Christopher Ruben Studdard (born September 12, 1978), best known as Ruben Studdard, is an American pop, R&B, and gospel singer. He rose to fame as winner of the second season of American Idol, beating out Clay Aiken. Studdard 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 four studio albums, including his most recent disc, 2009's Love Is. Partway through the second American Idol competition in early 2003, guest judge Gladys Knight christened corpulent crooner Ruben Studdard a "velvet teddy bear," a nod to his smooth, Luther Vandross-styled voice and his Barry White-sized girth.