Clay Talks About Broadway, Post-Idol Career with Steppin' Out Magazine

An interview with Clay is the cover story for this week's Steppin' Out Magazine. The interview covers a number of topics in his post-Idol career as well as some of his thoughts on starring in Broadway. Read the entire interview below. Click on the thumbnails to enlarge.

And while we're on the topic of interviews, here are two more:

• First up ... interview with the Kansas City Star's American Idol blog:

  What did you know about Monty Python before you took this role?
  
  Nothing. I thought “Spamalot” was about unwanted e-mails. The first time I saw the musical, I was like, “Uh, really?” I mean, it’s not like “Wicked” or anything like that. It’s completely different. The second time I saw it I laughed so hard …
  
  Why Sir Robin?
  
  It’s the character they suggested, probably because there are so many similarities. He’s afraid of everything. He’s a bit of a chicken.
  
  Talk about what you wanted to accomplish when you went into the studio to record the new album.
  
  We’ve wanted to do an album of original material because it has been five years now since the last one. That was the goal: to do songs that could become ours. A majority of the process came down to finding songs that fit me more than songs that pushed me to be something. On the last album we spent a lot of time trying to put square pegs in round holes.
  
  [...]
  
  Is a tour in the works?
  
  I finish “Spamalot” on May 4, right before the album comes out. But I haven’t had two days off in a row since October. It would be impossible to put out the album and then tour next month. So I’ll take some time off. Who knows, maybe through the end of the year. I’ll probably tour for UNICEF this summer, but I’m looking forward to sitting down and sitting still and not doing things like getting my haircut while I’m doing an interview.”, which is what I’m doing right now.
  
  [...]

• Second one is from Artist Direct -

  So, how is Spamalot going for you? You must be so busy right now.
  
  Almost over. I'm busier now with album stuff, but I've got seven more shows.
  
  Are you going to miss it when you're done?
  
  I'm sure I will to some extent; it's been a lot of fun. It's been a great experience. I'm glad I did it. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.
  
  [...]
  
  Your first single, "On My Way Here," was written by Ryan from OneRepublic. How did you find that song? What made it stand out to not only be the lead single but the name of the album? Is it at all because of the success of OneRepublic?
  
  Well, we found this song the same way we found all the other ones. We found it through a publisher and it had some great lyrics and a great message to it, and it was something immediately that I saw on the album.
  
  Did that set the tone for the other songs that you chose for the record?
  
  Absolutely. When I think about the theme for the whole album, this song pops out, and the experiences and all that. We decided that we wanted all the songs on the album to take up that same tone. All the songs are kind of about someone growing up and going through experiences and finding out who they are.
  
  You've said that the album is kind of a road map of the past five years of your life, chronicling how you got to where you are now. Is it a very personal record in that respect, or can other people going through their own "coming of age" relate?
  
  It's both. It's a coming of age [album]—coming to what an adult is record—and as much as it is now, I'm doing the same myself. There are parts of the songs that are very personal.
  
  [...]
  
  The album has a lot of variety: jazz to your standard pop and some rock. Are you trying to show off your versatility and range? How does Clay Aiken find a song that is going to suit you well?
  
  We don't. We find a song we think is good. And then it's just kind of gut instincts, really. I think we found songs this time we thought were great songs, and then we'd sing through them one time—and then, you know what? That would be good for someone else; it doesn't fit right for me. It's got to be right, and it's got to be believable.
  
  [...]