Today's Christian Article

Although this is not new (we posted scans this in October), Clay is in the November/December 2005 issue of Today's Christian. The magazine posted the article onto its website today.

Heart of Clay
Clay Aiken became a superstar on TV's American Idol, but this Christian kid from North Carolina insists he'll always stay true to himself and to God.

By Holly Vicente Robaina

Taping for the new season of Fox television's American Idol began this fall, with thousands of teens and 20-somethings heading for audition sites in metropolitan areas from San Francisco to Boston. Many traveled for hours, then slept on the streets for days, just to sing a few bars of one song--a few notes that could land them on the reality show, and, potentially, on the fast track to stardom.

Three years ago, one of those hopefuls was Clayton Aiken, a lanky, big-eared, 24-year-old redhead in Coke-bottle glasses. At the beginning of Idol's second season, he was introduced to millions of American viewers as "Clay." None of the judges seemed to expect anything special. But when the geeky-looking young man from Raleigh, North Carolina, opened his mouth to sing, jaws dropped in disbelief. You could almost feel every viewer across the country nodding in agreement when sharp-tongued Idol judge Simon Cowell told him, "You don't look like a pop star."

It was a curious moment: How could that big voice come out of a 145-pound beanpole? His appearance didn't meet Hollywood standards, and Idol viewers soon discovered his personality didn't, either. Clay spoke openly about his Christian beliefs. He didn't drink, smoke, swear, or ogle women. His every action went against the grain, from the clean songs he chose to perform on the show to wearing a WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) bracelet, which had gone out of style years before.

Rather than attempting to hide his oddness, Clay reveled in it. What's more, he brought his vocal A-game to Idol week after week. Soon, curiosity turned into national obsession.

Second-place winner
In the American Idol final, Clay lost to soulful Alabama crooner Ruben Studdard (another singer who didn't fit the pop-star mold) by a margin believed to be less than 1 percent of the viewer vote. But Clay's runner-up status became a moot point: He went on to release double- and triple-platinum-selling albums, with his first, Measure of a Man, outselling both Ruben's and first-season winner Kelly Clarkson's debut efforts. In 2003, Clay was named Fan's Choice winner at the American Music Awards, selected as one of People magazine's Top Entertainers of the Year, and picked as TV Guide's Fan's Favorite Reality Star. He's become, arguably, the most beloved artist Idol has churned out to date.

But celebrity hasn't been all roses. He jokes that the paparazzi know his schedule better than he does. Details of his life regularly appear on newsstands and the Internet, from what he eats for breakfast (his favorite cereal is Cinnamon Toast Crunch) to his bad habits (he used to bite his toenails). Speculation swirled about his sexuality. (No, he's not gay.) And the story of Clay's strained relationship with his late biological father became fodder for the media as well, forcing him to address painful aspects of his personal life.

Such scrutiny would wear on anyone. But it's been particularly tough for a young man whose small-town, Southern Baptist upbringing sheltered him from much of the hype and excess of popular culture. After all, this is a guy who, when asked to name his own celebrity idols, struggled to name two: Reba McEntire … and Mister Rogers.

Faith in the spotlight
Under the Hollywood microscope, Clay's life has been magnified to metaphoric proportions. His appearance is caricatured as a cross between Alfred E. Neuman and Howdy Doody. His name itself became an acceptable way to describe a performer who lacks conventional good looks but can blow away an audience.

It's difficult to see the real Clay Aiken through the muddled mess of stereotypes that have been created in an effort to make sense of him. Perhaps that's why he's so measured on the topic of faith.

"Some people have argued that I'm too religious and that I talk about my faith too much," he writes in his best-selling book, Learning to Sing. "Other people have criticized me because I don't stand up for my beliefs enough. But my position is that there's a fine line that has to be walked. There are a lot of people who have given Christians a really bad name by being overly aggressive."

He won't sing about sex, or even use lyrics with innuendo. Yet he insists that he doesn't want to be an explicitly "Christian" singer, because he feels called to reach a wider audience. He told Today's Christian: "I grew up in a small Baptist church. Some of the most amazing and God-fearing people were a part of my church family. It seemed, however, that every time the church grew, it was because someone was 'transferring his letter'--and any real Southern Baptist knows exactly what that means. We almost never got new members who weren't already going to church somewhere else! We were just trading sheep."

He adds, "I sort of feel the same way about Christian radio. I know all of the songs and all of the artists, and it ministers to me, because it helps me learn more about myself and my walk with God. But the people I know who aren't Christians don't listen to Christian radio stations. So, if I can put a secular love song on an album, and someone can interpret it in a way that makes them think of God's love for them or the power of Jesus' sacrifice, then I think I've fulfilled my purpose."

Clay thinks there are great outreach opportunities for a secular artist, and he seems to find plenty. His charitable foundation and his work with UNICEF have allowed him to serve those in severe need (see p. 22). And last year he recorded a holiday album, Merry Christmas with Love, which included several songs about Christ's birth. During a tour for Disney, he even sang an explicitly Christian song, "You Were There," which references Abraham, David, and Jesus. He'd thought his sponsor might yank the song, and he was ready to fight for it--even willing to quit the tour. But Disney had no qualms about letting him sing it.

