Christopher Ruben Studdard (born September 12, 1978), best known as
Ruben Studdard, is an
American R&B,
pop and
gospel singer. He rose to fame as winner of the
second season of
American Idol and received a
Grammy Award nomination in December 2003 for
Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "Superstar". In the years following
Idol, Studdard has released five studio albums, including his platinum-selling debut,
Soulful, and the top-selling gospel follow-up,
I Need an Angel. He is most well known for his recording career, which has produced hits including "Flying Without Wings", "Sorry 2004", and "Change Me", but he has also segued into television and stage work. Most notably, he toured with
Robin Givens in the comedy-drama
Heaven I Need a Hug and in 2008 starred as
Fats Waller in a national tour revival of
Ain't Misbehavin', which spawned a Grammy-nominated soundtrack.