My story
Reviews Updated 7/26
I have written out my experience SO
many times it's becoming a little like
hard to do. It just gets repetitive.
Not that I dont love to relive it. He
he. Ok so here it goes.
My mom and I left at 11 on Friday and got
to Maryland around 3. We checked into our
hotel and by then I had only spotted one
person with Clay shirts. I was SOO anxious
to get there cuz I still had this silly
idea in my head that I might be able to
find jerome and ask if i can sing with
clay. haha like THAT would ever happen!
So I forced my mom to take me to the arena
which was down the block. So we walked
and it was gross hot out. We got there but
there were only like 10 people sitting against
a wall. My mom was hungry so it took us
a while to find her something lol and then
she took me back to the arena where we sat
on a wall right near the buses. People were
beginning to gather. After a long time of
sitting by some REALLY nasty people, we
stood up against the wall seperating the
buses from us. For some stupid reason every
one thought he was on the bus. He wasnt.
I talked to this lady for a long time bout
Clay. She had been to like 4 shows in one
week. It was nearing 6:30 when they open the
doors but I spotted Jerome walk out and go
into the parking lot. He was immediately bombarded
with gifts for Clay. So I waited till everyone
was done and tapped him and said "Excuse me
sir could u give these to Clay for me?" and
I handed him the box of Krispy Kremes and he
smiled and said "Sure, sweety" and I said
"You can have some too" and he laughed and
said "I was planning on it anyway, hon". So
I was all happy that Clay would eat my donuts.
wow sounds dirty. Ok so we go in the lobby
and people r asking him bout the singing contest
and I was being SO chicken and finally went
up and asked him. He brought me over a little
bit and said "What are you going to sing?" &
I said "Without You." He nodded and I proceeded
to sing the chorus. My hands were TREMBLING.
All i could think about was this was my win or
lose chance. When I finished he nodded and smiled.
Taking my name and seat number, he asked me
if I knew he was looking for that song. I said
yes I read it on the internet. He said something
to the extent of "I hate the internet it kills
me". Then I shook his hand and thanked him. Thats
when I called people shaking and half crying
After a few minutes online the line moved and I
bought a tourbook from a lady selling them. It
was 20, even tho it was 15 at another concert.
So we're going in and I'm so excited. My mom and I
like skip down the ramp to the lower level floor
where our seats were. Then I said "I better get
online for merchandise" and she said she'd meet
me cuz she had to pee. So I got online and it was
a good 40 minutes be4 I got up there. I got a
black INVISIBLE t-shirt and one poster. Came to 40
bucks. I left out of the mob of psychos and my
mom had bought us food. So we go into the arena
and r sitting there eating our food. We see
the stage for CHERIE and Im SOOO excited cuz
we're so much closer than I thought. Our seats
werent 20th row, more like 10th! So we sit and
a lady next to us introduces herself and I became
friends with her and her friend, Beth. I cannot
remember the lady next to me's name for my life
but I loved her she wa so nice. So I told them
bout auditioning and theyre like "You're going
to get it cuz ur cute" and in my head im like
wut r u smoking. So we talked about Clay for
a really long time until Cherie came on. Shes a
great singer and performer but people were so
anxious for Clay it was a struggle not to be
rude. After like 45 minutes of that, which wasnt
bad but just loud, he came out.
I'm not explaining the songs. He sounded
flawless. So during maybe the third or fourth
song I had snuck up front to get a few good
pics and suddenly that lady Beth comes RUNNING
up to me and screams "SOMEONES LOOKING FOR YOU"
and I sprinted back and seriously smashed into
Jerome but it was like a breeze to Jerome cuz
hes a tree. He said I had to be in my seat for
the next few songs. So I started flipping but
then I'm like "Maybe its just a precaution
in case the girl he picked doesnt work out."
People around me r like OMG OMG but im like
chill it might not be.
So then Clay is asking people to dance. I start
spazzing. I seriously looked mental. I was
dancing like an idiot. Clay picked this girl
in the front and Jerome brought her on stage
and she HUMPED clay. He looked sooo uncomfortable.
I could tell he was totally shocked and wanted
it to end. She kept grinding against him and
like jumping giving him a hug. Thats a DLI if
I ever saw one. And finally clays like "How
old are you?" and she said 16 and he said "You
shouldnt be dancing like that."
So Clay then begins talking about something
that he did in Raleigh with competition and
how good and bad some people were. Then people
r tapping me and pointing to Jerome who is
shining a flashlight on me. I lose complete
sense and put my dads 500 dollar camera on the seat that folds up, my digital camera on the chair and
like threw down my purse and phone. I climbed
over people but they wouldnt move. Jerome was
like MOVE FOR HER and they got scared lol. So
he takes my hand and RUNS me over to the side
of the stage to a place where its like up to
my neck and hes like hop up. I gave him a look
like yeah ok and like flung myself up onto it.
By now I'm completely like shocked and out of
it and I turn to Jerome to like say wut do i
do and then I hear clays voice.
"Why are you hiding in the shadows?"
