Clay Aiken: Unrealized Potential or Overestimation?

When Clay Aiken’s post Idol promotion kicked off TPTB wanted everyone to believe they had discovered the next superstar. Idol was water cooler topic number one and the show’s ratings were unprecedented. The spin and promo machines were out in full force because it was believed that Clay had a solid market comprised of Idol viewers. “Strike while the iron is hot” is basic marketing and at the time Idol was “hot”.

Clay was able for a time to ride on the success of the show and the dedication of fans to keep the buzz alive. As time went by more and more people lost interest in Clay, the hype died down, and he was left to his own devices.

His own devices; however, were not enough to attract the kind of fans that get the attention of marketers. He became known as a niche performer, and later simply an entertainer with a core of rabid fans. Even later as an also ran and punch line.
The simple truth is that if he really were that good the success and accolades would have followed. Instead, he cannot get played on the radio, his concerts are not selling well, and his CD’s are not selling well.

The Clay you see today is same Clay from Idol; people just didn’t realize it at the time. They bought the hype and, as someone else suggested, they romanticized him. He didn’t just become this weird goofy guy; it is who he has always been. Clay and the Claymates that remain are a matched set. His performance skills match their expectations of a performer. More typically discerning people won’t buy what he has to offer.

It is not by accident that Clay has ended up with the type of fans that he has, like attracts like. No fan base has the power to ruin a performer, that’s just as much of an excuse as saying the webcams are photoshops. If the Claymates were a detriment to Clay they would market him to someone else. There is no one else, at least not in large enough numbers to get attention.

Clay may have had a better voice at one time but he never had the ability to connect to a discriminating audience or to a large segment of the population. His performance skills are mediocre, his artistry is non-existent, and his banter is undisciplined. The scandals are in a category by themselves. He would have needed much more than a voice to reach the stars. The Xmas special, the second Xmas tour, the CD, this tour – these things are products of his skill level. Enough said.

Clay is a very lazy person by nature. He puts very little effort into anything that he does, whether it is his shows, his music, the BAF, or UNICEF. For the most part he is MIA until he needs to show up, do his thing, and leave. He relies heavily on others.

It’s time for people hanging onto what “could have been” to realize that it never was. It’s the final step in deprogramming.