I admit it freely – I’m a huge American Idol fan. I didn’t watch it the first year, but the second year, when Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken were vying for the title, I was a religious watcher. There was just something about Clay that made me genuinely like him. I was disappointed when he didn’t win, but knowing that he’s been tremendously successful helped me to get over it.
“Learning to Sing” is Clay’s story, told in his own words. Surprisingly, it’s not a blow-by-blow of everything that happened at American Idol; that chapter of his life only takes a chapter of the book. The rest of the story talks about his growing-up years and the lessons he learned from his mother. I went into it with a little trepidation – I didn’t want to find out that he’s not as nice as I thought he was. Well, guess what – he’s nicer.
He and his mother had to flee from home when he was just a toddler. His birth father was abusive and it got to the point where his mother knew she had to leave. Sleeping on the floor of a friend’s living room, the two of them did they best they could, balancing on the fine line between poverty and starvation. Her faith and positive outlook carried them through, and Clay gives his mother credit for the person he became. Every decision he’s made, he’s done with her wisdom ringing in his ears. He says that everyone has a voice in their heads. Some call it a conscience; he calls his “Mom.”
After several years, she remarried, a man who had a hard time accepting Clay as a son. When a step-brother came along, that son got all the attention while Clay was left out of the mix. You’d think it would be the opposite, but Clay and that brother were, and still are, very close.
When the chance came to audition for American Idol, Clay was working with special needs youth. He’d been a councilor for YMCA for a couple of years and was frustrated at the lack of programs for children with limited abilities. He was on the brink of graduating from college with a degree in special ed when he got the call that he would be participating on the show. Even now he feels torn, feeling strongly that his calling is to work with these kids, but through his celebrity status, he’s been able to raise a lot of money for his foundation, and he feels good about that.
Throughout the book, we catch glimpses of Clay’s religious leanings, and toward the end, he tells us flat-out that he’s a Southern Baptist and he bears his testimony. I was deeply touched. How often do we pick up a magazine or a book about a famous singer and hear them say that they believe in Christ? I’ve heard it, but I’ve rarely seen them live it. Clay does not drink, does not smoke, does not swear. He doesn’t carouse around, although he mentions several times in the book that he’d like to have kids someday. He states that we will never hear of him passed out by an elevator or that he’s done wrong to somebody’s daughter – he saw too much of that growing up and he made a decision to live his life another way. The most amazing thing is that he doesn’t state this with ego – he just simply says it. Granted, I have heard rumors that he’s gay. I could be wrong, but I just have a really hard time believing it.
This book is an excellent example of a mother’s love, a child’s listening, and the power that comes from living with integrity. I always liked Clay before; he’s got a lifelong supporter in me now that I know he’s as genuine as he seems.
(This book was published in 2004 by Random House.)
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