ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You auditioned in season 2 when the show was still nascent in pop culture.
What did you know about the show going in, and why did you audition?
But I was in a jazz band and I thought we were too cool for stuff like that.
Credit: Kevork Djansezian/AP
It was almost like anti what we were doing at home, and we just didnt really dig it.
We werent into the mainstream scene.
And I was like, Yeah.
I mean, there was never any resistance from me in the process.
As soon as I was auditioning, I was never nervous.
It was all just fun for me.
I sang Luther Vandross for the associate producer and I didnt even think about it.
I was just having fun.
And I didnt think anything of it.
I sang like five seconds, and he was like, Oh, youre through.
It was like that every step of the process I knew I was in the right place.
What do you recall of meeting Simon, Randy, and Paula?
To be perfectly honest, I was more nervous to see Paula Abdul than anything.
What did you see of the show beginning to rise in pop culture?
Season 2 always seemed like the year the show went from a spark to a phenomenon.
It was definitely pandemonium.
I think after Kelly won, everybody was hungry for that thing that made her who she was.
How about the fans?
Folks just went crazy.
What sticks out to you about your fellow contestants from your season?
The thing about our season is that all of us got close really fast.
We fought like siblings and we got over it really quickly.
And the way the show was at that point, I feel like they kind of fostered that situation.
Because the producers didnt really understand what they had either.
It was a big learning curve on our season, for the whole gamut.
Everybody involved in the show learned more about what to do and what not to do with our season.
Like, we couldnt use cell phones at the dinner table.
It was really like we were made to act like we were family members, so it carried over.
What characterized your dynamic with Clay as you ran that race together?
I met him in our Hollywood audition.
And he got cut the first day.
So now my whole plan is shattered.
So Im like, Who in the hell is this dude by himself with all these girls?!
And hes like, Hi, Im Clay Aiken.
Weve been really cool ever since.
What was your relationship with him like after the finale?
It was a non-stop schedule.
Did you continue watching the show after you won?
When Fantasia was on, Kelly and I were coming back.
We all did anIdolChristmas special like three years in a row.
I didnt stop going to finale until I think Jordin Sparks finale.
But for me, it was good because it always kept you present in peoples faces.
To me, there is no downside to being associated withAmerican Idol.
It definitely has been a blessing for me.
Ive been able to do a job for 14 years now that Ive always wanted.
Im on the road, I perform, I do shows every weekend because of that show.
Whats the biggest legacy the show leaves behind, and perhaps a smaller legacy we might not even realize?
The biggest thing that you could see is its impact on the music industry as a whole.
And I could just take my season as an example.
You have four people from that season that had No.
Four people from one season of one television show that had number one singles.
You had two people from one season that had multi-platinum albums.
In a similar sense, you look at the economic impact that its had on several different ventures.
People launch television shows in front of or behindAmerican Idol.
WillIdolever really be gone?
The products of this show will be around.
The impact of the show will be felt forever.
A version of this story originally appeared inEntertainment Weeklyissue #14081409, on newsstands Friday or available for purchasehere.