Freedom of expression
So far, expressing his faith in Hollywood hasn't been a problem for the star. From early on, there was no denying either the enthusiasm of his fans or his commercial success. So his handlers quickly adopted the policy of letting Clay be Clay.

"I think there is a predisposition among Christians that Hollywood is anti-Jesus or anti-Christianity. I was warned I'd have to fight to maintain the freedom to express my beliefs," Clay says. "It's an unfair stereotype, and so far that's been the farthest from the truth. While everyone I work with may not share my beliefs, I have been surrounded by nothing but support."

Sometimes, he's even encouraged to live out loud. His WWJD bracelet has been a regular accessory since one of his former YMCA campers sent it to him while he was competing on Idol. Clay put it on his right wrist and never took it off. As he was heading to a video shoot for his song "Invisible," he noticed it had fallen off. He mentioned it to his representative, and the shoot was immediately put on hold until someone could locate the bracelet. "It's just understood that [the bracelet] is important to me, not only as an outward expression, but also as a personal reminder," he says.

Clay's genuineness has struck a chord with a legion of fans, including many who aren't Christians. One, a 50-year-old Jewish woman named Susan, has already been to 11 Clay Aiken concerts. (The singer has a zealous fan base among middle-age women.) Says Susan: "Clay's not perfect, nor pretends to be, but he has a belief system that he's not afraid to live by. I may not have the same beliefs that he has, but I admire his resolve in maintaining his."

Perhaps the biggest concern for Clay isn't the pressures from without, but those from within. The singer's wild popularity has made his life lonelier. It's hard to maintain old friendships, and meeting new people requires caution, since there are plenty of "friends" who've come out of the woodwork from every which direction. Former classmates who never spoke to him in high school now ask him to sing at their weddings.

Some of his more ardent fans, or "Claymates," as some like to describe themselves, have even taken to tossing intimate apparel onstage at his shows. Many pop stars play along with such antics, even encourage them. But Clay has made it clear that he's not interested in indecent propositions.

Will he stay or will he go?
Between recording, concert tours, interviews, and charity work, Clay hasn't had much time lately to feel like the normal guy that he is. Not known for hitting the town or hanging out with other celebrities, he spends his rare free moments at home with his dog, Raleigh. He doesn't like large social functions--for him, six or more in a room is a crowd--and the Los Angeles lifestyle doesn't appeal to him at all. He told TV Guide, "L.A. is such a lonely city. … Everybody here is concerned with the wrong things, with their outsides. People are so concerned with their outsides, and everybody else's outsides, that their insides rot."

He even decided to sell the lavish six-bedroom home he had bought just last fall. He told TV Guide that he was considering moving back to his hometown. But would he be at home back in North Carolina--or anywhere else, for that matter? He can't go into a grocery store to buy a loaf of bread without having to sign a dozen autographs. When he stopped his car to take a call on his cell phone one day, some fans began beating on his windows. He was booed at his own college commencement. Whether it's being loved or hated for his nearly instant fame, he can't seem to escape it.

Still, Clay seems determined to ride out his celebrity--bumps and all--until its natural end. That, he believes, is his duty and call.

"If I were to say I was done with it, I think that would be selfish. God gave me my voice for a much higher purpose than just to sing. I'm here for a reason," he writes in Learning to Sing. "In church in Raleigh, the congregation used to say, 'Make sure you use your voice for the Lord.' I feel that is what I'm doing. And I will continue doing it until the Lord tells me to pipe down."

Holly Vicente Robaina is a writer living in California.

'Where God Wants Me'
Becoming a pop star was neither Clay Aiken's goal nor his dream. Prior to American Idol, he'd formed a life plan: he'd teach, get his master's in administration, then become a principal by age 50.

He'd found his passion in teaching children with developmental disabilities, and began working one-on-one with an autistic student, Mike Bubel. Mike's mom, Diane, had seen Idol and knew of Clay's talent. When she heard Idol was auditioning, she pestered Clay until he agreed to try out. Her persistence changed Clay's life.

But all the glamour of Hollywood couldn't sway Clay from his first calling. Immediately after Idol wrapped, he started The Bubel/Aiken Foundation, a nonprofit that assists children with special needs.

"I get excited about the work that I see being done through the foundation," Clay told Today's Christian. "We have an amazing group of my fans who have, in turn, become supporters of the foundation. Through them we have been able to do a great deal of work in spreading the word about the need for and the benefits of inclusion for children with disabilities."

In addition to work with his own charity, Clay also has signed on as an ambassador for both Ronald McDonald House Charities and UNICEF. This year he assisted with a UNICEF telethon to aid South Asia tsunami victims, then visited the most devastated area in Indonesia in March. A month after that visit, he testified before Congress on behalf of UNICEF, asking for increased U.S. funding to aid tsunami victims. He also visited war-torn Uganda with UNICEF to raise awareness about the plight of children there.

It's opportunities like these that keep the singer grounded and mindful of why God led him to American Idol. "My life has been guided by Provident direction more than anything else," he says. "I was really in the place God wanted me to be, at the time He wanted me to be there."
--H.V.R.