Clay Aiken

Clay Aiken (born Clayton Holmes Grissom on November 30, 1978) is an American popular music singer who rose to fame on the American Idol television program, and who has become the most successful second-place finisher in that show's history.

American Idol

The American Idol judges first saw Aiken as a nerdy type unlikely to be any kind of idol, but they were immediately impressed once he began singing Heatwave's "Always and Forever." The clip of the judges' surprise during this audition performance was replayed many times over the course of the competition.

Related Topics:
Nerdy - Heatwave

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Aiken made it to the round-of-32, but was not voted to the final round on his first try, a performance of Journey's "Open Arms." He finished third in his semifinal group of eight behind eventual winner Ruben Studdard and eventual third-place finisher Kimberley Locke. However, during the "wild card" round, Aiken's well-received performance of Elton John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" propelled him into the final 12. Within the first few weeks, he (aided by a makeover from the show's producers, when he a grew a mini-mullet) and Studdard emerged as the clear favorites of both the judges and the fans. While Aiken was especially noted for his performance of ballads, such as the dramatically-lit rendition of Neil Sedaka's "Solitaire," his upbeat performances, including The Foundations' "Build Me Up Buttercup," were also met with considerable enthusiasm from the voters.

Related Topics:
Journey - Ruben Studdard - Kimberley Locke - Elton John - Makeover - Mullet - Neil Sedaka - The Foundations

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In the end, Aiken came in a close second in the contest, with Studdard winning by a narrow margin. (The result was somewhat controversial as some hypothesized that Idols voting system was incapable of handling the number of attempted calls, thereby possibly yielding a random result.) Though the show's "first runner-up," he has since gone on to be the second season's best-selling star.

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