Clay Aiken Knows It's Not About Charity!

Since we've been on the subject of "American Idol," check out this interview with Clay Aiken, an Idol success from the 2003 season. Clay has done a fair amount of humanitarian work for UNICEF and has been traveling to impoverished countries on their behalf. Check out a portion of the interview with the Yahoo Music service below and notice the stark difference between his approach and the celebs who visited Africa on the "Idol Gives Back" episode. While Carrie Underwood chose to shoot a music video surrounded by African children (is this on the edge of exploitation?), Clay says he won't sing his songs in Africa again. Clay Aiken gets it!!

YAHOO! MUSIC: The Idol Gives Back charity event raised more than $70 million. Could you relate to what you saw your fellow idols doing in Africa and other places?

CLAY: I think there's definitely a problem--and I'll point to recent charity events--when people go and they talk about the need in an area or a country and they don't have the information. If you come back and you talk about the need in a country and don't know what's going on in the country, then you're completely remiss. There's always a greater cause [to poverty] than throwing money at the issue, and I think the strongest solution, the strongest weapon we have against poverty and hunger is education. When you take a look at something like Idol Gives Back and you realize that the main piece of information we got is that people are hungry in Africa, but we didn't find out why they are hungry in Africa and we didn't find out where in Africa they are hungry, nor did we find out the major causes. Without the education about what's going on in the country, we're doing no service except for perpetuating that same stereotype that Africa, or any other country in the world, is lesser than the U.S., and we're in the role that we have to give to them.

YAHOO! MUSIC: Did you perform for the kids you met in Afghanistan? How did they like your music?

CLAY: [Laughing] I made the mistake in Uganda of performing for some kids who were in a night commuter center, and they were singing a song and they were clapping. It was kind of a joyful, cheerful song. They didn't know me, but they had heard that I was a singer, and so they asked me to sing a song, and I couldn't think of what to sing. And someone whispered to me, "Sing 'Bridge Over Troubled Water.'" And so I got through maybe a line of the song before the kids started laughing at me so hard. They'd never heard any music like that before in their lives. So I've made it a point when I take these trips to never sing.

YAHOO! MUSIC: Maybe someday you'll get a request.

CLAY: Maybe next time I take a trip I'll make it a point to learn a native song.

Wow! That's some great advice. Here's the full interview.

P.S. To my knowledge, as active as they are in raising awareness about Africa, U2 has never shot a music video there. Way to go boys....

Comments

[XOC]

Wow is right. This guy gets it. I'm impressed.

[Bev]

That's amazing! How often do you see celebrities being so well-informed & enthusiastic about the humanitarian work they're doing? You go Clay!

[Raymond]

Thanks for that info. Aiken obviously understands what it's all about.

[clayisouridol]

Thank you for this wonderful post. I had a hard time believing some of the tabloid sites attacked Clay for this even though every word of it is right on.

[Sally]

This young man who seems so goofy at times on the outside is really quite an "old soul" on the inside. I do wish more people would stop following the pack in berating him and just start listening to him. He absolutely get's it!

[Sienna]

The old adage says "GIVE A MAN a fish and he EATS FOR A DAY. TEACH A MAN to FISH and he EATS FOR a LIFETIME." This is what Clay Aiken meant regarding his comment about IGB on his recent Yahoo interview. People as usual twisted his words. Ignorance is not an excuse, people. Go about your good deeds, Clay. Never mind the.........

[AJ]

Thank You!! I thought I was the only one who saw Carrie Underwoods music video as exploitive. Was she too busy she couldn't sing live? And thank you for seeing the point Clay was trying to make. If you don't know the root cause of poverty and hunger, throwing money at the situation is not going to do a bit of good. And I always wondered how much of the money IGB raised is actually going to go to the charities that were mentioned. Why donate to a middle man? Just give directly to Unicef, or The Red Cross, etc. That way you KNOW where your dollars are going.

[Kfc]

I think it's about time that the impoverished people of Africa are given the opportunity to speak for themselves. Clay goes right into an area and listens to the people and attempts to strengthen their educational situation. Other celebs go simply for the photo ops. Let's have the people tell us personally what they'd
like to see happen in their local area to improve their lives. What do they really need?

