ldyjocelyn
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A cute pic from one of Ruben's cousins. https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1545500419535045&set=a.1545497676201986
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Happy 20th anniversary to this album! Gosh, that brings back memories of the release parties. I drove up to a Chicago suburb, my introduction to Red Robin restaurants. They let us stay to watch the Jay Leno interview with Clay, and then we all walked to the record store near the restaurant. That place stayed open just for us. The person I stayed with and I had neither listened to any of the clips, so on our drive back to her place (about 45-50 minutes) was just enough time for us to listen to the album for the first time. The next morning, I drove back home and listened to it 2-3 times more. It was an amazing time to be a Clay fan.
It still is today. Love you Clay!
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oaoa.com
American Idol finalists coming to Wagner Noël
QuoteAmerican Idol finalists coming to Wagner Noël
Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken celebrate historic finale with 20th anniversary tour
In the spring of 2003, American television audiences were captivated by the relatively new series “American Idol.”
The show was in its second season and viewership was through the roof as audiences eagerly waited to see who was going to be the next winner.
The intense season came down to two finalists — Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard.
In the end, it was Studdard who squeezed past Aiken in the voting to win Season 2 of American Idol.
That season’s finale remains the most-watched episode in the show’s history and the highest-rated regularly scheduled, live, non-sporting television episode of the 21st century with 38.1 million viewers.
Studdard won by only 134,000 votes out of the 24 million votes recorded.
To say that it was a big deal at the time would be an understatement.
Twenty years later, Studdard and Aiken remain good friends and will soon be in the Permian Basin to mark the anniversary of their unforgettable season on “American Idol.”Both singers will be performing at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 18 with “Ruben and Clay-Twenty Years, One Night” at the Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center.
Tickets can be purchased online at tinyurl.com/ymavxp2u.
Aiken and Studdard recently sat down to do a phone interview with the Odessa American about their current tour and reflect on their time on “American Idol” back in 2003.
It’s the first time both singers will be performing at the Wagner Noël and they are excited about coming to the Permian Basin.
“I’m excited because I know West Texas has some great barbecue so I can’t wait to get there so that we can get some beef ribs and some brisket,” Studdard said.
This isn’t the first time both have toured together since 2003.
“We’ve done tours before,” Aiken said. “We toured together with the Idol tour and then we toured together in 2010 and we did a show together on Broadway in 2018. We both looked for opportunities to do something together.”
The two singers realized that they had to do something special for their 20th anniversary this year.
“We’ve sort of always wanted to do it, but we’ve always had to look for the right moment and Ruben said it’s the 20th anniversary coming up and suggested that it would be a good time to get the group back together,” Aiken said. “It’s a great thing to celebrate. It’s really exciting, but it’s really heartbreaking because we’re getting older. It’s been 20 years. As we say at the show, a lot of people who do this are lucky enough to do this for four or five years. Many people don’t have the luxury that we’ve had to do this for 20 years. It’s definitely exciting.”
As for who exactly came up with the idea, Studdard said they both did, but he gave Aiken a lot of credit for making it work.
“I would say that I suggested it, that we have something for our 20 anniversary, but as far as us getting serious about it, it was both of our ideas, because it takes a lot of planning and preparation to get ready for something like this,” Studdard said. “Clay is very detailed-oriented and I’m more of a creative side of things. It takes both of us as far as us making this work and I think he did a great job.”
As Season 2 of “Idol” began, both singers auditioned, not knowing what was going to happen.
Aiken and Studdard were just hoping to break into the music industry.
“I can’t tell you how long I’ve been trying to be a part of the music industry,” Studdard said. “As a kid, I was in groups, we had managers and demos. Even in high school, I was in solo acts. I did all the things that you were supposed to do and none of it seemed to work. ‘Idol’ was the thing that gave me the nudge that I really wanted and needed to be a part of the music industry.”
Aiken wasn’t sure what would happen with him as well when that season started.
“Ruben knew that’s what he wanted to do,” Aiken said. “I wasn’t sure for myself. We came from very different backgrounds and different motivations for auditioning. But we all were very innocent. Even at age 24 back then, we didn’t know that what we were walking into was going to be a national phenomenon.”
While there’s never going to be the same energy the two had in 2003, this current tour has been a fun trip down memory lane, not just for Aiken and Studdard but for their fans as well.
