Studdard, Aiken Singles to Go Head-To-Head
NEW YORK (Billboard) – Consumers will vote with their dollars next week when “American Idol” winner Ruben Studdard’s debut single is released on the same day as that of runner-up Clay Aiken.
Both singles are due out next Tuesday (June 10), less than three weeks after the finale of the Fox reality show/talent contest’s second season.
Studdard’s J Records single will feature his version of Westlife’s “Flying Without Wings” and his cover of the Carpenters’ “Superstar.”
RCA will issue Aiken’s rendition of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and the original song “This Is the Night,” written by Aldo Nova, Gary Burr, and Chris Braide. The singers performed each of the songs during the “Idol” contest.
Both artists are expected to release their debut albums in September. RCA Music Group chairman and J Records founder Clive Davis will executive produce both.
Studdard will return home to Birmingham, Ala., on Sunday to make a video for “Flying Without Wings.” The Eric White-directed clip may be shot in the city’s Linn Park, with local fans invited to take part in the “welcome home” celebration. At deadline the site had not yet been confirmed, according to a label representative.
Studdard and Aiken will be seen promoting their singles Tuesday on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” The “American Idol” -themed episode of the syndicated show will also feature first season runner-up Justin Guarini, whose self-titled RCA album will be released that day.
A third “American Idol” season is planned. A banner on the show’s Web site says only that it will return in 2004, but gives no exact dates for the competition or audition information.
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