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Clay Aiken says working with Lea Salonga for her 'Sounding Joy' album a 'full circle moment'
Clay Aiken couldn't help but gush over Lea Salonga following their collaboration for her new holiday album, "Sounding Joy."
On Instagram, Lea shared a video of her and Clay doing a duet of "Angels We Have Heard (Glory Be)," which is one of the tracks in her album.
In the video, the "Americal Idol" Season 2 runner-up shared that "Miss Saigon" is his first favorite musical and the first Broadway show he ever saw.
"To be able to sing with her is a little bit crazy, I'm trying to not be too fangirly about it, I'm coming off pretty cool I think," Clay said in the video.
"When we talked about singing on her album, I had to tell people that I grew up with that I was doing it 'cause they all thought it was the coolest thing in the world. This full circle moment, this is one of them."
The Tony award-winning singer and actress, on the other hand, recalled Clay's audition for the second season of "American Idol."
"At that audition for 'American Idol' you walked in, you had the glasses and your hair was shocking red. It's like, let's manage the expectations, and then you opened your mouth. It was just so incredible, and it was always unbelievable every time you'd open your mouth, with every week, I'm like, 'This guy's got it, he's gotta make it to the end," she said.
According to Lea, it's nice and fun to just "nerd out on chords and harmonies and see how our voices sound together."
Clay shared the same sentiments, saying, "It's nice to have someone else who's on stage with you and performing with you who loves what you love."
In 2003, Clay placed second in "American Idol" Season 2, with Ruben Studdard emerging as the winner.
The American singer is set to release his own Christmas album, "Christmas Bells Are Ringing," on November 22.
"Sounding Joy" was released on November 1 and is now available digitally and on CD. It includes new tunes from the Disney Legend, as well as beloved Christmas classics, including her duet with Clay.
It is Lea's first holiday album in over 20 years, following her 2001 holiday album, "Lea Salonga: The Christmas Album."
— CDC, GMA Integrated News
