Ruben Studdard and Clay Aikens reunited in Calgary last fall as part of their tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of their iconic rivaly on Season 2 of American Idol.
Ruben & Clay: Twenty | The Two, took concert goers on a trip down memory lane to the start of their musical journey, on the stage that ended it all on American Idol. The concert, at the Jack Singer Concert Hall, was one of four stops in Canada.
Both Studdard and Aiken made their musical debut on the second season of American Idol, auditioning out of their hometowns.
“[American Idol] gave me a real opportunity to live my dream.”
Ruben Studdard
Studdard, the season’s winner, tried to begin his musical career before cameras began filming. Releasing music alone, Studdard began his career creating mixtapes and CDs until he decided to join a friend in an audition. An audition for American Idol.
“When I was on the show, I was, at the time, working for Alabama Clinical School. I was really hoping that I would get an opportunity to become a professional in this music industry even though I had already taken the steps to get there, it wasn’t happening,” says Studdard. “[American Idol] gave me a real opportunity to live my dream.”
At the same time, Aiken, a teacher of neurodivergent students, had only auditioned at the request of a parent whose student he taught before. Aiken’s journey through the show landed him in the final two and during his time on screen, he and Studdard would form a bond well before they entered the top 30.
“I couldn’t have been happier [that] I made it to the end with Clay. We definitely had a camaraderie.”
Studdard continues, “All of us have built a family type of bond on that season. So I was just really thankful that God had blessed me with the opportunity to be on the stage.”
While they were presented as having a rivalry on screen, Aikens said that while the two were more than brothers, they never expected the show to go on.
“When we came into the show early on, I don’t think we knew what to expect. We didn’t realize 40 million people will be watching the finale,” Aiken says. “We realized for the first time [that] this sin’t going to end when the show is over, no matter who wins.”
And continued it did.
Both Aiken and Studdard, under the tutelage of industry professionals and musical icons, would release their first albums and tour across the globe almost immediately afterward.
Yet throughout this time, both finalists decided to use their voices off-stage and give back to their communities.
Remembering their roots
After the finale, Aikens would turn to politics, running for American congress several times, while also promoting inclusivity for people with disabilities. In 2003, Aiken, alongside Diane Bubel, opened the Bubel/Aikens Foundation (now called the National Inclusion Project).
They aimed to ensure that communities and recreational centres had the tools and training they needed to ensure all children had equal access to fun, leaving no one behind.
Studdard, following a similar route, used his newfound reach and influence to ensure that children in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama were able to access the same resources they had to ensure that they could achieve their musical dreams.
Creating the Ruben Studdard Foundation for the Advancement of Children, the organization pairs students with industry professionals to give real insight into the musical industry. The organization also awards scholarships to students wishing to enter music in college.
And now, after 20 years of work and advocacy, Studdard and Aiken return to allow their fans to not only reminisce on the show that made their careers, but also to celebrate the resurgence of live entertainment.
For Aiken, this tour represents a return to music as a whole.
During his 2022 run for Congress, Aiken released a few song tracks but ultimately stepped down to pursue advocacy. Aiken would signal his return by joining Studdard on Broadway.
“You can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy. You can take the guy out of music, but you can’t take the music out of him,” Aiken said.
Twenty | The Tour includes Aikens and Studdard continuing their reunion in America, ending mid-2024. While on tour, Studdard released his most recent song, W.I.F.E.
To learn more about the tour, including dates and locations, visit: https://rubenandclayvip.com/