I walked across the stage and I've said this
be4 that this was the best moment of my life.
I was walking towards him and he was smiling so
big at me. He held out his hand for me to come
closer and pulled me like forward cuz I was like
slinking. He was smiling and I guess laughing cuz
I was so nervous. Clay says "Can we get her a mic?"
and a lady comes over and hands me a mic. I sorta
stare at it and she whispers "Hold it up to ur
mouth" and im like "WA?" and she says it again.
"Stage secrets! Shes tellin her stage secrets!
What did she tell you?"
And me being the idiot I am like hold the mic down
and say wut she said. Clay CRACKS up and does the
same thing but they could hear him cuz he had a
mic on his shirt. Everyone laughed but I wasnt
embarrased. He asked me my name and age. He had
to keep pushing the mic up for me and everytime
he did everyone laughed cuz its so funny. He asked
where I was from and when I said NJ people cheered
and I like jumped. He looked at me and said
"NEW JERSEY!Lots of people from NJ. You didnt
come with the girl who danced right?"
And I said no and he said "You don't dance like
that right?" and I shook my head but he pointed
to the mic and I said it. He laughed and said so
seriously "GOOD, DONT!" Everyone laughed.
"Do you sing in school?" he asked and I said
not really. He laughed and said "So this is ur
first time on a stage. Have you ever sung or
performed?" and I said "Yeah in an 8th grade
talent show" and he said ohhh "What did u sing"
and when I said "Miss Independent" people screamed
and cheered. He said "OOOH KELLY! What did you
audition for Jerome?" and I said "Without You"
and he said "Okay so my band is going to hate me
tonight. But you have a choice you can either
sing Miss Independent or Without You." Immediately
I said Without you becuz thats my dream song
with him. He smiled and said "I guess my band
likes you better than me tonight. Do yuo want
me to sing with you?" and I said yes. He said
"Do you want Kiana to back u up?" and I siad
no cuz i was like so scared. He nodded and said
"We're gonna start on the second verse. You
know the second verse?" I said yes and he pointed
to the piano guy who was like out of it and was
like WAT THE and then started.
I was so nervous and I could see that he knew
so he looked at me and lipped the first few
words and I began. People say I sang Kims part
but I honestly dont remember. So I started and
a few words in he turns to the audience and
goes "WOW SHES GOOD!" like really really surprised.
So I'm still singing and when I get to the part
at least i think when i said "TO SEE PHOTOGRAPHS
OF YOU" he joins me and we sing the rest together.
As I'm singing my heart is like pounding so hard
and I can vaguely hear my voice echoing around the
stadium and for some reason I thought like thats
not my voice. Cuz it didnt sound like me at all.
But as we're singing, he's looking at me and
smiling and I think I was really serious cuz
he got serious and came closer and held out his
hand and I took it and I sang straight into Clay
Aiken's eyes. It was the most extravagant and
most wonderful moments of my ENTIRE life. As we
finished the chorus he sorta like hinted that it
was gonna end so I ended it and he said "GIVE HER
A HAND!" and then came towards me and said "THAT
WAS GREAT" like laughing excited. Then he hugged me
and it was SO tight I cant even explain. My face
was in his chest cuz I'm so short. I just held
him and like tried to keep it with me. He took me
and faced me towards the audience who were still
clapping and cheering. I heard whistles and im
like, in my head, so this is wut it feels like.
He turns and hugs me again and whispers in my
ear "u were awesome" and Im like dying and then
he turns and says "What do we have for her?" &
someone threw him a shirt and Clay says "I didnt
wear it yet but I signed it" and I took it and
he hugged me to his side and kissed the top of
my head. Finally, he bends and whispers "go back
the way u came" and i nod and turn away and walk
back to the side where I hand a lady the mic and
shes like "wow u were great" and Jerome helps me
jump down.
We're not 2 feet from the stage when
a lady like jumps in front of me and is like
"Let me take your picture!" and she takes it
fast and Jerome is still pulling me and another
lady wants to and I let her and almost everyone
is leaning over saying nice things and im like
thanking people left and right. Finally we reach
my aisle and I jump up and hug jerome and he says
to me "You just saved my job". I thank him twice
and then climb over the people again. They were
pretty pissed at me cuz I kicked over their sodas
and it went EVERYWHERE. I reached my seat but my
mom was gone but the two ladys were there and were
hugging and kissing me telling me how wonderful
I was. People in front and behind me were turning
and shaking my hand. Finally I saw my mom and tackled
her in the aisle and shes like r u ok and im like
waaa. I get back in my seat and people r still
praising me and I'm just sorta standing there
staring as Clay continues to sing. My mom is like
flipping and wanting to call my dad in the middle
of the concert. Im like in this daze and just take
pics and watch the rest.
