Clay Aiken
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Clay Aiken is an American pop singer who rose to fame on the second season of the television show American Idol in which he became the first runner-up. His single, "This is The Night" became an instant hit and Clay become the most successful runner up finisher of the said show.
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About
Clay Aiken was born on November 30, 1978 at Raleigh, North Carolina. Clay started singing at an early age. As a young boy, he was a member of the Raleigh Boys Choir and performing with a local Raleigh Band. He graduated in Raleigh's Leesville Road High School. He graduated in University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a degree of Special education. While attending college, he took a part time job as an assistant to a boy with autism. The child’s mother convinced Clay to audition for American Idol.
When the three judges of American Idol saw Clay for the first time at the audition, they judge him as a nerdy type unlikely to be any kind of idol, but when they heard him sang "Always and Forever", they were surprise and impressed and eventually they choose him as one of the finalists of American Idol season 2. Clay emerged as a close runner up of Ruben Studdard.
His single, "This is The Night" was released shortly after the American Idol finals in 2003 and sold more than 392,000 copies in its first week alone. After two months, it was already RIAA certified platinum debuting at number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot 100 Single Sales Chart. The single was the fastest-selling single since Elton John's "Candle in the Wind" in 1997 and the best-selling single of 2003. The single also reached number one in other countries, such as New Zealand where it was certified platinum and in Canada where it went six times platinum.
His first album, Measure of a Man was released on 2003, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, and sold 613,000 copies in its first week. The album was a certified RIAA Double Platinum after one month from its released. On the later part of that year, Clay won the Fan's Choice Award at the American Music Awards and his single "This is The Night" won the billboard award of the Best-selling Single of 2003.
On 2004, Clay released his first holiday album, Merry Christmas with Love it debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200. The album sold more than 1 million copies in just 6 weeks and was the best-selling holiday album of 2004; the album went platinum on the early part of 2005. In December 2004, he already had his own Special Christmas show, A Clay Aiken Christmas with special guest, Barry Manilow.
In the early part of 2005, Clay had appeared on the sitcom, Scrubs where he played the role of Kenny, a cafeteria worker whose job was in jeopardy. Clay had just recently released his third album, A Thousand Different Ways, on September 2006.
Songs Performed in American Idol
- This is The Night
- Here, There and Everywhere
- Bridge Over Troubled Water
- Vincent
- Mack The Knife
- Unchained Melody
- Grease
- To Love Somebody
- Solitaire
- Build Me Up Buttercup
- I Could Not Ask For More
- Tell Her About It
- At This Moment
- Everlasting Love
- Someone Else's Star
- Somewhere Out There
- I Can't Help Myself
- Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me
- Open Arms
Awards
| Year | Category | Awards |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Best Selling Christian Album | Billboard Awards |
| 2004 | Best Selling Christmas Album for Merry Christmas With Love | Billboard Awards |
| 2004 | Top 40 Male Artist of The Year | New Music Weekly Awards |
| 2004 | Outstanding Yuletide CD for Merry Christmas With Love | American Christian Music Awards |
| 2003 | Best Selling Single for "Bridge Over Troubled Water" | Billboard Awards |
| 2003 | Fan's Choice Awards | American Music Awards |
Certifications
- The single Bridge Over Troubled Water has been certified platinum in New Zealand.
- The single Bridge Over Troubled Water has been certified 6x platinum in Canada.
- The Album Measure of A Man has been certified doubled platinum by RIAA Certification on November 17, 2003, barely a month after released.
Chart Toppers
| Year | Title | Billboard Hot 100 | US | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Bridge Over Troubled Water | 1 | 1 | Bridge Over Troubled Water |
| 2004 | The Way | - | 4 | Measure of A Man |
News
Tours & Concerts
Nov 06, 2007 Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Nov 26, 2007 Central Christian Church, Wichita, Kansas, United States
Nov 27, 2007 Fabulous Fox Theatre - St. Louis, Saint Louis Missouri, United States
Nov 28, 2007 Morris Performing Arts Center, South Bend, Indiana, United States
Nov 29, 2007 Genesee Theatre, Waukegan, Illinois, United States
Nov 30, 2007 James W. Miller Auditorium, Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States
Dec 02, 2007 Warner Theatre, Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Dec 04, 2007 FM Kirby Center For The Performing Arts, Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania, United States
Dec 06, 2007 State Theatre, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States
Dec 07, 2007 Palace Performing Arts Center, Albany, New York, United States
Dec 08, 2007 Mid-Hudson Civic Center - Mair Hall, Poughkeepsie, New York, United States
Dec 09, 2007 Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino - Sun Arena Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Dec 11, 2007 Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, New Jersey, United States
Dec 12, 2007 State Theatre Center, Easton, Pennsylvania, United States
Dec 13, 2007 Community Theatre, Morristown, New Jersey, United States
Dec 15, 2007 Community Arts Center, Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States
Dec 16, 2007 Erie Civic Center Complex, Erie, Pennsylvania, United States
Dec 19, 2007 Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Dec 20, 2007 Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Dec 21, 2007 Orpheum Theatre - Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska, United States
Dec 22, 2007 Star Plaza Theatre, Merrillville, Indiana, United States
Announcements
There are no announcements as of this time
Discography
Albums
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Compilations & Live Releases
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Singles
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Other artists
Similar artists
Influences
Contemporaries
Trivia
- Clay Aiken is the ambassador of Ronald Mcdonald House Charities.
- He was appointed U.S. Fund for UNICEF National Ambassador.
- His audition number in American Idol was 5230.
- He is one of the faces on the Plash Mastercard debit card through first premier bank.
Reviews
External Links
Categories: Artist | Pop | Rock | American Idol
