Second Cup Café: Ruben Studdard

Ruben Studdard, the American Idol Season 2 winner, known to his fans as "the velvet teddy bear," is back.

To be precise, the large-size singer never left music, he just took a detour from the R&B heard in his debut album, "Soulful," to make the gospel album "I Need An Angel."

Now he's back on the R&B scene with his third album, appropriately titled "The Return." He visits Second Cup Café to sing songs from the album.

Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Studdard began singing with church choirs when he was a small child. For most of his life he sang gospel music, and even though he went to college on a football scholarship, he ended up majoring in voice.

Studdard left school in the spring of 2000 to become a singer. He sang gospel with a local group called God's Gift and in a jazz and R&B group called Just a Few Cats.

A friend invited Studdard to go with her to auditions in Nashville for the second season of "American Idol," which aired in 2003. He went along, for moral support, and then decided to take a chance on auditioning.

As that season's American Idol, Studdard won a record deal and in 2003 he released his debut album "Soulful." The album sold 400,000 copies in its first week of release and was certified platinum in mid-2004.

For his sophomore album, Studdard decided to go back to his roots with the gospel set "I Need An Angel" released in November 2004. It achieved gold status, selling over 500,000 copies.

With "The Return," Studdard hopes to show a new maturity as a vocalist and in the content of his songs.

While he may have grown as an artist, his waistline has shrunk. He says he's lost more than 100 pounds through a diet and exercise program he began this year.

With Studdard's honey-smooth voice and warm, wide smile, he'll forever be the "velvet teddy bear" — no matter what he weighs.