Thanks for sharing Clay's interview with all of us.

[Susan]

Thanks for the article that actually prints the truth. Carrie Underwood was asked to go to Africa. She didn't volunteer. What Clay said is spot on. My opinion is that how credible is Simon acting so concerned for the people of Africa when you compare it to the way he treats so many of the singers on AI with his mean-spirited and hateful comments to them even about their eyes, etc. Clay called a spade a spade and some people can sure dish it out but they can't take it. Clay has been doing humanitarian work since 2003 quietly and without a lot of fanfare but AI just realized that it might up their ratings so they copied Clay.

[Freckles700]

Just want to thank you for getting Clay Aiken. Shows you have a mind. Clay's job with Unicef includes educating people about the importance of education and he's doing that quite well. And for the record, Clay was doing humanitarian work long before he even knew about AI. In his hometown of Raleigh he worked with special needs children and adults. Somewhere on the net you will find a picture of him as a teenager dancing on his knees with a very small special needs woman. It's a very moving picture. Clay is a special person.

[tk]

To build on what Kfc said about photo ops... I thought it was hilarious when Clay was on the Kimmel show talking about his Afghanistan trip, and when Jimmy showed a picture of clay and some kids and a blackboard, Clay joked "I was teaching english to some kids... they may be screwed..." adding, 'not gonna lie, it's really just a photo op." Lol! He takes the serious stuff seriously and calls the staged scenes for what they are.

[KATE]

Thanks for posting this. I'm a Clay fan, but I've been poking around this site. I'm enjoying your blogs on Bono and Idol. I agree with a lot of what you've said. I've been back several times this week, keep it up, I like it.

[Jared]

I admire Bono very much and I also think Clay Aiken is one of those rare people that has an inner drive to get to the root of the problem and get involved. Great article from Yahoo. It's easy to throw money at the problem, education is a long term goal. I don't berate Carrie for her involvement with the Idol thing. I think she felt that it was a good thing to do. I do think the suits at American Idol felt that this was a way to bring in ratings, why else would they do it? They have never shown an ounce of concern for anyone before. Clay seems very intelligent and has his heart in the right place. Good on Clay and Bono.

[Connie]

I'm sure Aiken got alot of bad publicity for what he said for Idol Gives Back and made himself alot of enemies, but he was never one to hold back when asked an opinion, especially when it is with an intelligent,well thought out response. Idol Gives Back was done with ratings in mind along with trying to help the poor. But remember, they didn't have to give to the poor to get ratings either,so don't be so harsh on Idol either.

[Penny]

We need a lot more celebrities like Bono and Clay!

[bono/aiken fan]

I'm a huge Bono fan, his music and humanitarian efforts. Am also a huge Clay Aiken fan, they are a lot alike in many ways, Bono is very outspoken and so is Clay in his own way, and they are involved for all the right reasons, they both have a social conscience and are educated about the areas they speak of. I couldn't believe it when Clay's opening song on his first solo tour was Where the Streets Have No Name. Two fandoms colliding, it was great. I love and support both of them in their humanitarian efforts.

[Joanne]

Thanks so much for your great article. We are so blessed to have caring celebrities such as Bono & Clay Aiken to give so selflessly to others and to want to make a difference.
I am so proud to call myself a "CLAYMATE". What a refreshing change nowadays to have a Superstar who not only entertains the socks off you , but cares unrelentingly about the world beyond himself!
GOD BLESS YOU CLAY AIKEN!

[Katee]

Great article!!!! Clay is an incredible talent and an incredable man. I really wish more people had a chance to see Clay.

[snoopy]

Just found this blog.... big U2 fan here. Don't know much about Aiken, but I have heard that he works with disabled kids, so that's a plus in my book. My little brother is in a wheelchair since a car accident & anyone who cares about his needs is AOK with me. Now I see that Aiken is becoming something of a crooning mini-Bono. Cool. More power to him. I'm so sick of pampered celebs whose priorities are how they look & where they can score their next fix.