Artists
Clay Aiken
American Idol premiered on June 11, 2002. Originated from the UK hit Pop Idol, it became an immediate success and one of the biggest shows in American television history. In 2006 over a billion votes were received throughout the contest. For the now running sixth season, more than one hundred thousand hopeful singers auditioned in seven cities across the country.
In the 2003 finale, aired on May 21, Clay Aiken came in a close second with Ruben Studdard winning by a narrow margin - just over 130,000 votes out of more than 24,000,000 votes cast. Aiken was rapidly offered a recording contract with RCA Records and in October he released his debut album "Measure of a Man" which went to #1 on the Billboard chart. A year later, Clay's follow-up "Merry Christmas With Love" reached #4 and tied Céline Dion's Billboard record for the highest debut by a holiday album.
Eagerly awaited by fans all around the world, Aiken's third album "A Thousand Different Ways" was set for release in the fall of 2006. Early decided to contain mainly covers, Clay turned to A Side Productions for a re-production of Elton John's 1976 classic "Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word".
Released on September 19, 2006, the album went straight to #2 on the Billboard chart making Clay Aiken the 4th artist ever to have his first three albums debuting in the Top 5.