Clay Aiken

Birthday: 30 November 1978, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

Birth Name: Clayton Holmes Grissom

Height: 185 cm

Clayton Holmes Grissom was born in Raleigh, North Carolina 30 November 1978 to his mother, Faye Aiken Parker and his late father, Vernon Grissom. When Clay was a teenager, he had a love for teaching and helping young children and later on studied to became a school teacher. When he was about 23 years old, a longtime friend persuaded him to audition for American Idol. When he was 25 years old he released his debut album, "Measure of a Man." (singles from his debut album include: "Invisible," "This Is The Night" and "The Way") His debut album sold over 600,000 copies in the USA in its first week of release. It has sold almost 2.5 million in the US as of 4/16/04. Show less «

I'm never really comfortable with people cheering for me.

[on being the Ambassador for the Children's Agency]: The situation in Chiapas and Tabasco has really...Show more »

[on being the Ambassador for the Children's Agency]: The situation in Chiapas and Tabasco has really become a forgotten emergency. Telling the story of these brave people, especially the children, to a U.S. audience is the reason that I am here. Sharing this experience with my family during this time of year makes it even more special. Show less «

I left Raleigh six months ago, and nobody knew who I was. It's very hard to get used to.

[Prior to joining the cast in Spamalot]: I really couldn't have asked for a more wonderful group of ...Show more »

[Prior to joining the cast in Spamalot]: I really couldn't have asked for a more wonderful group of people to work with. Let's not lie, the chance to work with legendary creative minds like Mike Nichols and Eric Idle is, on its own, a reason to jump at this opportunity. Show less «

[In 2009]: Every year the models do an acting challenge, and since I had been in Spamalot and was do...Show more »

[In 2009]: Every year the models do an acting challenge, and since I had been in Spamalot and was doing the Broadway thing, Tyra Banks, [the show's host] called and wanted me to be a part of it, I did a scene with some of the girls and then later on tried to help judge that scene. Show less «

I'm religious. I think this is something God had planned for me.

It doesn't really matter to me how I make a difference, I just wanna make sure that I do.

I think there's a difference between appearance and image. An image is not how you look. It's what y...Show more »

I think there's a difference between appearance and image. An image is not how you look. It's what you do. It's what you portray. Your personality, the example you set, and that's huge for me. Show less «

American celebrities have an amazing amount of influence on the way America thinks, feels, and acts....Show more »

American celebrities have an amazing amount of influence on the way America thinks, feels, and acts. I think that such an influence should be used in the most positive way possible. Show less «