“It’s great to hear people’s stories about how their families were inspired by our music,” Studdard said. “I remember people saying they watched that season with their grandma who is no longer with them and that experience to me is great because that was the first time my granddad got to see me sing. He’s no longer with me. I understand people’s connections to that nostalgia.”
Aiken echoed those thoughts and added that he and Studdard didn’t think the 20th anniversary tour would last long at first.
“It brings back a lot of memories for people,” Aiken said. “People will tell us how much they’ve been taken back by this. That’s probably why this tour has done so well. We originally thought it would be two months, but after the first two months, people kept calling the agency and asking to book it. … The energy has been great and people have enjoyed living in that simpler, better time of 2003.”
As the season rolled on, both were just happy to have people listening to them perform.
“I just wanted the opportunity to have someone hear me that was for real,” Studdard said. “You have to understand that in the journey of this music thing, you have to know somebody who knows somebody … There was not a shadow of doubt that if I made it to a certain point in that show, someone for real would hear me. After that, we were just having fun. We were fully into it.”
As audiences held their breath during the season finale to await the winner, one of the finalists already knew who the winner was going to be before the host, Ryan Seacrest, announced it.
Aiken knew that Studdard had won, right before taking the stage.
“I saw it behind the scenes before we walked out on stage,” Aiken said. “We had been standing off stage, talking. Then Ruben had just said ‘can you believe that we, the least likely people in the world, are in the finals?’ After he said that, I turned around and Ryan was checking the card beforehand and I saw Ruben’s name on it before we walked out. Ruben had no idea, though.”
As for what was going through Studdard’s mind at the time? He was just ready to go to sleep.
“I was thinking, ‘I’m really ready to go to bed now,’” Studdard said. “That was literally the only thought in my head because people had no idea that we had been in three or four states in a short amount of time. I thought that was going to be the moment where at least we got a day off. But then we got on a plane and did more.”
There was no bitter feud between the two or anything like that.
Aiken and Studdard were just happy to not only make it that far but to also have both of their albums released that year.
“We had the luxury of them confirming to us halfway through that episode that they were going to put both of our albums out,” Aiken said. “We weren’t sure if we were going to get that. We were like ‘hell yeah! We both get an album?’ So in that final episode, it was basically a formality. But there was never this competition between both of us. We were ready to see what the next step of our careers was going to be.”
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Another print interview. Full text again in the news section.
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azcentral.com
'Idol' rivals Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken are keeping the magic alive. See them in Phoenix
Quote'Idol' rivals Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken are keeping the magic alive. See them in Phoenix
Ed Masley
Arizona RepublicIt’s been 20 years since Ruben Studdard squeaked by Clay Aiken to win Season 2 of “American Idol.”
That season finale remains the most-watched episode in “Idol” history and the highest-rated regularly scheduled, live, non-sporting television episode of the 21st century with 38.1 million viewers.
It was kind of a big deal.
That’s why Studdard and Aiken are headed to Phoenix with Twenty | The Tour for a show at the Orpheum Theatre to celebrate their anniversary.
Well, that and the fact that they formed more of a friendship than a rivalry on their way to the finals, where Studdard prevailed by a margin of 134,000 votes of the 24 million total.
We caught up with Aiken and Studdard to discuss the tour, the “rivalry” that never was and more.
How does it feel to be out there celebrating 20 years since the two of you did ‘’American Idol” together?
Studdard: It feels absolutely amazing to know that I’m 20 years older than I was on “American Idol” (laughs).
Aiken: We do move a little slower (laughs). It’s crazy. Ruben pointed out to me that it was coming up on 20 years about a year or so ago and I don’t think that I had even comprehended what that meant. It sort of feels like it was yesterday to some degree. And to think about just how long 20 years really is, it’s a little mind-blowing and a little bit humbling, too.
We’ve been lucky enough to keep doing this 20 years later and a lot of people have not had that luxury in their careers, so we feel really good about that.
This isn’t the first time you have worked together since the show. What do you think keeps bringing you back together?
Studdard: I honestly think it’s the response from the fans. They really enjoy the nostalgia of it all and the opportunity to see us on stage together.
Aiken: That and it’s easy. And by easy, I mean it's easy because we’ve known each other 20 years. We’ve been close friends for 20 years. We’ve done one other tour together, a Broadway show and now this second tour together. It’s very easy when you work with someone you know and can trust.
