On his way to winning the second season of “American Idol,” Ruben Studdard was dubbed the “Velvet Teddy Bear.”
But on the phone from his home in Birmingham, Ala., he’s more like a grumpy Kodiak. Blame his management for scheduling early-morning interviews for a guy who rarely rolls out of bed before noon.
Not that he’s complaining.
“It’s part of the job,” Studdard says sleepily. And with his first headlining tour under way, Studdard has to submit to a certain amount of prodding from the media. But he’s not nervous about his 20-city trek.
“I’ve been [performing] my whole life,” he says.
He’ll sing all but two songs from his debut CD, “Soulful.” Studdard, 25, was adamant about loading up the release with funky club beats like those on the hit single “Sorry 2004.”
“I wanted to give the people who I was. You understand what I’m saying?” he says. “I grew up where hip-hop was and is the most popular genre of music. So I would have been hard-pressed not to include that.”
But he rejected a lot of promising R&B material because of racy or aggressive lyrics.
“I didn’t want a parental advisory sticker on my CD. Songs that are overly sexual or gangsta in nature–that’s not the type of person I am. That wouldn’t be genuine.”
Studdard’s inclusive approach seems to be working. “Soulful” has sold more than 1.3 million copies so far. That’s still 35 percent behind the sales mark set by “Idol” runner-up Clay Aiken.
“I’m more happy for Clay than anybody else. It proves what teachers tell you, that winning isn’t everything,” he says, laughing heartily.
But didn’t it rankle him to hear the crowd at last summer’s “American Idols Live” tour cheer louder for runner-up Aiken than it did for the winner?
“I think people were genuinely glad to see me,” Studdard responds. “Those were more pop-oriented fans at that show. It still doesn’t change the fact that I won.”
Studdard is still closely following the show that launched him.
“I’ve watched every episode. I think it’s pretty good. I’ve seen one or two [singers] that I really like.”
When asked about his reaction to “Idol” judge Simon Cowell’s recently published comments that Studdard’s “weight is out of control,” a palpable chill comes through the phone. “I haven’t read that article,” he says curtly.
According to Studdard, his size (6 feet 4 inches and an estimated 350 pounds) isn’t an issue, even as he travels around the country. “It’s cool,” he says. “As long as you keep that first-class seat, it’s all good.”
It wasn’t just Studdard’s size, by the way, that made him stand out as an “Idol” contestant. After years of gigging with Just a Few Cats, a popular cover band in Birmingham, he was a polished performer when he auditioned for “Idol.”
The musicians from Cats are backing him on this tour. “It makes it easy for me because we’ve been playing together so long,” he says.
But that doesn’t mean rehearsals haven’t been grueling. “We practiced from 9 to 5 every day for two weeks,” he says, adding, “You want to be flawless.”
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He’s got a shot at it–as long as they don’t schedule any shows before noon.
Show stop
Ruben Studdard plays April 9 at the Auditorium Theatre.
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale ([email protected]) and Victoria Rodriguez ([email protected])