Where is ruben studdard 2018

Like the late singer, he imbues whatever he sings with sincerity and an after-hours warmth. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have his own musical identity. It gives me an opportunity to step outside of myself. Imagine if Frank Sinatra had stopped making records after he wasn't a hit in his 30s. Or after Aretha Franklin stopped having No. I enjoy performing, and people keep asking me to do it.

Studdard and Clay Aiken may have been competitive finalists on Idol , but there are definitely no hard feelings. In fact, the two did press appearances for months immediately following the show. As they described it, the variety show combined holiday songs with "some skits, some comedy, some bantering.

Reposting the show's video of their heartfelt performance, Studdard tweeted this past June, "I miss singing with my bro clayaiken. His gospel group didn't exactly turn into the next Winans, and his next group, focusing on jazz and soul, had equally minimal success. Then he tried out for a smash TV talent show called "American Idol," and once he passed the first round, his relaxed style turned him into a small-screen star even before he won.

He and Aiken remain friendly: "We keep in touch," Studdard says. His latest album, last month's "Ruben Sings Luther," is hardly an unexpected new direction — "Idol" viewers have known for years he's a match for Vandross' famously smooth voice, which touched down somewhere between low soprano and high baritone, and Studdard's mother played the singer regularly while Ruben was growing up.

The most interesting thing I learned was how hard these songs are to sing," the singer says in a minute interview. Studdard can't remember when he first approached his longtime producer, John Jackson, about the album, but his fans have been asking about it for years. It took a long time to get the feel right in the studio.

Born in Birmingham, Ala. Studdard was born on September 12, , to parents Kevin and Emily Studdard, in Frankfurt, West Germany, where his father was stationed while serving in the U. His parents later worked as teachers; he was the youngest of several siblings. The family returned to the United States when he was quite young, and he grew up in Birmingham, maintaining strong connections to the city.

Studdard began his singing career at the age of three performing solos at the Rising Star Baptist Church in Birmingham.