American Idol, The Voice
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$45 Million
“If my ship sinks, that’s totally fine, but I want to be the one at the helm.” Kelly Clarkson enjoyed a meteoric rise to success American Idol's inaugural winner in 2002. The prize, a million-dollar RCA record, turned out to be just the start for the singer, who’s since had a parade of hits songs, including “A Moment Like This,” “Because of You” and “My Life Would Suck Without You.”
In addition to being hugely popular, Clarkson is also a music industry pioneer: She's history’s first recording artist to make it to the top of the Billboard charts for pop, adult contemporary, adult pop, country and dance. In addition to an extraordinary career as a singer-songwriter, Clarkson has also expanded her resume to include serving as a coach on The Voice, authoring several children’s books, and hosting her own talk show. Here’s a closer look at the amazing career of this legend in her own time.
From Choir Girl to American Idol
Kelly Clarkson was born on April 24, 1982 in Fort Worth, Texas. Growing up in Burleson, Texas, Clarkson was overheard singing in the hall by the choir director, who encouraged the middle schooler to try out for the school chorus. While Clarkson had never received and vocal training, she auditioned and made it. The rest is music business history.
Clarkson went on to participate in her high school musicals while also starting classical training. She received full scholarships to several universities, but ended up turning them all down. Her reasoning at the time? “I’ve already written so much music and wanted to try a career on my own…You’re never too old to go to college.”
Despite her tremendous talent, Clarkson struggled to make it in the industry on terms that were acceptable to her. After getting limited response to her demo tape, she was forced to turn down record contract with Jive Records and Interscope Records. “The would have completely pigeonholed me as a bubblegum act,” she later said. Instead, Clarkson held out hope that the right thing would come along. However, she'd have to wait a few more years for that to happen.
After moving to Los Angeles in 2001, Clarkson worked as an extra on television shows like Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and Dharma & Greg while getting rejection after rejection from record labels. This, combined with a fire in her apartment, sent the aspiring singer back home to Burleson, where she held a number of jobs to pay the rent, including working in a movie theater, promoting energy drinks, telemarketing and cocktail waitressing.
Meanwhile, Clarkson’s friends were urging her to audition for the first season of a new reality television series, American Idol: The Search for A Superstar. In 2002, she stepped onto the stage only to receive a “golden ticket” through to the Hollywood rounds. Recollecting this time in her life Clarkson later said, “On our season we were like kids in camp. Nobody knew what to do. The show was ever-changing every day. They did one season of Pop Idol in the UK but America is a very different market. They dropped us off in a mall and said, “Find some clothes to wear on national television'.”
Despite the fact that Clarkson looked, in her own words, “like a cocktail waitress,” she took home the victory -- and the record deal -- over runner-up Justin Guarini in September of 2002. Not even a month later, she released her debut double-A-side single, “Before Your Love”/A Moment Like This,” both of which she’d performed on the season finale of American Idol. The single debuted in the 60th spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and quickly rose to number one. In doing so, it set a 38-year-old record held by The Beatles. By the end of 2002, it was the year’s best-selling single.
Finding the Meaning of Life
The following April, Clarkson released her debut album, Thankful. It received resounding acclaim with All Music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine writing, “Throughout this record, [Clarkson] makes it seem effortless and charming. She can croon, she can belt out a song, she can be sexy and sassy while still being graceful and as wholesome as the girl next door.” Thankful was also a commercial success and its lead single, “Miss Independent” became Clarkson’s first international hit. Not only did the album debut at the top of the charts, but it went on to sell more than 4.5 million copies and was certified double platinum by the RIAA. The album also led to Clarkson’s first Grammy nomination for “Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.”
During this heady period, Clarkson attempted to piggyback off her American Idol fame by starring in widely-panned rom-com From Justin to Kelly. She later revealed that she was “contractually obligated” to the 2003 film. Clarkson had more success when she appeared later that year on two episodes of the television show, American Dreams.
