Clay Aiken

Clay Aiken
Birth Date: November 30, 1978
Birth Place: Raleigh, N.C.

After first planning to audition for the reality show Amazing Race, Clay Aiken decided to give American Idol a shot instead. He ended the second season as runner-up to Ruben Studdard with a fanbase called "Claymates."

Although Aiken studied special education, music has always been his passion. His debut single, "This Is the Night," bested Elton John's record-holding "Candle in the Wind" for first-week sales. Subsequent albums – notably The Measure of a Man – also topped the charts.

The singer has battled in court with a biographer who claimed Aiken defamed her and has addressed rumors about his sexuality by telling PEOPLE simply "people are going to believe what they want."