CLAY AIKEN
On My Way Here
When Clay Aiken and his executive producer Jaymes Foster began the search
for songs to record for Aiken’s first album of original material since his 2003
chart-topping debut Measure of A Man, they both fell in love with a song written
by OneRepublic frontman Ryan “Alias” Tedder called “On My Way Here.” The
message of the lyrics — how the lessons we learn while growing up shape us
into who we become as adults — struck such a deep chord with Aiken that it
wound up inspiring the theme (and title) of his new collection.
“I thought if we could find songs along those lines, that deal with my life
over the past five years and what I’ve learned from my experiences, it would be a
great concept for an album,” Aiken says. “Since I got into this business, I’ve
learned so much about myself and about life and the world. I’m nowhere near an
expert, but this album has taken on the form of addressing how far I’ve come in
those five years and how I feel like I’ve found myself.”
As Aiken’s millions of devoted fans around the world already know, it’s
been a whirlwind journey. Since shooting to stardom on the second season of
American Idol, the 29-year-old Raleigh, NC native with the powerhouse voice has
become an international pop phenomenon who has sold six million copies of his
three best-selling albums: the double-platinum Measure of A Man, 2004’s holiday
CD Merry Christmas With Love (which went platinum within six weeks of its
release), and the gold-certified A Thousand Different Ways — a 2006 collection
of 10 covers and four originals that earned Aiken the distinction of being the
fourth artist ever to have his first three albums debut in the Top 5 on the Billboard
chart. In addition, Aiken has launched eight live tours, made the New York Times
best-seller list by co-authoring the inspirational memoir Learning to Sing: Hearing
the Music In Your Life, executive produced and starred in his first TV special, A
Clay Aiken Christmas, and won several American Music and