Clay Aiken is getting all kinds of attention these days. He’s getting tons of fan mail, noticed on the street and contacted by people he hasn’t heard from in years-including his biological father. The American Idol runner-up tells Rolling Stone that his birthfather, whom he says was a violent alcoholic who beat Aiken’s mother, has tried to get in touch with him since he’s become famous.
The 24-year old singer says, “My mother was beaten by this man, and he never tried to be a father to me, ever. We moved so he wouldn’t know where I was. And now he wishes me the best? I don’t want to give him the time of day.”
Aiken is ready to move on, and the success of his first-ever single isn’t hurting that process. “This Is The Night” debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
American Idol fans can catch Aiken-as well as the show’s winner, Ruben Studdard-on the American Idol tour, which kicks off on July 8 in St. Paul, Minnesota.
