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Clay Aiken music biography continued...

in his church choir and in musical theater groups, but pursued academics instead, studying special education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Aiken tried out for American Idol at the behest of friends, and although the judges initially thought he was too nerdy to be any kind of idol, they sent him through to the Hollywood round on the strength of his performance of Heatwave's "Always and Forever." Aiken made it to the round of 32 before being cut from the show, but he was invited to return for the "Wild Card" round when his performance of Elton John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" sent him on to the final 12 as the viewer's choice. While noted for his performance of ballads, such as Neil Sedaka's "Solitaire", his upbeat performances, including The Foundations' "Build Me Up Buttercup", were also appreciated. Aiken received enough votes every week to keep him out of the bottom three, along the way letting the show's stylist transform him from nerdy geek to artsy chic. On May 21, 2003, Aiken came in a close second to Ruben Studdard, but he had already impressed the powers that be in the music industry and was poised to launch a career he had only dreamed about.



In October 2003, Aiken released his first solo album, Measure of a Man, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and was the highest-selling debut for a solo artist in 10 years, and to date the highest debut of any Idol. The album went on to be certified double platinum and spawned both the hit single "Invisible" and his first hit song, "This Is the Night." Since then, Aiken has released four more albums on the RCA label: Merry Christmas with Love, A Thousand Different Ways, the Christmas EP, All is Well and, On My Way Here. He has also launched eight tours and made his Broadway debut in Spamalot in 2008. In every way, Aiken has become a sensation that most never thought possible.