Clay Aiken

**Clayton Holmes Aiken** (né Grissom; an haife shi Nuwamba 30, 1978) mawaƙin Ba'amurke ne, halayen talabijin, ɗan wasan kwaikwayo kuma ɗan gwagwarmayar siyasa. Aiken ya gama matsayi na biyu a kaka na biyu na American Idol a cikin 2003, kuma kundin sa na farko, Measure of a Man, ya tafi platinum da yawa. Ya sake fitar da ƙarin kundi guda huɗu akan alamar RCA, Merry Kirsimeti tare da Ƙauna (2004), Hanyoyi Dubu Daban-daban (2006), Kirsimeti EP Duk lafiya (2006), da A Wayata Nan (2008). Tun daga nan ya sake fitar da ƙarin kundi guda biyu, duka tare da Decca Records: Gwada da Gaskiya (2010) da Steadfast (2012). Aiken ya kuma yi rangadi goma sha ɗaya don tallafawa albam ɗinsa. Gabaɗaya, ya siyar da kundin albums sama da miliyan 5, kuma shine babban ɗalibi na Idol na Amurka na huɗu mafi siyar.

Aiken ya rubuta mafi kyawun tarihin a cikin 2004, Koyon Waƙa. A cikin 2004, shi ma yana da Kirsimeti na musamman da aka watsa ta talabijin, A Clay Aiken Kirsimeti. A cikin mafi yawan 2008 ya bayyana akan Broadway a cikin wasan ban dariya na Spamalot, a cikin rawar Sir Robin. A cikin 2010 ya karbi bakuncin PBS na musamman Gwada & Gaskiya Live! Ya kuma sami fitowar taho mai yawa da baƙo a shirye-shiryen talabijin. A cikin 2012 ya yi takara a kakar wasa ta biyar na The Celebrity Apprentice, yana zuwa na biyu zuwa Arsenio Hall.

Tare da Diane Bubel, Aiken ya ƙirƙiri Bubel/Aiken Foundation a cikin 2003, wanda daga baya aka sake masa suna Aikin Haɗin Kai na Ƙasa. A cikin 2004, ya zama jakadan UNICEF, mukamin da ya rike har zuwa 2013 lokacin da ya bar ta ya tsaya takarar Majalisar. Ya yi tafiya mai yawa a cikin wannan rawar. A cikin 2006, an nada shi na tsawon shekaru biyu ga kwamitin shugaban kasa na mutanen da ke da nakasa.

A cikin 2014, Aiken ya tsaya takarar Majalisar Wakilai ta Amurka a gundumar majalisa ta 2 ta North Carolina. Da farko an yi la'akari da ɗan takarar sabon abu, Aiken ya ci zaben fidda gwani na Demokraɗiyya, amma ya sha kaye a hannun ɗan jam'iyyar Republican Renee Ellmer a babban zaɓe. A cikin Janairu 2022, ya ba da sanarwar takarar neman takarar Demokraɗiyya a gundumar 4th na majalisa ta North Carolina, amma ya yi rashin nasara a matakin farko ga Valerie Foushee.

## Rayuwar farko
Clay Aiken an haife shi kuma ya girma a Raleigh, North Carolina. Lokacin da yake ƙarami, Aiken ya rera waƙa a cikin Raleigh Boychoir; kuma, tun yana matashi, ya rera waƙa a ƙungiyar mawaƙa ta makaranta, ƙungiyar mawaƙa ta coci, kade-kade da wasannin kwaikwayo na gida. Bayan makarantar sakandare, ya rera jagora tare da rukunin gida, Just By Chance, haɗin gwiwa da yin wasa tare da ƙungiyar a nunin "Just by Chance and Friends" a Dunn, North Carolina. Ya kuma kasance MC kuma mai yin wasan kwaikwayo a Johnston Community College Showcase a Smithfield da kuma Haɗin Kiɗa na North Carolina da Haɗin Kiɗa na Gida a Garner, da Benson. Ya yi waƙar ƙasa sau da yawa don Raleigh IceCaps da ƙungiyoyin hockey na Carolina Hurricanes, kuma ya yi ta a 2011 NHL All-Star Game a Cibiyar RBC a Raleigh. An ƙirƙiri kundi guda uku na demo na waƙoƙin Aiken a gaban Idol na Amurka tare da taimakon lokacin studio da aka ba shi azaman kyautar ranar haihuwar mahaifiyarsa: kaset mai suna Look What Love Has Done (by Clayton Grissom), kaset da CD mai suna Redefined (da Clayton Aiken), da CD wanda ya haɗu da wasu waƙoƙi daga kowane nunin da ya gabata: “Kalli, Ƙaunar C. Aiken). Ya rabu da mahaifinsa na haihuwa Vernon Grissom kuma tare da izinin mahaifiyarsa da kakansa Alvis Aiken, yana da shekaru 19 ya canza sunan sa bisa doka daga Grissom zuwa sunan budurwa Faye, Aiken.

