Taping for the new season of Fox television's American Idol began this fall, with thousands of teens and 20-somethings heading for audition sites in metropolitan areas from San Francisco to Boston. Many traveled for hours, then slept on the streets for days, just to sing a few bars of one song—a few notes that could land them on the reality show, and, potentially, on the fast track to stardom.

Three years ago, one of those hopefuls was Clayton Aiken, a lanky, big-eared, 24-year-old redhead in Coke-bottle glasses. At the beginning of Idol's second season, he was introduced to millions of American viewers as "Clay." None of the judges seemed to expect anything special. But when the geeky-looking young man from Raleigh, North Carolina, opened his mouth to sing, jaws dropped in disbelief. You could almost feel every viewer across the country nodding in agreement when sharp-tongued Idol judge Simon Cowell told him, "You don't look like a pop star."

It was a curious moment: How could that big voice come out of a 145-pound beanpole? His appearance didn't meet Hollywood standards, and Idol viewers soon discovered his personality didn't, either. Clay spoke openly about his Christian beliefs. He didn't drink, smoke, swear, or ogle women. His every action went against the grain, from the clean songs he chose to perform on the show to wearing a WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) bracelet, which had gone out of style years before.

Rather than attempting to hide his oddness, Clay reveled in it. What's more, he brought his vocal A-game to Idol week after week. Soon, curiosity turned into national obsession.

In the American Idol final, Clay lost to soulful Alabama crooner Ruben Studdard (another singer who didn't fit the pop-star mold) by a margin believed to be less than 1 percent of the viewer vote. But Clay's runner-up status became a moot point: He went on to release double- and triple-platinum-selling albums, with his first, Measure of a Man, outselling both Ruben's and first-season winner Kelly Clarkson's debut efforts. In 2003, Clay was named Fan's Choice winner at the American Music Awards, selected as one of People magazine's Top Entertainers of the Year, and picked as TV Guide's Fan's Favorite Reality Star. He's become, arguably, the most beloved artist Idol has churned out to date.

But celebrity hasn't been all roses. He jokes that the paparazzi know his schedule better than he does. Details of his life regularly appear on newsstands and the Internet, from what he eats for breakfast (his favorite cereal is Cinnamon Toast Crunch) to his bad habits (he used to bite his toenails). Speculation swirled about his sexuality. (No, he's not gay.) And the story of Clay's strained relationship with his late biological father became fodder for the media as well, forcing him to address painful aspects of his personal life.

Such scrutiny would wear on anyone. But it's been particularly tough for a young man whose small-town, Southern Baptist upbringing sheltered him from much of the hype and excess of popular culture. After all, this is a guy who, when asked to name his own celebrity idols, struggled to name two: Reba McEntire … and Mister Rogers.

Under the Hollywood microscope, Clay's life has been magnified to metaphoric proportions. His appearance is caricatured as a cross between Alfred E. Neuman and Howdy Doody. His name itself became an acceptable way to describe a performer who lacks conventional good looks but can blow away an audience.

It's difficult to see the real Clay Aiken through the muddled mess of stereotypes that have been created in an effort to make sense of him. Perhaps that's why he's so measured on the topic of faith.

"Some people have argued that I'm too religious and that I talk about my faith too much," he writes in his best-selling book, Learning to Sing. "Other people have criticized me because I don't stand up for my beliefs enough. But my position is that there's a fine line that has to be walked. There are a lot of people who have given Christians a really bad name by being overly aggressive."