In the post-Idol years, Clarkson focused on reinventing herself from the image she'd projected on American Idol. Her second studio album, Breakaway, was edgier and rock-themed. The critics loved it. “What gives Breakaway its spine are the driving, anthemic pop tunes, numbers that sound simultaneously mainstream and youthful, which is a hard trick to pull off, and they are the tracks that illustrate Clarkson is a rare thing in the 2000s: a pop singer whose neither hip nor square, just solidly and enjoyably in the mainstream.”
Breakaway went on to enjoy the most commercial success of any of Clarkson's albums. In addition to its eponymous title single, the album included many other hit singles, including "Since U Been Gone," "Behind These Hazel Eyes," "Because of You," and "Walk Away." This series of hits made Clarkson the most-played artist of 2006. Breakaway also represented another career-making moment for the singer, who took home two wins at the 48th Grammy Awards that year. Meanwhile, Clarkson was becoming a fixture at star-studded events like the NBA Finals and the 2006 Winter Olympics.
Clarkson released her third studio album in June of 2007. My December was darker than her previous work, and not immune from controversy. Clarkson insisted on co-writing the tracks and collaborating with her fellow musicians as opposed to with producers. When asked by her record label to re-record for more mainstream appeal, she opted out. “I’ve sold more than 15 million records worldwide, and still nobody listens to what I have to say. I couldn’t give a crap about being a star. I’ve always just wanted to sing and write,” she later said. While My December received positive reviews, lack of promotion led to a failed tour. This isn’t to say My December wasn't a hit: It debuted at number one, was certified platinum by the RIAA and sold more than 2.5 million copies worldwide.
Clarkson followed up My December with yet another hit album, All I Ever Wanted. Released in 2009, it was a commercial and popular success, earning Clarkson another Grammy Award nomination. The most noteworthy single off the album was "My Life Would Suck Without You," which rose from 97 to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 within the course of a week.
Clarkson demonstrated even more of her range as an artist in 2010, when she recorded a country duet with Jason Aldean. The song, “Don't You Wanna Stay” made it to number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.
Clarkson continued to draw from her country roots with her fifth studio album, Stronger. In addition to being certified platinum by the RIAA, Stronger also won a 2013 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album. Meanwhile, the album’s title song “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” sold a staggering 4.9 million copies in the US alone, and was nominated for multiple Grammy Awards.
Clarkson went on to release several more albums over the next decade, including Greatest Hits -- Chapter One; her first Christmas record, Wrapped in Red; and Piece by Piece. With each album, Clarkson showcased her extensive talents as a vocalist and songwriter. Unfortunately, she was forced to cut short her Piece by Piece tour due to medical recommendations for vocal rest.
In 2016, Clarkson’s career took a turn when she signed a book deal with HarperCollins. The children's book, River Rose and the Magical Lullaby, was released later that year.
Clarkson pivoted yet again in 2017 when it was announced that she’d join the 14th season of The Voice as a coach.
Clarkson's latest project? Her own daytime variety talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show. Of the opportunity she said, "I love connecting with people, playing games, music and finding ways to help or give back to communities/organizations. Having my own talk show where I get to do all of these things is pretty much a dream job!"
On the road to super-stardom, Clarkson has also shown a commitment to giving back, embracing causes including environmental awareness; children and maternal health; HIV, abuse and poverty; animal rights; and education.
While Clarkson’s versatility as an artist is amazing, it’s not exactly surprising given her diverse musical influences. “I grew up with three totally different parents that were into different music. My stepfather is into Willie Nelson and Elvis and all that kind of stuff. And my real father is into Mariah and Whitney and Aretha all those soulful singers. My mom is into more, like, adult contemporary—Celine Dion, Barbra [Streisand], Bette [Midler], all those types of things. And then my brother is a big influence on me. He's like ten years older than me, so you always wanna be around your cool brother and hang out, so I grew up loving Guns N' Roses. I was all about Metallica. I was all about all those bands, and I still am. I love Aerosmith and No Doubt. I have so many influences on me that are so different. And even country. I love Reba McEntire. I could listen to her all the time,” she’s said.
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