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AIKEN CASTS HIS VOTE

After finding fame, this American pop singer has had the opportunity to travel the world, only to realize the city he truly loves is his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina.

When does being named a “first runner-up” translate into becoming No. 1? Well, for Raleigh, North Carolina, native and pop musician Clay Aiken, it was when he took second place during season two of the reality TV show “American Idol.”

While Aiken, now 28, may have seen fellow Southerner Ruben Studdard win the contest by a narrow margin of votes, Aiken’s record sales have since shot to first place. His first solo album, Measure of a Man, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2003, then went double platinum and became the highest-selling debut album for a solo artist in a decade. Not fully satisfied with his success, Aiken’s Merry Christmas With Love album sold more than a million copies in six weeks and became the best-selling holiday album of 2004. Not only that, his book Learning to Sing; Hearing the Music in Your Life debuted at No. 2 on the New York Times Bestseller List in 2005. His latest album, A Thousand Different Ways, covers some of pop and rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest love songs.

Aiken may have become a global superstar in a scant three years, but he continues to call North Carolina, and the Raleigh area in particular, home. “I still live in the town where I grew up,” he says. “I like surrounding myself with people I know and love.” Aiken was winding up a successful US tour and happily heading home to Raleigh—nicknamed “The City of Oaks” because of its parks and public gardens—when we caught up with him.

In the last couple of years, you’ve had the opportunity to travel all over the world; how does Raleigh stack up?

Raleigh has all of the things one would find in a much larger city—great shopping, good nightlife, fantastic cultural arts. But at the same time it has a quaint, small-town feel. People aren’t in a hurry; they are focused on friendliness and quality of life. No other city I can think of does that.

Raleigh’s been ranked in almost every publication as one of the best places to live in the country. Here’s a little known fact: The Triangle (the three-city area of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, home to a large number of research science companies) has one of the highest number of PhDs per-capita of anywhere in the world. These are folks who work hard all week long and then head to the lake for the weekend and turn their Blackberries and cell phones off.

Any myths about Raleigh you’d like to set straight?

Well, first of all, Raleigh is the state capital… not Charlotte! I’ve had so many people introduce me as a “country guy” from a “small town,” and that always makes me laugh. The Raleigh area is home to over a million people, and it isn’t a “podunk” town; it is actually very progressive.

Are there any activities that you always do with out-of-town visitors?

The Governor’s Mansion (also known as the Executive Mansion) is the largest governor’s mansion in the country, and it has a lot of history. Prisoners actually built it back in the 1800s, and, as you walk the sidewalks around the block, you can see where many of them carved their names in the bricks.

And Krispy Kreme is a place I always take my guests. You can’t beat a hot glazed. So many people around the country are now hooked on Krispy Kreme since they have expanded nationwide, but we North Carolinians have enjoyed them for decades.

The South has a major reputation for its barbecues; what should visitors know about finding good barbecue in Raleigh?

Listen, we know how to eat in the South! First of all, in North Carolina, “barbecue” is a noun, not a verb. And, there are several types of barbecue. In western North Carolina, barbecue is pulled pork that is smothered in a tomato-based sauce. South Carolinians use a mustard-based sauce on their pork, but in Raleigh and eastward you’ll find pulled pork smothered in a vinegar and red pepper sauce. It cannot be beat. Pick any of the local barbecue joints— the older and more run down the restaurant, the better! —Betsy Model