Twin Cities Pioneer Press: Clay Aiken "keeping things simple"

Clay's pair of Dec. 19/20 concerts in the twin cities Minneapolis-St. Paul is getting some great press coverage. On Friday, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune published an interview with Clay and today we found this from the Twin Cities Pioneer Press:

Clay Aiken hard at work keeping things simple
BY ROSS RAIHALA

There was no grand plan behind the concept for Clay Aiken's fourth annual Christmas tour, which stops in Minneapolis for two shows Wednesday and Thursday.

"It came out of me being lazy," the "American Idol" veteran said with a giggle.

It was a simple idea, really. Aiken decided to build this year's tour around cherished holiday memories.

All of which, of course, is a brilliant way for Aiken to keep those faithful fans interested. Aiken hasn't been able to maintain the record sales of fellow "AI" vets Kelly Clarkson, Chris Daughtry and Carrie Underwood. His second album, "A Thousand Different Ways," flopped at retail.

Yet Aiken hasn't disappeared. His lucrative Christmas tours help pay the bills, and he has continued to be a familiar face on television, from frequent appearances on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" to, most recently, the celebrity edition of "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?"

In a continued move toward diversification, Aiken's next venture will take him to Broadway. He'll take over the role of Sir Robin in "Monty Python's Spamalot" for a four-month run starting in mid-January.

One thing that won't surprise people, though, is Aiken's next album, which he hopes to release in 2008.

"We're trying to find songs that are musically me," he said. "I love Justin Timberlake and Maroon 5 and a lot of the stuff on the radio. But I'm not Justin Timberlake or Maroon 5, and I'm never going to be as cool as them. If I try to sing something too cool, it doesn't work. It's like your mom trying to use slang words - it just sounds wrong."