Ok so during the intermission was when it got
crazy. People started coming from left and right
asking IF i had sung and I said yes. Two people
asked for pictures WITH me and a bunch asked for
pics of me. This lady came over and said "I'm a
choir teacher and u should be in chorus". I thanked
everyone a billion times and then I called KArrisa,
Kelli, and Megan. Megan wasnt home but I explained
the whole thing to karrisa and kelli. I cried when
I told Kelli and Kelli was DYING. Karrisa didnt
believe me at first but finally i let her talk to
a woman next to me and she did sorta. My mom called
my aunt and dad. I was like ok wut did i just win?
And people r still taking my picture of me on the
fone crying and one woman got me like wiping my
snot and i looked at her and im like "ooo glamorous
shot!" and she laughed. The ladies next to me
said my voice was perfect with Clays. I was just
sorta in a daze.
The rest of the concert was amazing. Clay's voice
is just something else. I cant even describe how
much more I enjoyed it than I would have had I not
sung with Clay.
At the end, as I'm leaving, SO many people stopped
me. Everyone kept praising me and I'm like oh thank
u. One man asked if it was set up and I said no I
auditioned for Jerome in the lobby with other girls.
Someone asked if I was friends with Jerome. I said
no and said the same thing to everyone. One woman
was like so shy asking to take my picture i was like
aw stop. One woman asked if I would pose with her
little girl and im like sure and had to bend down
with this girl. We finally reach the like back and
i got online to buy alyssas and eileens friends
posters and people r like all around me cuz im in the middle of this mob that was the line for merchandise
and im like ok let me buy my poster hold on. I got it
and this woman who had the head of a squirrel came
over and was asking me how i made jerome pick me.
Im like I dunno freak. lol didnt say that. But we
went outside and I scanned for jerome cuz I wanted
to thank him. But didnt see him. So we went over to
the buses but it was a MOB scene. I spotted my two
lady friends and they were like whispering and moving
around so I snuck up behind them and Im like "I dont
see him do u" lol and they SCREAMED and hugged me and
were like "OMG MAUREEN!" and im like OMG LADYS NAME I
DONT KNOW! Lol. Didnt say that lol. I told them it
was nice meeting them and then went and found my mom
I never woulda seen clay had I stayed so we went back
to the hotel down the block.
In the lobby, these two girls spotted me and ran over
and r like "Are you the girl..." and im just like
yeah and they yeah went on and on and the lady was
like to my mom "u have a talented little girl here"
and im like wow no. LOL. So we finally go to the
room and I was on the phone with megan till 3 am
and i talked to kel a bit.
So then this morning at breakfast we're waiting
in line to be seated and these two girls in front
of me r whispering and like looking at me. Then
the one whispers to her mom sorta loud "is that
the girl who sang" and the mom nodded and they
smiled at me. I'm like ok. Then while me and my
mom r eating theyre like coming up to us and
asking wut he smelled like. One lady just came over
and whispered good job sweety.
It was the most AMAZING experience ever. I
never woulda done it had my mom not been there.
I owe her everything right now. Thank u to
all my IDF buds for givin me hope. Thanks
to Kelli and Megan for putting up with my
constant clayness. Thank u to Kat for helpin
me find media and just bein the awesome claymate
u r. After this, I am very very proud to call
myself a claymate becuz the courteous behavior
and kindess theyve shown me has been overwhelming.
I've been saving all the comments about me
on boards. I think theyre so funny cuz people
r like way too nice. But they make me feel good.
This is gonna be my like permanent spot for this
story cuz if i have to write it out one more time
ill like sing it out lol. They r snippets from fans
reviews from the clayboard.
Now when im sad i have somewhere to look for
happy thoughts lol.
updated 7/26
Mobeanz,
you are an AWESOME singer, girlie!!! You floored Clay and the audience with your beautiful voice and I saw how surprised Jacob, Angela and especially Quianna were!!!!You need to keep singing!!!! -Shycon
His interactions with the singing girl were great! But she was so cute. She came up and hugged him as if her life depended on it and then looked at all of us with a flabbergasted “Thats Clay Aiken" look and hand motion. It was darling. I instantly liked her better than skanky dancing teen. When Rachel (?) came out to give her a mike, she whispered something to the girl. Clay asked her what advice Rachel gave and the girl (how many times must I write the girl? I will call her CYT from now on. Cute Young Thing. As opposed to Skanky Young Thing, who thankfully was not on stage. Oh wait, she was, with the dancing.) responded, but we couldn’t hear her because she wasn’t talking in the mike. He said all deadpan she told you to hold the mike to your mouth? Oh And then he pushed the mike up to her mouth. It was so freaking funny! He had to do it several times and his expressions and tone of voice were priceless. I. Love. Him. He asked CYT how old she was, she said 15 and he asked "you don't dance like the other girl from NJ, do you?" She was embarrassed and all "no, no!" And he replied, something along the lines of: "That's good, because you can get in some trouble dancing like that. And get me in some trouble too. Anyway, Clay asked CYT about her singing experience and she said shed sang once. In an 8th grade talent show. He was all Jerome, we need to talk.oh It was so funny. Did I mention how funny he is? When asked, she said she sang Miss Independent. The crowd cheered. Clay asked what she intended to sing then and she said Without You. He said Jason and the band would kill him, but he was going to give her the choice between MI and WY. We hooted for MI, but she chose WY anyway. And she sounded really good, IMO. Clay was visibly impressed, as were Quiana, Jacob and Angela. It was awesome. I loved it. Clay hugged her again, whispered something in her ear, and kissed the top of her CYT head. She skipped off in what must have been the highlight-of-life-thus-far daze. If it had been me, the mike would have picked up a thunderous heartbeat, but she was just darling.
