Clay Aiken, the "American Idol" second-place winner whose singing career has taken him to unexpected heights, says it's the little things that are hard to get used to. For example, he can't go to the mall anymore.
"I don't think anyone can prepare themselves for the fame surrounding the 'American Idol,' " Aiken said by telephone from Dallas. "It was impossible to know what was going to happen once I got onto 'Idol.' I've gotten used to people staring at me, but I can't go out by myself. I can't go shopping at the mall because I'll get mobbed. So, in a sense, it's hard to be myself.
"But I'm not complaining. I really love what I'm doing, and I am getting used to stardom."
One of the perks of his job is being able to do things for his family, he said. "I was able to pay off my mother's house. And I bought my brother the car he wanted to have. I'm making a lot more than I would as an educator."
Aiken said he actually hadn't planned to try out for "American Idol." He had another reality show in his sights. "I did 'American Idol' because someone begged me to do it. I thought it was a long shot. I wanted to do another reality show, 'The Amazing Race,' but the person begged and begged me to go on.
"I did, and here I am."
"American Idol" is, of course, Fox TV's reality game show that auditions singers in search of a superstar. Hosted by Ryan Seacrest, the program features performers from all over the country who sing on live TV before three judges (and viewers at home who vote by calling a toll-free number or text messaging), hoping to score a recording contract. (The three judges are singer Paula Abdul, producer Randy Jackson and brutally honest recording-industry executive Simon Cowell.)
To get on the show, singers audition in cities across the nation. Those who are called back proceed to a second audition in California before the three judges, who narrow the field to four groups of eight. These 32 singers perform on the show, and viewers vote for two finalists from each group. Then the three judges each choose one finalist from a pool of 12 "wild-card" candidates, and viewers select one more. Those four join the eight previously selected contestants for the finals. Then it's up to viewers, who vote to eliminate one candidate each week until only the new "American Idol" remains.
Before he ever got on TV, Aiken's second callback performance was quite nerve-wracking, he said. The program's co-executive producer, Nigel Lythgoe, told him to sing directly to Abdul. But when his time came, Abdul was absent and Aiken found himself singing only to Cowell and Jackson. After the performance, Cowell told Aiken he didn't look like a pop star but had a great voice. Jackson suggested Aiken advance to the California rounds.
Aiken barely made the cut thanks to viewers who liked his performance in the "wild-card" round, when he sang Elton John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me." The viewers loved it so much that they kept advancing him.
After weeks of competing, Aiken found himself singing head-to-head with eventual "American Idol" winner Ruben Studdard. During the final round, which was decided by 25 million viewers, Studdard won the top seat by 130,000 votes.
Studdard followed first-year "American Idol" winner Kelly Clarkson to the expected recording and concert fame, but Aiken has had a surprising rise to stardom as well. Last year, when the "American Idol" tour came through Salt Lake City, Studdard was the headliner, but Aiken stole the show. This year, Aiken gets equal billing with Clarkson. "I've known Kelly for a while. We're like siblings. We pick on each other, but we have a lot of respect for each other. We encourage each other, and we're having a great time.
"When I first toured with her last year, we really didn't know each other and didn't know what to expect. But this year, we're even sharing the same tour bus."
Post-"American Idol," Aiken has also garnered a Fan Choice Award at the recent American Music Awards and a Billboard Music Award for Best Selling Single of 2003, for his hit "This Is the Night/Bridge Over Troubled Water." ("This Is the Night" held the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles for 11 weeks. The song's first-week sales were 392,000 copies, which tied Elton John's tribute to Princess Diana, "Candle in the Wind 1997." By the end of 2003, "This Is the Night" became the only single that sold more than 1 million copies that year.)
Aiken's album, "Measure of a Man," produced by Clive Davis, took Billboard's Top 200 Album charts by storm and attained the No. 1 spot for two weeks. And his follow-up single, "Invisible," was recently voted No. 1 on MTV's "Total Request Live."
In addition to touring with Clarkson, he also has plans for his solo career. "I'm planning to do a solo tour in the summer. I'm also getting ready to do a holiday album. And I've got ideas for my next album, and I really can't wait to get into the studio."
And the celebrity accolades just keep rolling in: Aiken was also voted one of the People Magazine's sexiest men and one of its Top Entertainers of the Year. Entertainment Weekly's list of 25 Entertainers of the Year. TV Guide's Favorite Reality Star of 2003. And he has appeared on "Late Show With David Letterman," "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," "Good Morning America," "Live With Regis and Kelly," "The View" and "Oprah."
Pretty good for the guy who came in second.
If you go
What: "American Idol" Tour, Clay Aiken, Kelly Clarkson
Where: Delta Center
When: Tonight, 7 p.m.
How much: $35 and $45
Phone: 325-7328
Web: www.ticketmaster.com
E-mail: scott@desnews.com