Making healthy changes, putting out platinum albums, and leading master classes.
It's been 20 years since Ruben Studdard took the win on American Idol, and the singer is
definitely still winning in life.
Keep watching to see what he’s been up to.
When American Idol burst onto the scene in June 2002, it was hailed as a triumph of the
American dream.
Here, talented but unknown singers from any walk of life could have a real chance of becoming
musical superstars.
Back in American Idol's second season, all the buzz was about the friendly rivalry between
finalists Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard, the larger-than-life R&B singer with the rich
pipes that earned him the nickname "Velvet Teddy Bear."
Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken may have been competitive finalists on American Idol, but
there are definitely no hard feelings.
In fact, the two did press appearances for months immediately following the show.
They also hung out together as pals and even appeared in a Broadway play for the holiday
season in 2018, aptly titled Ruben & Clay's Christmas Show.
As they described it, the variety show combined holiday songs with skits, comedy and bantering.
For Christmas 2019, the two buds reunited once again to sing the classic song "O Holy
Night" on The View.
Reposting the show's video of their heartfelt performance, Studdard tweeted,
"I miss singing with my bro @clayaiken."
It may be a while before the two Idol alums get to perform again.
However, in early January 2022, Aiken announced that he is running for Congress as a representative
of North Carolina's Sixth District.
If elected, he would be the first openly LGBTQ congressperson from the South — an accomplishment
Studdard, a fellow southerner who was raised in Alabama, would surely applaud.
"It just really upsets me that our state has become represented by these people who don't
represent me."
American Idol wasn't Studdard's only foray into reality TV.
Studdard celebrated a triumph in 2014 when he competed on NBC's The Biggest Loser, the
long-running reality show in which contestants competed to see who could lose the most weight
with the help of tough trainers and lifestyle changes.
Studdard's frame and gentle personality earned him the nickname "Velvet Teddy Bear" on American
Idol, but after learning he had type 2 diabetes, he realized that his size — more than 400
pounds — was affecting his health.
"I don't think I've ever been as afraid as I was that day."
On the show, Studdard dropped just 39 pounds before being asked to leave the ranch, but
he was motivated to keep going at home, and eventually lost a total of 129 pounds.
In an interview, he said,
"You know, it wasn't the working out that was the hard part.
It was all the other stuff that goes along with being on the ranch — not being able
to talk to your family and that stuff.
It's very mentally challenging."
Studdard's rich voice and appealing personality have contributed to his enduring career.
Since his American Idol win, he has released eight albums, including Soulful and I Need
an Angel.
His 2012 album Letters from Birmingham was based on his short-lived marriage to Zuri
McCants.
Studdard told NPR at the time,
"I think the most important thing was for me to tell my story in my words, instead of
allowing other people to speculate."
Many of his albums have gone gold and platinum, and he earned one Grammy nomination in 2003
for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.
In 2018, Studdard released Ruben Sings Luther: A Tribute.
The album paid tribute to the R&B great Luther Vandross, to whom Studdard has often been
compared.
Although he had to cancel his planned tour when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Studdard is
back on the road.
He began performing again in February 2022, with stops planned in Philadelphia, Connecticut,
Washington, DC, Bermuda and other locales.
But Studdard paused his tour in March 2022 to take a different kind of stage — He is
teaching two master classes in music at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga.
After being invited by a friend to sing the National Anthem at a UTC football game there,
Studdard met with Stuart Benkert, the head of the school's performing arts department,
who thought the students could benefit from the Idol's expertise.
Benkert said of Studdard,
"As head of the department, how could you not want to bring in somebody like him to
work with our students?
I realized that he has the heart of a teacher and it would be a shame not to let that become
part of who he is."
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