-aurorabee
“The delicate kiss on the forehead he gave the junior singer of the night. She was mad talented and I think even Clayton was surprised at her ability. He was dear and sweet to her and she was humbled and utterly charmed. An interesting juxtaposition to the dancer who had obvious gifts.”
-Solitaire30
The 15 year old singer was very good. The duet of WY was great. Clay beamed at her and she seemed thrilled that he gave her such glowing responses to her singing.
-yalcteef:
SingerGirl was cute as the Dickens. Clay asked her when she performed before, and she said her 8th grade choir. He responded, "Okay, then." As in, "Ha! This is gonna be so BAD!" But she picked WY over Miss I, and sang with him (I think she realized quickly that MissI is a solo!), to which the crowd and The Aiken responded warmly. She got the chaste kiss.
-Winky Dink
IWCY & Kyrie were, as always, solid. Then it was time to bring up the singer. He was really cute with this one. She was the exact opposite of dancing girl...a normal, sweet, non-aggressive kid. When she first got on stage, he turned his head away to ask for a mic for her, and she pointed to him and mouthed "It's Clay Aiken"...very cute. She didn't seem to quite know what to do with the mic (she was holding it too far away from her mouth), so he kept gently grabbing her elbow and moving the mic back up to her face. He asked her if she sang in school, and she said no. He responded "I need to have a conversation with Jerome....JEROME." He then asked her if she had ever sung at all. She said that she had been in a talent show and had sung Miss Independent. Clay said that he was probably going to get in trouble with the band, but he would give her the choice of doing Without You (which she had planned with Jerome) or Miss Independent. She decided to do Without You, and Clay told her that she was probably more popular with the band than he was right then. She was tentative at the start, but wound up doing a really nice job, and Clay was impressed. At the end, he asked her whether she danced like the other girl, she said no, and he said that was a good thing, because it could get her in trouble. He also laughed a bit and said it could get people like him in trouble too (which made me grin, because my first thought was that he was referring to the last time he brought a 16 year old up on stage to dirty dance during Detroit WDC, and the mini-tempest that caused). He then gave her a really sweet hug, and leaned down to give her a kiss on the top of her head...definitely an awwww moment.
- kmh135
Oh yea and I forget when he sang with keemie but it was in the first half, wasn't it? Yea, they sang "Without you" It was soooooo great! He gave her a choice of either singing "Miss Independent" Or "Without You" And she was like "Without You" It was so funny. CLay asked Keemie if she sings in school and she was like "no". And he was like "Jeropme we need to have a talk." And Then Keemie sang and everyone was like "WOW SHE'S GOOD!" Then they sang together... awwwww Keemie, you're so lucky!!
-gonzclaymate2607
Then a 15-year-old came up to sing w/him. She had a beautiful voice and Clay was impressed. I can't imagine the guts it would take for a young lady like that to be able to perform w/Clay as she was so obviously stunned and taken by him."
-anonymous
____
updated7/25
lol when clay had the girl singing with him on stage, he was like 'now i'll give you a choice... would you like to sing without you or *something else, like TITN*?' and i screamed 'without you!' and she chose that anyway. and then i think he asked 'would you like me to sing with you?' and she said 'yes' ... i kept screaming out these answers. i doubt the girl heard me - but i said to myself 'smart girl!!!' lol. and she did very well with 'without you'!!
-oriolesno9
. He then had a girl come up to the stage and sing. She sang Without You - and had sang Miss Independent in a talent show. She was shockingly good. The audience had their jaws dropped. She melded well with Clay in the chorus. Even he was shocked.
-TaikenByAiken
The girl that sang was soooooo good. I was reallly impressed and I don't impress easyily. She said that her only experience was an 8th grade talent show. At first Clay was like where's Jerome we need to talk ! I just love Clay's quick wit.
-lisajluvsclaya
The 15 year old singer did very well with withoutyou with clay.
pamnclay84
The girl who SANG with him was AMAZING!! Wow. Even Clay was blown away. she asked to sing without you with him and so he told the band to start from the second verse. So she knew all the words (yeah, like who wouldn’t?!) and Clay sang with her. And she even performed it to him…she was wonderful.
-DCclayfan8
The 15 year old that sang with Clay was amazing for her age!
-beechernkeller4evr
The girl who sang was so talented. Everyone was surprised at just how great she was.
-AikenForClay16
but was impressed by the singing girl. if shes reading this, good job!
-claymation4
He did have someone come up and dance and he had some young girl sing and he joined in the singing...She was good! He didn't pick either girl, but, they had been picked and he seemed surprised.
