“American Idol” alumni Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken will celebrate 20 years since their historic face-off with a show April 27 at Penn’s Peak, located on Maury Road, Jim Thorpe.

Studdard and Aiken finished first and second, respectively, on season two of the juggernaut sing-off, whose 2003 finale on Fox drew series-high viewership of 38.1 million. Just 134,000 votes, out of 24 million cast, separated the then-24-year-olds.

Shortly after the finale, the singers released their debut singles. Aiken’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water”/“This is the Night” and Studdard’s “Flying Without Wings,” backed with “Superstar,” debuted at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.

Record exec Clive Davis was hands-on in the making of both acts’ debut albums, which topped The Billboard 200 chart in late 2003. Aiken’s “Measure of a Man” spun-off the hits “Invisible” and “The Way”/“Solitaire,” while Studdard’s “Soulful” included “Sorry 2004.”

Following “American Idol,” Studdard and Aiken, college music and special-education majors, respectively, started children’s charitable organizations, starred in musicals and made various TV appearances. In 2004, Aiken released a memoir, “Learning to Sing.”

Studdard, aka “Velvet Teddy Bear,” released his most recent album, “Ruben Sings Luther,” in 2018, with a new set due soon. Aiken, who twice ran for the U.S. House of Representatives, has not had the itch to release a new album in 10-plus years.

Both singers, each with one son, grew up in the South, where they still reside: Studdard in Birmingham, Alabama, and Aiken in Raleigh, North Carolina. The pair toured together in 2010 and starred in a 2018 “Ruben & Clay” Christmas-themed Broadway show.

Before their “Twenty” show at the Peak, the buddies - open to recording a collaborative album - participated in a joint interview with the Times News.

Q: Growing up, who were some of your idols?

Studdard: As a young person, my favorite singing group was New Edition. I grew up in church. As I got older, I listened to a lot of gospel; John P. Kee, Fred Hammond.

Aiken: I don’t know if I had idols. I learned to imitate voices of people I loved; CeCe Winans, Martina McBride.

Q: How did your pre-“American Idol” experiences prepare you for your journey?

Studdard: Performing with Just a Few Cats and God’s Gift was a chance to open for people I idolized. It set me on the path I felt like I was headed on.

Aiken: The best preparation for what was to come is the show itself. It’s boot camp. We had to endure criticism from judges when they were much more cutting. If I can survive Simon (Cowell) being mean to me in front of 40 million people live on national TV, I can handle anything.

Q: When did you guys meet?

Aiken: Hollywood week. I, being the ladies’ man I am, was hanging out with some beautiful female contestants in the lobby bar of the Glendale Hilton. Ruben saw this guy with all these ladies crowded around. He thought, “maybe he can give me some pointers.”

Studdard: That’s exactly what I thought.

Aiken: The setting is true. I don’t think he was looking for advice. His homing pigeon shot him directly to where the ladies were.

Q: What was particularly difficult about the competition?

Aiken: Every week, we would lose a roommate, friend. When you see people crying, only about 15% was “I’m glad I didn’t get kicked off.” The rest was “I’m sad seeing somebody go home.”

Studdard: You have to sacrifice a lot of time with family. If I had known that 13 to 14 years later, I would lose my brother, I probably would have taken him to more stuff, instead of being the bratty little brother. The first time I took my mom to the Grammys, she met Smokey Robinson. The memory is etched in my brain.

Q: What was best about “American Idol’s” impact on your career?

Studdard: The opportunity to live your dreams. I got to do things, work with people I never expected.

Aiken: This 20th anniversary tour. We’re celebrating getting to do this for 20 years. I don’t feel that old. Ruben looks that old. We’re here 20 years later because that show had 40 million viewers. No disrespect to season-one folks. Season two is the real beginning. We were lucky to be part of that.

Studdard: That’s disrespectful. You wouldn’t be you without Justin Guarini, just to be clear. And Kelly Clarkson.

Q: Why do you think your friendship has remained so strong?

Aiken: We’re different people; we foil each other well. We trust each other. At times, the more anal-retentive part of me can get a little impatient. He’s far more patient with me than I probably deserve. I’m perfectly willing to remind him that we have an interview.

Studdard: He does talk a lot. Other people can annoy me. Clay’s my brother. It doesn’t affect me the same way. You caught that dig about me being late to this interview.

Q: What can fans expect from the show?

Aiken: A nice moment of nostalgia. Ruben’s great at handling the musical stuff. Nobody else can get me on stage these days. I haven’t gotten on stage for 10 years except for this and the Broadway show we did together.

Studdard: I don’t like to be on stage with that guy. I’ll come on stage with my set and then let Clay come in and put people to sleep, like normal.

Q: What would you still like to accomplish in your career?

Studdard: If something comes to my mind I wanna do, I’m gonna do it. There are no particular goals I’ve set. Possibly being governor one day.

Aiken: I’ve done stuff based on trying to do a variety. I chose a Broadway show (“Spamalot”) a little bit off-center than what people would expect from me. I can’t predict what I’d wanna do next. I’ve been ridiculously blessed.