The pop star life has its share of perks.
“I got to cut in line at the DMV,” Clay Aiken exults.
“Well, Steven Tyler kissed me,” says Kelly Clarkson, trumping Aiken on the phone from Los Angeles, where the two “American Idol” stars were rehearsing for their joint concert tour.
The hugely popular Fox talent show catapulted the two singers from karaoke to platinum status. Both say that sudden stardom hasn’t gone to their heads.
“I joke with friends all the time that I’m supposed to be living this glamorous life,” the 23-year-old Aiken says. “But every night I’m sitting at home in my pajamas watching TiVo and ordering take-out.”
Clarkson, 21, confesses that at big industry functions, such as the Grammys, she just tries to smile and act polite.
“It’s horrible when someone comes up to compliment my voice, because a lot of the time, I have no idea who they are. I’m terrible at recognizing people, unless you’re like Beyonce,” she says. “I swear I don’t know why God put me here because I’m not into going out and doing the rub-shoulders thing.”
Their hectic schedules also are keeping the prospect of romance at bay. “It would be silly to try to date,” Clarkson says. “I’m so ridiculously busy.”
That hasn’t stopped the rumors. Aiken ascribes the persistent whispers that he is gay to jealousy. “Most guys can’t figure out why their girlfriends are going crazy about this skinny little guy,” he says, “so they make up stories.”
He finds all the emphasis on his love life a little goofy anyway. “Lord help the sex-symbol world if I’m a sex symbol,” he says, laughing.
If you attend their show expecting a gaudy extravaganza, you’re apt to be disappointed. “There’s no pyrotechnics or dancers,” Aiken says. “No one’s swinging from the ceiling. It’s about the vocals and the music. People don’t expect me to dance or Kelly to strip.”
They’ve arrived at a loose, ego-free arrangement where they take turns opening and closing each show.
Show stop
Clay Aiken and Kelly Clarkson perform March 22 at the United Center.
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale ([email protected]) and alBerto Trevino ([email protected])