Clay Aiken might have lost last spring's American Idol 2 viewer voting contest to Ruben Studdard, but his devoted fans apparently made sure that Clay wouldn't fall just short a second time. Powered by the efforts of his "clay maniacs," Aiken took home the American Music Awards Fan's Choice award on Sunday night, beating out 50 Cent, Justin Timberlake, and Beyonce among others. The award is the only AMA award where the winner is determined by online fan voting.
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"I totally expected it to go to Justin Timberlake or to 50 Cent, and when they called my name I was literally completely 100 percent surprised," Aiken told his hometwon WRAL Raleigh, NC television station.
Aiken, who also was also nominated for the "Favorite Male Artist - Pop or Rock" award that Kid Rock won, told the station that he was not very nervous about winning an award and was in fact more concerned about his live performances for the show. Aiken performed his hit single "Invisible" during the telecast and also sang a duet with American Idol 2 winner Studdard. "I was really nervous. This really, as Ruben said, this was our audition for the industry. This was our chance to show them were were more than just contestants on a game show," he said.