-missanda
I have written out my experience SO
many times it's becoming a little like
hard to do. It just gets repetitive.
Not that I dont love to relive it. He
he. Ok so here it goes.
My mom and I left at 11 on Friday and got
to Maryland around 3. We checked into our
hotel and by then I had only spotted one
person with Clay shirts. I was SOO anxious
to get there cuz I still had this silly
idea in my head that I might be able to
find jerome and ask if i can sing with
clay. haha like THAT would ever happen!
So I forced my mom to take me to the arena
which was down the block. So we walked
and it was gross hot out. We got there but
there were only like 10 people sitting against
a wall. My mom was hungry so it took us
a while to find her something lol and then
she took me back to the arena where we sat
on a wall right near the buses. People were
beginning to gather. After a long time of
sitting by some REALLY nasty people, we
stood up against the wall seperating the
buses from us. For some stupid reason every
one thought he was on the bus. He wasnt.
I talked to this lady for a long time bout
Clay. She had been to like 4 shows in one
week. It was nearing 6:30 when they open the
doors but I spotted Jerome walk out and go
into the parking lot. He was immediately bombarded
with gifts for Clay. So I waited till everyone
was done and tapped him and said "Excuse me
sir could u give these to Clay for me?" and
I handed him the box of Krispy Kremes and he
smiled and said "Sure, sweety" and I said
"You can have some too" and he laughed and
said "I was planning on it anyway, hon". So
I was all happy that Clay would eat my donuts.
wow sounds dirty. Ok so we go in the lobby
and people r asking him bout the singing contest
and I was being SO chicken and finally went
up and asked him. He brought me over a little
bit and said "What are you going to sing?" &
I said "Without You." He nodded and I proceeded
to sing the chorus. My hands were TREMBLING.
All i could think about was this was my win or
lose chance. When I finished he nodded and smiled.
Taking my name and seat number, he asked me
if I knew he was looking for that song. I said
yes I read it on the internet. He said something
to the extent of "I hate the internet it kills
me". Then I shook his hand and thanked him. Thats
when I called people shaking and half crying
After a few minutes online the line moved and I
bought a tourbook from a lady selling them. It
was 20, even tho it was 15 at another concert.
So we're going in and I'm so excited. My mom and I
like skip down the ramp to the lower level floor
where our seats were. Then I said "I better get
online for merchandise" and she said she'd meet
me cuz she had to pee. So I got online and it was
a good 40 minutes be4 I got up there. I got a
black INVISIBLE t-shirt and one poster. Came to 40
bucks. I left out of the mob of psychos and my
mom had bought us food. So we go into the arena
and r sitting there eating our food. We see
the stage for CHERIE and Im SOOO excited cuz
we're so much closer than I thought. Our seats
werent 20th row, more like 10th! So we sit and
a lady next to us introduces herself and I became
friends with her and her friend, Beth. I cannot
remember the lady next to me's name for my life
but I loved her she wa so nice. So I told them
bout auditioning and theyre like "You're going
to get it cuz ur cute" and in my head im like
wut r u smoking. So we talked about Clay for
a really long time until Cherie came on. Shes a
great singer and performer but people were so
anxious for Clay it was a struggle not to be
rude. After like 45 minutes of that, which wasnt
bad but just loud, he came out.
I'm not explaining the songs. He sounded
flawless. So during maybe the third or fourth
song I had snuck up front to get a few good
pics and suddenly that lady Beth comes RUNNING
up to me and screams "SOMEONES LOOKING FOR YOU"
and I sprinted back and seriously smashed into
Jerome but it was like a breeze to Jerome cuz
hes a tree. He said I had to be in my seat for
the next few songs. So I started flipping but
then I'm like "Maybe its just a precaution
in case the girl he picked doesnt work out."
People around me r like OMG OMG but im like
chill it might not be.
So then Clay is asking people to dance. I start
spazzing. I seriously looked mental. I was
dancing like an idiot. Clay picked this girl
in the front and Jerome brought her on stage
and she HUMPED clay. He looked sooo uncomfortable.
I could tell he was totally shocked and wanted
it to end. She kept grinding against him and
like jumping giving him a hug. Thats a DLI if
I ever saw one. And finally clays like "How
old are you?" and she said 16 and he said "You
shouldnt be dancing like that."
So Clay then begins talking about something
that he did in Raleigh with competition and
how good and bad some people were. Then people
r tapping me and pointing to Jerome who is
shining a flashlight on me. I lose complete
sense and put my dads 500 dollar camera on the seat that folds up, my digital camera on the chair and
like threw down my purse and phone. I climbed
over people but they wouldnt move. Jerome was
like MOVE FOR HER and they got scared lol. So
he takes my hand and RUNS me over to the side
of the stage to a place where its like up to
my neck and hes like hop up. I gave him a look
like yeah ok and like flung myself up onto it.
By now I'm completely like shocked and out of
it and I turn to Jerome to like say wut do i
do and then I hear clays voice.
"Why are you hiding in the shadows?"