There’s certainly comfort in not having to carry the whole burden of a show on your own. But it’s even easier and more fun when you know there’s a natural chemistry.
You guys are obviously friends. When it came down to just the two of you on “Idol,” though, there had to be a sense of competition. Was there a rivalry?
Studdard: I mean, you know, I think the competitive nature of the show, I only felt during the earliest moments of the show, when we were in those large groups. Once we were in the group of people that made it to the house, so to speak, it took on a family atmosphere.
Aiken: Also, I can say emphatically that very last week of the show, when it was just the two of us, I would argue that was possibly the least competitive any of us had been. At that point, I think we both felt that we had made it to the end. We were gonna be on every episode of the season.
But there were also no stakes to Season 2 in the way I think there were for other seasons. When Fantasia showed up for her audition, she had seen Kelly sell her album very successfully. She had seen our season air to 40 million people in its finale. People who came into Season 3 and 4 and beyond, they knew what “Idol” could do for them and what was at stake if they were successful.
When Ruben and I and all of us on our season auditioned, we didn’t have the benefit of that information. We auditioned for a show that had gotten 9 million viewers the season before. And we all thought this would be a fun thing to do, that we might make some contacts and might get to make an album. And then we might go home.
Do you remember when you met? Did you immediately bond?
Aiken: (laughs uproariously) Ruben and I bonded over, I think, the fact that we were so similar. (Laughs). No, I’m kidding. We’re so different.
But we both had a strong affection for our home states. He was telling me all the people who were from Birmingham. I was telling him all the things that were great about Raleigh. And we just kind of competed back and forth with each other about that and that built a friendship.
But like Ruben’s been saying, there was something about that season. Season 2 is the only season where everybody lived in a house together. We roomed with each other, ate dinner together. Everything was done together. All subsequent seasons, they had hotel rooms or little apartments and lived their own separate lives. We shared everything.
Have you stayed in touch with other people from that season?
Studdard: We’ve stayed in touch with everybody. We have our own little Facebook chat group and text chat group for everybody from the Top 12.
Aiken: Julie DeMato, who was in our season, she’s already been to this show. Vanessa Olivarez, who was in the Top 12 with us, she’s coming to the Nashville show. They all come when they are able to. And we stay connected pretty regularly. Unfortunately we lost one of our brothers from the show a few years back to a car accident, Rickey Smith. And we all flew to Oklahoma to be together for that funeral with his family. It is a family, that group of 12. We both know other people from other seasons, obviously, professionally or more, but we have really stayed connected to our core group.
It sounds like you have nothing but good memories of that show.
Studdard: Absolutely. It was one of the fondest times of my life. I liken it to my experience in college, playing football. It was just with music. So it was very memorable. A lot of work but well worth it.
Aiken: I tell people all the time if we could eliminate that little piece of Wednesday where we had to worry about being cut, I would’ve done everything we did on “Idol” and enjoyed it for the rest of my life. I just really had fun with it. It was exhausting, but we had a great time.
Did either of you have a week where you thought for sure you were gonna be cut?
Studdard: I was in the bottom two once, so I had a week where I definitely thought I would be cut.
Aiken: For me, it was every week (laughs). I actually didn’t end up in the bottom two, but every week, I thought I would go home. I was sure.
The show aired at 5 p.m. on the West Coast, so we’d do dress rehearsal in the early afternoon and for the very first time all week, we’d get to see the other people sing their song. And I would sit there and listen to Rickey sing his song. Or Trenyce. Or Kim Locke sing. And I’d think, “Oh my God, (I'm) going home. There’s no way.” We had so many good people on that season.
And we did not realize that people were watching this show. There were 9 million people watching it the season before. And it sort of blew up while we were sequestered in our Idol house. We had no idea that people were watching and certainly didn’t realize that people who were watching it were liking the two of us as much as they did.
I know you said that by the time you made the finals, you felt you’d already won. But Clay, what did you think when Ryan announced that Ruben had won?
Aiken: (laughs) Well, here’s the breaking news that isn’t news anymore. I actually saw the card before he said Ruben’s name. We were standing backstage. So I had seen it. By mistake. Ryan had turned it around and looked at it and I looked over his shoulder and saw.
So I expected it. I knew what was gonna happen. And if you go back and look at the show, I’m staring right at Ruben when he announces the winner because I wanted to see Ruben’s face when he won. And Ruben, I’m sure, is thinking “Why the hell won’t you back up, man?”