Aiken ya halarci Makarantar Sakandare ta Leesville Road ta Raleigh kuma ya ɗauki kwasa-kwasan a Jami'ar Campbell kafin yin rajista a Jami'ar North Carolina a Charlotte. A cikin 1995, Aiken ya fara aiki a YMCA. Har yanzu yana makarantar sakandare, Aiken ya koyi da sauri cewa zai iya kawo sauyi a rayuwar matasa. Ya sami sha'awar iliminsa na musamman yayin da yake jagorantar sansanonin yara na YMCA yana matashi, kuma yana ɗan shekara 19, ya yi aiki a matsayin mataimaki na malami a aji na ɗaliban autistic a Brentwood Elementary School a Raleigh. A lokacin ne ya yanke shawarar kammala jami'a kuma ya zama malamin ilimi na musamman. Yayin da yake halartar koleji a Charlotte, ya ɗauki aikin ɗan lokaci a matsayin mataimaki ga wani yaro da ke da Autism, kuma mahaifiyar wannan yaron, Diane Bubel, ce ta bukace shi da ya gwada American Idol. Duk da cewa ayyukansa na American Idol sun jinkirta neman ilimi na ɗan lokaci, Aiken ya kammala aikin kwas ɗin sa yayin da yake yawon buɗe ido kuma ya kammala karatun digiri a fannin ilimi na musamman a watan Disamba 2003.

## American Idol
Aiken ya cika takarda don shiga cikin wasan kwaikwayo na gaskiya The Amazing Race lokacin da abokinsa ya dage cewa ya gwada American Idol maimakon. Masu kallon talabijin sun fara hango Aiken a lokacin shirye-shiryen wasan kwaikwayo a farkon lokacin American Idol na biyu. Alkalan wasan kwaikwayon sun fara ganin Aiken a matsayin wani nau'i na nerdy wanda ba zai iya zama tsafi mai ban sha'awa ba, amma bayan sun ji shi yana rera Heatwave's "Koyaushe da Har abada" sun yanke shawarar ciyar da shi zuwa zagaye na gaba. An sake kunna faifan bidiyon mamakin alƙalai a lokacin wannan wasan na fafatawa a gasar.

Aiken ya samu zuwa zagaye na 32 kafin a yanke shi daga wasan kwaikwayon, amma an gayyace shi ya dawo zagaye na "Wild Card"; Ayyukansa na Elton John's "Kada Ka Bar Rana Ta Sauka Ni" ya aika shi zuwa 12 na ƙarshe a matsayin zaɓin mai kallo. Duk da yake an lura da ayyukansa na ballads, irin su Neil Sedaka's "Solitaire", wasan kwaikwayonsa masu ban sha'awa, gami da Foundations  Gina Ni Up Buttercup . Aiken yana samun isassun kuri’u duk mako don hana shi shiga uku na kasa. Wani bangare na rokonsa shine canjinsa na "geek zuwa chic" a cikin bayyanarsa. "Na yi kama da Opie", Aiken ya ce wa mujallar mutane game da fitowar sa a taron kallon wasan kwaikwayo na American Idol a 2002. Ya maye gurbin gilashin sa da ruwan tabarau kuma ya yarda ya bar masu salon wasan kwaikwayon su canza salon gashin kansa. Tare da tsayi, lebur ɗin ƙarfe, gashi mai kauri da kuma sha'awar saka rigunan riguna, Aiken ya kafa alamar kasuwanci ta wasan kwaikwayon American Idol na ƙarshe.

A ranar 21 ga Mayu, 2003 Aiken ya zo na biyu kusa da Ruben Studdard, wanda ya lashe zaben da kuri'u 134,000 daga cikin kuri'u sama da 24,000,000 da aka kada. Sakamakon ya haifar da cece-kuce, saboda wasu sun yi hasashen cewa tsarin kada kuri’a na Idol ba shi da ikon gudanar da yawan yunkurin kiran da aka yi. A cikin wata hira da aka yi da shi kafin fara kakar wasa ta biyar ta American Idol, Babban Furodusa Nigel Lythgoe ya bayyana a karon farko cewa Aiken ya jagoranci masu jefa ƙuri'a a kowane mako daga Wild Card mako har zuwa ƙarshe, lokacin da sakamakon jefa ƙuri'a na bazuwar ya ba Studdard nasara.

## Manazarta