I walked across the stage and I've said this
be4 that this was the best moment of my life.
I was walking towards him and he was smiling so
big at me. He held out his hand for me to come
closer and pulled me like forward cuz I was like
slinking. He was smiling and I guess laughing cuz
I was so nervous. Clay says "Can we get her a mic?"
and a lady comes over and hands me a mic. I sorta
stare at it and she whispers "Hold it up to ur
mouth" and im like "WA?" and she says it again.
"Stage secrets! Shes tellin her stage secrets!
What did she tell you?"
And me being the idiot I am like hold the mic down
and say wut she said. Clay CRACKS up and does the
same thing but they could hear him cuz he had a
mic on his shirt. Everyone laughed but I wasnt
embarrased. He asked me my name and age. He had
to keep pushing the mic up for me and everytime
he did everyone laughed cuz its so funny. He asked
where I was from and when I said NJ people cheered
and I like jumped. He looked at me and said
"NEW JERSEY!Lots of people from NJ. You didnt
come with the girl who danced right?"
And I said no and he said "You don't dance like
that right?" and I shook my head but he pointed
to the mic and I said it. He laughed and said so
seriously "GOOD, DONT!" Everyone laughed.
"Do you sing in school?" he asked and I said
not really. He laughed and said "So this is ur
first time on a stage. Have you ever sung or
performed?" and I said "Yeah in an 8th grade
talent show" and he said ohhh "What did u sing"
and when I said "Miss Independent" people screamed
and cheered. He said "OOOH KELLY! What did you
audition for Jerome?" and I said "Without You"
and he said "Okay so my band is going to hate me
tonight. But you have a choice you can either
sing Miss Independent or Without You." Immediately
I said Without you becuz thats my dream song
with him. He smiled and said "I guess my band
likes you better than me tonight. Do yuo want
me to sing with you?" and I said yes. He said
"Do you want Kiana to back u up?" and I siad
no cuz i was like so scared. He nodded and said
"We're gonna start on the second verse. You
know the second verse?" I said yes and he pointed
to the piano guy who was like out of it and was
like WAT THE and then started.
I was so nervous and I could see that he knew
so he looked at me and lipped the first few
words and I began. People say I sang Kims part
but I honestly dont remember. So I started and
a few words in he turns to the audience and
goes "WOW SHES GOOD!" like really really surprised.
So I'm still singing and when I get to the part
at least i think when i said "TO SEE PHOTOGRAPHS
OF YOU" he joins me and we sing the rest together.
As I'm singing my heart is like pounding so hard
and I can vaguely hear my voice echoing around the
stadium and for some reason I thought like thats
not my voice. Cuz it didnt sound like me at all.
But as we're singing, he's looking at me and
smiling and I think I was really serious cuz
he got serious and came closer and held out his
hand and I took it and I sang straight into Clay
Aiken's eyes. It was the most extravagant and
most wonderful moments of my ENTIRE life. As we
finished the chorus he sorta like hinted that it
was gonna end so I ended it and he said "GIVE HER
A HAND!" and then came towards me and said "THAT
WAS GREAT" like laughing excited. Then he hugged me
and it was SO tight I cant even explain. My face
was in his chest cuz I'm so short. I just held
him and like tried to keep it with me. He took me
and faced me towards the audience who were still
clapping and cheering. I heard whistles and im
like, in my head, so this is wut it feels like.
He turns and hugs me again and whispers in my
ear "u were awesome" and Im like dying and then
he turns and says "What do we have for her?" &
someone threw him a shirt and Clay says "I didnt
wear it yet but I signed it" and I took it and
he hugged me to his side and kissed the top of
my head. Finally, he bends and whispers "go back
the way u came" and i nod and turn away and walk
back to the side where I hand a lady the mic and
shes like "wow u were great" and Jerome helps me
jump down.
We're not 2 feet from the stage when
a lady like jumps in front of me and is like
"Let me take your picture!" and she takes it
fast and Jerome is still pulling me and another
lady wants to and I let her and almost everyone
is leaning over saying nice things and im like
thanking people left and right. Finally we reach
my aisle and I jump up and hug jerome and he says
to me "You just saved my job". I thank him twice
and then climb over the people again. They were
pretty pissed at me cuz I kicked over their sodas
and it went EVERYWHERE. I reached my seat but my
mom was gone but the two ladys were there and were
hugging and kissing me telling me how wonderful
I was. People in front and behind me were turning
and shaking my hand. Finally I saw my mom and tackled
her in the aisle and shes like r u ok and im like
waaa. I get back in my seat and people r still
praising me and I'm just sorta standing there
staring as Clay continues to sing. My mom is like
flipping and wanting to call my dad in the middle
of the concert. Im like in this daze and just take
pics and watch the rest.