Tell me about this tour and what fans can expect.
Studdard: It is a wonderful night of great music. And I say that because on the show, in particular, we got an opportunity to sing songs from I think America’s greatest songwriters. So what we’re doing is trying to bring that same energy to our live show.
Aiken: Something about “Idol” for not just us but the audience that watched it 20 years ago was you could turn it on with family and sing along with the songs. I tell people at our stage show every night, I didn’t know who the Bee Gees were until “Idol,” which is a little embarrassing, even to this day. I didn’t know who they were, but I knew their music.
So the music “Idol” brought to audiences in their living rooms every week was stuff that everyone knew, the biggest hits from the biggest songwriters. And we wanted to make sure we recreated that when we did this tour. We’ve tried to make the entire evening a flashback to 2003. The music as you’re walking into the theater and playing during intermission is all the hits from 2003.
And we tell the stories of what it was like on the show. We talk about how we chose the song, about the people we worked with, like Smokey Robinson, or how we got to record with Burt Bacharach. We tell some of those stories from behind the scenes, and we really just try to recreate as much of that magic from that year as we can.
Do each of you have a particular moment in the concert that you most look forward to?
Studdard: I can’t say that I do have a special moment. I enjoy all of it, honestly. And that’s not to say that other people don’t say that all the time, but I really do.
Aiken: When we sat down to put the show together, it was very much an organic situation. Ruben, myself and our music director, John Jackson, we all just kind of sat down and started talking. Ruben would start talking about a memory and I’d say “Oh, I remember this.” And then, we’d say “Oh we should do this song together.”
But at one point in the process, we started talking about music that inspired us growing up and somehow that detoured into boy bands. And we ended up deciding to put together this medley of boy-band songs but it's less about the songs than it is about me trying to dance. Which is never pretty.
Studdard: (Laughs)
Aiken: So I think that maybe is my favorite simply because I’ve just gotten to an age where I know I can own it, that I cannot dance at all, and we just both have a lot of fun with that part of the show.
Your fans were obviously deeply invested in seeing you win. How does that work with them coming together to cheer for both of you on this tour?
Aikens: It comes to blows every night in the audience (laughs).
Studdard: If you had asked us that question when we were on the “American Idol” tour, I would say they probably did have a couple of fights in the parking lot. Now, nobody cares. They really are just coming to have a good time.
Aiken: And they know. They know we’re friends. We play it up a lot. We joke about being competitive with each other. But we don’t feel that way. And our fans recognize that. I know my fans have grown to love Ruben and I think some of his fans like me a little bit too.
How to see Ruben & Clay in Phoenix
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19.
Where: Orpheum Theatre, 203 W. Adams St., Phoenix.
Admission: $39-$69.
Details: 602-262-7272, etix.com.
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Good print interview with Clay and Ruben: https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/10/13/clay-aiken-ruben-studdard-tour-2023-phoenix/71149517007/
Full text in the news section.
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Another Clay tweet!
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Clay tweet!
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Great Instagram reel from the "forever" battle last night.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CySPpg0AffH/?igshid=NjIwNzIyMDk2Mg%3D%3D
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Facebook clack from tonight in Marion, IL.
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One of Ruben's cousins (maybe?) posted this cute picture of his Mom with Clay. Also did one with Ruben.
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FB reel from last night, UM. https://www.facebook.com/reel/965013394597945
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Thank you Fear for the report! And how cool to see Clay (and his son!) in the parking deck!
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Great pictures from the National Inclusion Project Instagram page:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CyLos0aOC0Y/?igshid=MWZjMTM2ODFkZg%3D%3D&img_index=1
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https://www.instagram.com/p/CyH5b6ANYo1/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Picture of the band from Sean.
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Reports from the National Inclusion Project Celebration tonight:
Ben Cohn and Sean McDaniel, long time friends and band members for Clay, married together with a son, recipients of the Founder’s Award.
Clay in a suit! Singing the entirety of MOAM. Will that include Touch? (I hope not, that’s my least favorite on the album. Lol)
ETA: he did play Touch.
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Check private section....
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And another two show night added, this one in Napa, California on November 9.
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13 hours ago, Mik4clay said:
Eeeeeee!
Since I’ve been the queen of shallow lately.. may I say-‘000lala on that haircut on Clay’’😋🔥😘
Miki -- a concert for you!
