Clay Aiken returned to the “American Idol” stage during the season 24 finale, where he got the chance to debut his new song, “Rewind.” Aiken was the runner-up of the second season of Idol, with Ruben Studdard taking home the crown in 2003.
With Aiken getting newfound exposure thanks to his appearance on the latest season and the release of new music, Aiken is looking back at his music career, including the one time he posed for Rolling Stone for their June 2003 issue.
Clay Aiken Reveals Hilarious Story Behind His Rolling Stone Cover
Clay Aiken is reminiscing on some of his fondest memories after becoming runner-up on season 2 of “American Idol,” which also included posing for the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Aiken shared a hilarious never-before-heard story from his time posing for the magazine, revealing that he actually never heard of the iconic publication before his photoshoot.
“I was on the cover of Rolling Stone. And the day they called me and told me, I’m not kidding, I don’t know if I’ve ever told anybody this,” he began, and then joked, “You’re getting an exclusive. And I know it’s ET, so you’ll put exclusive all over the screen.”
He continued, “They called my management rep, and she said, ‘Oh, they want you to be on the cover of Rolling Stone.’ And of course, she knew what it was. And I’m not kidding with you, I said, ‘Can we just give them one of the pictures we already have?’ Cause I didn’t know what Rolling Stone, I didn’t know what it was.”
“I didn’t know it was a big deal, and it was just, for me, it’s like another [expetive] photoshoot,” he added.
Aiken later shared his interview with ET on Instagram, captioning it, “I’m not proud of it. 🫣 But it’s true. I was CLUELESS! 🤦♂️ In truth, the only people more surprised than I was that @rollingstone would put me on their cover were… the music industry, the publishing industry and … well… 60% of America 😂.”
When Aiken’s issue hit the newsstands, a report from Access Hollywood revealed that the cover was quickly deemed controversial, especially because Aiken had been runner-up on “American Idol,” while Ruben Studdard had won the season. Still, the issue covered details about Aiken that were more personal than his Idol experience that fans got to know about, including his childhood upbringing and nonexistent relationship with his father.
Aiken Debuted His New Song on ‘American Idol’
GettyThe season 24 “American Idol” finale was a three-hour event packed with musical acts, including one from Aiken, who debuted his new song, “Rewind.”
The song just so happened to be released that same day at the Idol finale on May 11, and it was Aiken’s first new single in 18 years. On Instagram, Aiken shared cover art for his new song and shared, “It’s 🤯 to realize that it’s been 18 years since I’ve been able to say “MY NEW SINGLE IS OUT TODAY!”
He continued, “The past two decades have been filled with so many amazing experiences (and detours) …. but I’m glad to be BACK… where I’m meant to be!”
During the Idol finale, Aiken also sang a duet with Top 5 contestant Braden Rumfelt. According to American Songwriter, the two sang Elton John’s “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” the same song Aiken sang during “Wildcard Night” on his season of the show. In fact, Rumfelt was born on the same day as Aiken’s performance!