Ok so during the intermission was when it got
crazy. People started coming from left and right
asking IF i had sung and I said yes. Two people
asked for pictures WITH me and a bunch asked for
pics of me. This lady came over and said "I'm a
choir teacher and u should be in chorus". I thanked
everyone a billion times and then I called KArrisa,
Kelli, and Megan. Megan wasnt home but I explained
the whole thing to karrisa and kelli. I cried when
I told Kelli and Kelli was DYING. Karrisa didnt
believe me at first but finally i let her talk to
a woman next to me and she did sorta. My mom called
my aunt and dad. I was like ok wut did i just win?
And people r still taking my picture of me on the
fone crying and one woman got me like wiping my
snot and i looked at her and im like "ooo glamorous
shot!" and she laughed. The ladies next to me
said my voice was perfect with Clays. I was just
sorta in a daze.
The rest of the concert was amazing. Clay's voice
is just something else. I cant even describe how
much more I enjoyed it than I would have had I not
sung with Clay.
At the end, as I'm leaving, SO many people stopped
me. Everyone kept praising me and I'm like oh thank
u. One man asked if it was set up and I said no I
auditioned for Jerome in the lobby with other girls.
Someone asked if I was friends with Jerome. I said
no and said the same thing to everyone. One woman
was like so shy asking to take my picture i was like
aw stop. One woman asked if I would pose with her
little girl and im like sure and had to bend down
with this girl. We finally reach the like back and
i got online to buy alyssas and eileens friends
posters and people r like all around me cuz im in the middle of this mob that was the line for merchandise
and im like ok let me buy my poster hold on. I got it
and this woman who had the head of a squirrel came
over and was asking me how i made jerome pick me.
Im like I dunno freak. lol didnt say that. But we
went outside and I scanned for jerome cuz I wanted
to thank him. But didnt see him. So we went over to
the buses but it was a MOB scene. I spotted my two
lady friends and they were like whispering and moving
around so I snuck up behind them and Im like "I dont
see him do u" lol and they SCREAMED and hugged me and
were like "OMG MAUREEN!" and im like OMG LADYS NAME I
DONT KNOW! Lol. Didnt say that lol. I told them it
was nice meeting them and then went and found my mom
I never woulda seen clay had I stayed so we went back
to the hotel down the block.
In the lobby, these two girls spotted me and ran over
and r like "Are you the girl..." and im just like
yeah and they yeah went on and on and the lady was
like to my mom "u have a talented little girl here"
and im like wow no. LOL. So we finally go to the
room and I was on the phone with megan till 3 am
and i talked to kel a bit.
So then this morning at breakfast we're waiting
in line to be seated and these two girls in front
of me r whispering and like looking at me. Then
the one whispers to her mom sorta loud "is that
the girl who sang" and the mom nodded and they
smiled at me. I'm like ok. Then while me and my
mom r eating theyre like coming up to us and
asking wut he smelled like. One lady just came over
and whispered good job sweety.
It was the most AMAZING experience ever. I
never woulda done it had my mom not been there.
I owe her everything right now. Thank u to
all my IDF buds for givin me hope. Thanks
to Kelli and Megan for putting up with my
constant clayness. Thank u to Kat for helpin
me find media and just bein the awesome claymate
u r. After this, I am very very proud to call
myself a claymate becuz the courteous behavior
and kindess theyve shown me has been overwhelming.
I've been saving all the comments about me
on boards. I think theyre so funny cuz people
r like way too nice. But they make me feel good.
This is gonna be my like permanent spot for this
story cuz if i have to write it out one more time
ill like sing it out lol. They r snippets from fans
reviews from the clayboard.
Now when im sad i have somewhere to look for
happy thoughts lol.
updated 7/26
Mobeanz,
you are an AWESOME singer, girlie!!! You floored Clay and the audience with your beautiful voice and I saw how surprised Jacob, Angela and especially Quianna were!!!!You need to keep singing!!!! -Shycon
His interactions with the singing girl were great! But she was so cute. She came up and hugged him as if her life depended on it and then looked at all of us with a flabbergasted “Thats Clay Aiken" look and hand motion. It was darling. I instantly liked her better than skanky dancing teen. When Rachel (?) came out to give her a mike, she whispered something to the girl. Clay asked her what advice Rachel gave and the girl (how many times must I write the girl? I will call her CYT from now on. Cute Young Thing. As opposed to Skanky Young Thing, who thankfully was not on stage. Oh wait, she was, with the dancing.) responded, but we couldn’t hear her because she wasn’t talking in the mike. He said all deadpan she told you to hold the mike to your mouth? Oh And then he pushed the mike up to her mouth. It was so freaking funny! He had to do it several times and his expressions and tone of voice were priceless. I. Love. Him. He asked CYT how old she was, she said 15 and he asked "you don't dance like the other girl from NJ, do you?" She was embarrassed and all "no, no!" And he replied, something along the lines of: "That's good, because you can get in some trouble dancing like that. And get me in some trouble too. Anyway, Clay asked CYT about her singing experience and she said shed sang once. In an 8th grade talent show. He was all Jerome, we need to talk.oh It was so funny. Did I mention how funny he is? When asked, she said she sang Miss Independent. The crowd cheered. Clay asked what she intended to sing then and she said Without You. He said Jason and the band would kill him, but he was going to give her the choice between MI and WY. We hooted for MI, but she chose WY anyway. And she sounded really good, IMO. Clay was visibly impressed, as were Quiana, Jacob and Angela. It was awesome. I loved it. Clay hugged her again, whispered something in her ear, and kissed the top of her CYT head. She skipped off in what must have been the highlight-of-life-thus-far daze. If it had been me, the mike would have picked up a thunderous heartbeat, but she was just darling.
