To accompany his announcement, Aiken released a video that has the singer detailing his childhood, talking openly about his escape from an abusive father that led him and his mother to seek refuge with a friend.

"I've been fortunate in my life, and if you only know the part of my story that starts with a golden ticket-something that still seems unbelievable to me even to this day-you might wonder what would qualify me to run," Aiken says in the clip. "Well, it starts with a life I remember all to well. Mom working nights at Sears, clothes from the thrift store, Christmas' where I might only get one small present but that would make it a present I would cherish."

He goes on to talk about school being his saving grace, helping him to achieve a dream he long held. "To teach children like me and those who faced even more adversities than I did," Aiken says.