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thepitchkc.com
American Idol’s Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken are combining forces for a new 20th anniversary tour
QuoteAmerican Idol’s Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken are combining forces for a new 20th anniversary tour
Photo by Lindsey McCutchan
Want to feel old? This year marks the 20th anniversary of the singing showdown between Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard on the second season of American Idol.
Back in 2003, the show was a ratings—and cultural—behemoth. Throngs of viewers dutifully tuned in to vote for their favorite singers. While Studdard ended up besting Aiken in the finale, that season is also revered for having several other powerhouse competitors, including Kimberly Locke and Joshua Gracin, to name a few.
During the show, Studdard and Aiken struck up an enduring friendship, one that has lasted for the past two decades. After a successful stint on Broadway last year, the two crooners have decided to take their act—and signature singing styles—back on tour.
“Ruben & Clay: 20 Years – One Night” gives the talented duo a chance to showcase their skills and camaraderie. They’ll be performing at the Uptown Theatre on October 23rd.
The Pitch had a lengthy discussion with the two about being back on the road, their affinity for each other, and—oddly—whether Alabama or North Carolina has the best barbecue. (You can bet we mentioned KC’s was far, far superior and demanded they try our fare while they’re in town. Studdard was quick to mention he’s a fan of Gates.)
Photo by Lindsey McCutchan
The Pitch: When did you guys know you were going to be besties? And then how do you cultivate a 20-year friendship?
Clay Aiken: “I don’t know that it was a moment necessarily. Obviously, we can pinpoint when we first met. We certainly can remember moments within the friendship but, I mean, it grew in the same way our journey on that show grew, you know? Had I gotten cut in 10th place, we might not have been as close—but because we spent that entire time together and we endured that 16 weeks together, we grew closer. And, at the time we did it, there was really no one else in the world who had ever done or experienced what we had. There was Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini and then us—it’s a very small club, and so it’s easy to bond over that.
Ruben Studdard: I just think it’s something that happened organically. I have no idea why Clay and I ended up being the people on our season that were the closest to each other. Clay and I couldn’t be any different, but for some reason, the friendship that we built on the show has endured.
Aiken: And Ruben, you have to admit, we did bond over our mutual love for our own hometowns—and the great rivalries between who had the better hometown and whose hometown had a better barbecue.
Studdard: That’s still in the air, you know. [laughs]
Aiken: Believe me, it’s an ongoing 20-year rivalry, and neither one’s ever gonna win.
That’s hilarious. But you know you’re coming to Kansas City, which is called Cow Town for a reason.
Aiken: Right there is where we diverge—because we don’t barbecue cow. It’s pig.
Studdard: Isn’t Gates Barbecue in Kansas City? Yeah, man!
Yes! Okay, moving on. What’s your favorite thing about the other person? And, yes, you only get one thing.
Studdard: My favorite thing about Clay is his memory. He never forgets important dates, right? Honestly, I have to ask Clay every year when his birthday is. Like, if I didn’t write my mom and dad’s birthday down, I would forget it—every single year. But when September 12 shows up—no matter where I am, I’m going to get a card, a gift, a text, or something from Clay. Meanwhile, I’m aloof—I’m like, “Yo, is your birthday next week?”
Aiken: That’s tough. It honestly will depend on the day. I will say that this week—and many, many, many, many, many weeks—I appreciate Ruben’s steadiness in almost any situation. He doesn’t get overly excited; he doesn’t get overly upset. He’s very steady and calm—and I’m high-strung. So, it can be very helpful to have someone who can tell me to calm the eff down every once in a while.
Is there a duet you both have yet to do that you think you’d absolutely crush?
Aiken: [laughs] We would crush them all. But we recently talked about other things that we could add in or do at different times. What’s that Philip Bailey and Phil Collins song?
Studdard: [sings] “Easy Lover.”
Aiken: I don’t know if that’s Ruben’s favorite, but it’s stuck in my head though.
Studdard: That’s a good tune, for sure.
Okay, I fully expect y’all to sing that in KC. I’m going into the Wayback Machine. What’s your best memory or biggest takeaway from season two of American Idol?
Studdard: Honestly, people ask this question all the time. And I can only say this from my perspective. The best memory I have is what you guys were not able to see. The best memory I have is the time when we were at the Idol house enjoying each other’s company—because you have to understand, every week somebody went home. Especially when we got to—maybe, like, the eight of us, we kind of understood we should probably really enjoy each other’s company because tomorrow somebody won’t be here. All of us—we really made an effort to kind of hang out, go to the mall, or do whatever because we rarely had any time to go anywhere except the show.