-aurorabee
“The delicate kiss on the forehead he gave the junior singer of the night. She was mad talented and I think even Clayton was surprised at her ability. He was dear and sweet to her and she was humbled and utterly charmed. An interesting juxtaposition to the dancer who had obvious gifts.”
-Solitaire30
The 15 year old singer was very good. The duet of WY was great. Clay beamed at her and she seemed thrilled that he gave her such glowing responses to her singing.
-yalcteef:
SingerGirl was cute as the Dickens. Clay asked her when she performed before, and she said her 8th grade choir. He responded, "Okay, then." As in, "Ha! This is gonna be so BAD!" But she picked WY over Miss I, and sang with him (I think she realized quickly that MissI is a solo!), to which the crowd and The Aiken responded warmly. She got the chaste kiss.
-Winky Dink
IWCY & Kyrie were, as always, solid. Then it was time to bring up the singer. He was really cute with this one. She was the exact opposite of dancing girl...a normal, sweet, non-aggressive kid. When she first got on stage, he turned his head away to ask for a mic for her, and she pointed to him and mouthed "It's Clay Aiken"...very cute. She didn't seem to quite know what to do with the mic (she was holding it too far away from her mouth), so he kept gently grabbing her elbow and moving the mic back up to her face. He asked her if she sang in school, and she said no. He responded "I need to have a conversation with Jerome....JEROME." He then asked her if she had ever sung at all. She said that she had been in a talent show and had sung Miss Independent. Clay said that he was probably going to get in trouble with the band, but he would give her the choice of doing Without You (which she had planned with Jerome) or Miss Independent. She decided to do Without You, and Clay told her that she was probably more popular with the band than he was right then. She was tentative at the start, but wound up doing a really nice job, and Clay was impressed. At the end, he asked her whether she danced like the other girl, she said no, and he said that was a good thing, because it could get her in trouble. He also laughed a bit and said it could get people like him in trouble too (which made me grin, because my first thought was that he was referring to the last time he brought a 16 year old up on stage to dirty dance during Detroit WDC, and the mini-tempest that caused). He then gave her a really sweet hug, and leaned down to give her a kiss on the top of her head...definitely an awwww moment.
- kmh135
Oh yea and I forget when he sang with keemie but it was in the first half, wasn't it? Yea, they sang "Without you" It was soooooo great! He gave her a choice of either singing "Miss Independent" Or "Without You" And she was like "Without You" It was so funny. CLay asked Keemie if she sings in school and she was like "no". And he was like "Jeropme we need to have a talk." And Then Keemie sang and everyone was like "WOW SHE'S GOOD!" Then they sang together... awwwww Keemie, you're so lucky!!
-gonzclaymate2607
Then a 15-year-old came up to sing w/him. She had a beautiful voice and Clay was impressed. I can't imagine the guts it would take for a young lady like that to be able to perform w/Clay as she was so obviously stunned and taken by him."
-anonymous
____
updated7/25
lol when clay had the girl singing with him on stage, he was like 'now i'll give you a choice... would you like to sing without you or *something else, like TITN*?' and i screamed 'without you!' and she chose that anyway. and then i think he asked 'would you like me to sing with you?' and she said 'yes' ... i kept screaming out these answers. i doubt the girl heard me - but i said to myself 'smart girl!!!' lol. and she did very well with 'without you'!!
-oriolesno9
. He then had a girl come up to the stage and sing. She sang Without You - and had sang Miss Independent in a talent show. She was shockingly good. The audience had their jaws dropped. She melded well with Clay in the chorus. Even he was shocked.
-TaikenByAiken
The girl that sang was soooooo good. I was reallly impressed and I don't impress easyily. She said that her only experience was an 8th grade talent show. At first Clay was like where's Jerome we need to talk ! I just love Clay's quick wit.
-lisajluvsclaya
The 15 year old singer did very well with withoutyou with clay.
pamnclay84
The girl who SANG with him was AMAZING!! Wow. Even Clay was blown away. she asked to sing without you with him and so he told the band to start from the second verse. So she knew all the words (yeah, like who wouldn’t?!) and Clay sang with her. And she even performed it to him…she was wonderful.
-DCclayfan8
The 15 year old that sang with Clay was amazing for her age!
-beechernkeller4evr
The girl who sang was so talented. Everyone was surprised at just how great she was.
-AikenForClay16
but was impressed by the singing girl. if shes reading this, good job!
-claymation4
He did have someone come up and dance and he had some young girl sing and he joined in the singing...She was good! He didn't pick either girl, but, they had been picked and he seemed surprised.
-missanda