concern about that because so many of the songs on the album were ... downers. They were very introspective, and some of them are very heart-breaky and what-not, and that doesn't really define me at all. So I didn't want to call the album 'Clay Aiken' when I did not think the album represented who I was."

Aiken grew up in Raleigh and graduated from University of North Carolina at Charlotte. An unabashedly small-town guy, he says he shocked the Los Angeles-based members of his tour staff by declaring the low-key North Dakota town of Grand Forks a cool place. He said he misses the slower pace of Raleigh while he's on the road, but right now, his face is too familiar in his hometown.

"I can't go to the grocery store. I can't go down the street. I can't do anything at all in public that I could have done before this," he said.

A teacher first

But Aiken isn't complaining. The singer, who began his career as a special education teacher, created a foundation to help children with special needs. The foundation, he said, is a way to stay connected to the world of education while he pursues music.

But it's also a way to educate more people about the problems faced by children with disabilities. The concert stage and his national prominence are a much larger platform than a local classroom.

"I think the grand scheme of God's plan was to get me involved in that special-ed field so I would have something I was passionate about to work for, so that when I actually got to this position, I wasn't doing it for myself. I think it's the responsibility every entertainer has, if they're in the public eye, to do something with it. You can do it for your own benefit, or you can do it for someone else's benefit, and I think doing it for someone else's benefit is a little more fulfilling."

Aiken's show at the Bi-Lo Center Saturday will feature several songs from "Measure of a Man," along with some of his favorite tunes by other artists.

"It's an opportunity for me to sing some stuff that I've always liked. I sing in the car all the time ... and some songs I'm like, 'Man, I'd just love to sing that on my own, sing it with my own band.' And so this is my opportunity.

"I actually have (the band), I'm paying them, they're here; we might as well sing what I like."

 

GREENVILLE ONLINE

[Pamela]

Seldom idle now
Aiken leaves the classroom to pursue singing ... for as long as people want him

By ALAN SCULLEY
Special to The State
Posted on Fri, Jul. 16, 2004

For a select few performers, “American Idol” has become a dream vehicle by which to enter the music business. But success on “Idol” doesn’t guarantee a place in mainstream music once the show is over.

Consider Justin Guarini, who has faded quickly from the public eye since finishing second to Kelly Clarkson in the show’s inaugural 2002 season.

Clay Aiken, who finished second to Ruben Studdard in 2003, didn’t want to go the same route. He went into the making of his debut CD, “Measure of a Man,” knowing he needed to bring more to the table musically than he showed on “American Idol.”

“I think that with ‘American Idol,’ you perform a lot of classic standards stuff, and a lot of times people come out of there wondering, will this person have the ability to compete in a mainstream market?” Aiken said by phone recently.

“I think that’s what we were really trying to show with the album. Yeah, I sang ‘Build Me Up Buttercup’ and ‘Solitaire’ and ‘Mack the Knife’ on that show, but that’s not all I can do.”

Whether fans saw the songs on “Measure of a Man” as adding a new dimension to the musical personality Aiken established on “American Idol” may be open to debate. But there’s no arguing with the popularity Aiken — who will perform this weekend in Greenville and North Charleston — continues to enjoy.

“Measure of a Man” debuted last fall with first-week sales of 613,000, the second-highest total ever. It spent two weeks at No.1 and has topped 2 million in sales. Its lead single, “Invisible,” became an adult-contemporary hit.

Meanwhile, touring — first this spring with Clarkson and now as a headliner — has kept Aiken in the spotlight throughout the year.

It’s an amazing series of events for Aiken, who never saw singing as anything other than a hobby.

“I had my life planned out until I was 50 years old,” Aiken said. “I was going to be a teacher and maybe a principal, at some point. Music was not in my five-, 10-, 20-year plan. And so I would have never auditioned had it not been for someone who convinced me to do it.”

That someone was a family friend, Diane Bubel, who had heard Aiken sing and persuaded the 25-year-old Raleigh, N.C., native to try out for “Idol.”

Aiken failed in his first audition for the Fox network affiliate in Charlotte. But Bubel got him to travel to Atlanta for national auditions. He made the show and emerged alongside Studdard as a leading contender to win.

In the season finale, viewers voted Studdard the winner by a margin of less than 1 percent. But Aiken’s showing was strong enough to earn him a deal with RCA Records.

Trying to describe exactly the kind of artist Aiken wants to be is tough. Between his “American Idol” performances and the songs on “Measure of a Man,” he has sung a variety of material, from classic pre-Beatles pop to adult-contemporary fare.

Aiken enjoys the fact that he has been hard to pin down stylistically.

“I think that’s part of the reason we’ve had so much success with our album and what we’ve been doing, because we don’t necessarily fit into one of the prefabricated niches that record companies have put out,” Aiken said.

“What’s amazing about the show I was on, and the way that I came around, is because I came around by allowing the public to pick from day one.

“And I think there’s no need to put me in one of those niches, (to say), ‘This is where he belongs.’ It doesn’t matter where he belongs. People like what he does and he doesn’t have to fit into that. ... The public will decide how long they like me, and when they stop liking me, they’ll stop buying.”

THE STATE (SC)

[Pamela]

One online newsletter (CNN) has reported that Clay tour merchandise will soon be available online - bookmark this!

GIANT MERCHANDISING

[ACcountryFan]

Clay Aiken says he isn't interested in being defined by record companies, industry executives or album titles.

"I'm a nerd. That's OK with me, and if people want to buy that, then great. That's wonderful, and hopefully we'll have a long career; If they don't, I'm not willing to change who I am to sell an album."

 
===================
it's so refreshing to read someone who's grounded and not willing to chase trends and fads for easy acceptance.

i hope he starts to talk more about radio airplay. you know, Clay is one of the most popular acts out there and it would take an act like Clay talking openly about radio...putting the heat on radio in Clay's own style...that i think would cause a turn-around...that was the first time i ever read an article where Clay discussed the airplay issue in such a personal way. maybe i missed the others...but you can tell he remains optimistic by listing his sales success as opposed to airplay. If i were Clay i wouldn't do any radio interviews unless i knew they played my songs...more than 3 times a day!!

because in my opinion radio stations that won't play Clay will feel the hurt. No, they'll never admit it, but they'd feel the hurt when the Arbitron ratings come out and they see the stations that play Clay's songs or are Pro-Clay, have increases in listeners each ratings period. radio should know that Clay's on-line support informs the fans of which stations play Clay and which ones don't. Each fan who comes here is given the radio station in their area and from there it's up to the individual fan to request the music...like when IWCY is released in a few weeks.

that KISS station Clay was talking about, i had seen pictures of him in their studio doing an interview. I thought to myself upon reading Clay's comment about KISS: "of all the nerve! they get Clay to do an interview and they don't even have the courtesy to play his songs! Simply because they're in a snit over 19E they hurt Clay in the process with airplay".

these DJs who claim to like Clay have got to get some courage up and simply promote Clay on their own instead of using the cop-out phrase "my hands are tied".

No, your hands are not tied. You're not a robot. You can say anything you want on the air...if you want to say how great Clay's music is, you should be allowed to and your bosses will have a different attitude once they see Clay's fans start tuning in and bringing up the ratings.

You radio people don't know the goldmine you're missing. Think about it. Clay always brings big ratings to the TV shows he appears on. Now, wouldn't you all like to have that same kind of thing going on with your radio station with the airplay of Clay's songs?

[caramel131]

Is it just me.  When I click on the US Single Chart on page 1, the Yahoo site comes up regarding the book sales.  Can someone post the US Single Chart again?