Aiken: Just to elaborate on that, we’re also the only season, I think—actually, I’m pretty confident—we’re the only season that still stays in touch as a group. We don’t see each other very often, but we do keep in touch, and we’re friends. Ruben, Kim, and I went back to the FOX finale when the show left FOX—whatever year that was. And I think we were sort of shocked to learn that other finalists from other seasons who were also back were saying, “Oh, I don’t know about so-and-so… I haven’t heard from or spoken to them in 10 years.” And we looked at each other—like it was just strange. I don’t know why our season bonded in the way that we did, and others did not, but it’s a fact. It’s true.
Photo by Lindsey McCutchan
I know you guys have done a Broadway Christmas show together—was that sort of the genesis for this tour?
Studdard: I think the genesis was really just we wanted to get out and celebrate the fact that we did something monumental together 20 years ago—and how to bring those memories back to people. For me, some of the most fun times I had in my life were on that American Idol tour.
Aiken: I had still kind of stepped away from performing—and touring, especially. And he’s right—twenty years is a huge milestone. And so, this tour came together, in large part, because he reminded me that it’s a big deal. It’s a big deal to be lucky enough to be able to do this at twenty years. I mean, I don’t know how many people from 1983 were touring in 2003. We’re both just blessed and fortunate to be able to keep doing this—so why not celebrate it and do it together?
They say you never really truly know someone until you travel with them. What’s your biggest travel or road warrior idiosyncrasy?
Aiken: Do we have those? [laughs] Listen, I have plenty of idiosyncrasies—and so does he—but I don’t think we have travel ones. I mean, Ruben has been touring nonstop for 20 years. I did take about 10 years off. But we’ve both been on the road a lot, and I think you really fall into a rhythm. Interestingly, there will be days on tour where we won’t really see each other until about 10 minutes before the show starts.
Studdard: I think that we’re both pretty particular about the airline that we like.
Aiken: Oh, yes—we are. He’s a Delta person. I’m an American person. We both have our miles racked up, and I can’t go cheating on them. But I don’t think we do anything strange, that’s for sure. Maybe—shhh, don’t tell anyone—but neither one of us is a big warmer-upper.
Do you two still get starstruck when you meet celebs? Who’s been a surprise fan?
Studdard: All the time! I think the biggest starstruck moment I’ve ever had is maybe James Brown at the BET Awards.
Aiken: What about Oprah? Because I’ll tell you something—when he met Oprah on Idol, that’s the only time I’ve ever seen Ruben lose control a little bit.
Studdard: We’ve been blessed, man. The only person that I didn’t get a chance to meet that I wanted to meet was Prince. And I kind of stalked him a little bit, trying to meet him. I was at the studio every day like, “Is he coming today? Is he coming today?” But, yeah, I did get a little starstruck with Oprah.
Aiken: Once again, he and I are very different. I’m high-strung and on edge a lot of other times, but around celebrities, I’m not. I think that’s because I didn’t grow up with the same sort of love for music and performing that Ruben did. The only times I remember being starstruck? I was on an elevator with Tom Brokaw one time, and that really got me excited. I was too nervous to say hello. And occasionally with politics—like, I met Nancy Pelosi this past summer, and that was a little bit of a thing. I guess I haven’t met as many people as Ruben does because I’m not sociable. I stay in my house. Maybe I will get starstruck at some point. It hadn’t happened yet. Let me know if you see it, Ruben.
Finally, the world must know—what’s on your Spotify playlist right this very second?
Aiken: Ha! It’s all the songs we do on this tour—because I gotta remember ‘em again.
Studdard: I got a lot of playlists, though. Actually, my number one playlist is one I made called “After the Pain,”—and it’s all old blues songs. Because that’s a song by a lady named Betty Wright. I’m from Birmingham, so, for me, when I’m on the road, what makes me feel at home is when I put this Spotify playlist on, and I’m right back at my grandmama’s house. Also, “Members Only” by Bobby “Blue” Bland. “Sweet Little Angel” by B.B. King. That’s my playlist right there!
Fingers crossed for a date near me!
in Let's Talk About Clay
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More from last night: https://www.instagram.com/p/CygQZ7BrBg-/?img_index=4