ClayAiken

Clay fits into no pigeonhole in today's pop landscape. For lack of a better category, he gets played on Adult Contemporary stations. But he's tapped into a completely different audience, one that was often completely turned away from contemporary music until he came along.

Whether you like Aiken or not, you have to admit: he's in a category all his own. Unlike many artists, whose sound is shaped by imitating what's popular today, Clay is just Clay. Talented, absolutely, but following no prefabricated path toward musical fulfillment.