Oakland Press Interviews Clay: Clay Wants to "Branch Out"

The Oakland Press published a short interview with Clay last Friday in preparation for tonight's concert in Sterling Heights, MI. Clay reveals that he would love to "branch out" into other parts of the entertainment business and hints at the fact that 100% original material will be coming on his next album.

Thanks to the CB's CAP121 for the scan... I've transcribed it into plain text for those of you who might have trouble reading the off scan:

It's been four years and three albums since Clay's runner-up turn on "American Idol." But the North Carolina-born singer says he's still trying to find his place in the pop world.

"I'm still trying to figure out exactly where I want to be and where I want to go," says Aiken, 28, who finished behind Ruben Studdard in "Idol's" second season. "I think the difference between someone like Kelly (Clarkson) and I is she really has found her niche and pushed herself beyond the 'Idol' kind of thing.

"But there are so many different things I like."

For now, Aiken is promoting his latest album, "A Thousand Different Ways," which features 10 covers - including love songs by Richard Marx, John Waite, Elton John, Bon Jovi and Dolly Parton - and four originals. It's an outgrowth of Aiken's 2004 (CDD note... this is an error... JBT was in 2005!) summer show, which focused on his personal favorites from the '50's through the present day. But Aiken says it's not necessarily a direction he'll stay in beyond this album - and he even has designs on doing more than just music.

"I think people like to put (performers) in a box and categorize them somehow - 'This person is an actor. This person is a singer,'" Aiken explains. "It's very rare you'll find somebody who's known for more than one thing.

"So right now, I think people see what we do as singing. I'd love to change that a bit to kind of branch out and be known as other things."

Clay Aiken performs with the Johnny Trudell Orchestra, at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Freedom Hill Amphitheatre.