Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24 1982) is an American pop rock singer, songwriter, and occasional actress. Clarkson made her debut under RCA Records after she won the highly publicized first season of the television series American Idol in 2002. She was originally marketed as a pop musician with her debut album Thankful (2003). With the release of her multi-platinum second album Breakaway (2004), Clarkson moved to a more pop rock-oriented style of music, and won two Grammy Awards. Clarkson's third album, entitled My December, was released on June 26, 2007. Clarkson has sold over 16 million albums worldwide. "Original 'Idol' Winner Kelly Clarkson Coaches Canadian Hopefuls", August 23, 2007.

Biography

Early life

Kelly Clarkson was born in Fort Worth, Texas and grew up in the small town of Burleson, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth. She is the third and youngest child of Jeanne Ann Rose, a first grade teacher who is of Irish and Greek descent, and Stephen Michael Clarkson, a former engineer who is of Welsh descent. Clarkson's siblings include her brother Jason, and her sister Alyssa. When Clarkson was six years old, her parents split up after seventeen years of marriage. As a result, her brother went to live with her father, her sister went to live with an aunt, and Clarkson remained with her mother. Clarkson frequently moved around Texas while her mother managed several professions in order to support the family. The family settled in Burleson, where Clarkson's mother married her second husband, Jimmy Taylor.

While growing up, Clarkson's family had a hard time financially and often argued about money. From this experience, Clarkson learned to be financially responsible and independent at an early age. She experienced two sets of parental divorces, the first at age 6 and the second at age 19. Music became her refuge after the first divorce, but she didn't embrace it as her salvation until her teens. Clarkson attended Pauline G Hughes Middle School and Burleson High School. She originally wanted to become a marine biologist. In seventh grade, a teacher (Mrs. Cynthia Glenn) overheard her singing in a hallway and asked her to audition for the school choir. Clarkson told the teacher that she had never received professional vocal training. In high school, Clarkson performed in musical such as Annie Get Your Gun, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Brigadoon. It was whilst at school that Clarkson first decided to pursue singing. She sang Mariah Carey's "Vision of Love" at her high school show, after which a gentleman shared some inspiring words with her: "God has given you this gift. You've got to sing. You're destined to sing." Clarkson did continue to sing and soon started classical training, since her family didn't have much money and she hoped that music would offer college scholarships.http://www.rd.com/content/single-minded-/

Clarkson worked numerous odd jobs during and after high school, such as mowing lawns, helping her contractor stepfather build porches, and working in a movie theater starting at age 16 and until she moved to Los Angeles. She also worked for Papa John's, Subway, Starbucks, and sold vacuums door to door (her latter experience which she described with a well-intended pun: "It sucked.").

Upon high school graduation, Clarkson was offered full scholarships to the University of Texas, University of North Texas, and Berklee, but decided against college because she had "already written so much music and wanted to try on [1] own. And [2] figured you're never too old to go to college."

American Idol

Clarkson had made it to the final two contestants on American Idol, and on September 4 2002, she won the competition and earned 58% of the audience vote over Justin Guarini. The Amazing Kelly Clarkson. Angelfire.com. Retrieved February 12 2006. Choking back tears, Clarkson performed the ballad "A Moment Like This", the song written for the winner of American Idol, which would subsequently appear on her debut album Thankful. The song's music video was filmed at Pantages Theater in Hollywood, and incorporated short scenes of Clarkson performing on Idol. When released as a single in October 2002, it set a then record on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart when it rose from number fifty-two to number one.UltimateKC.com. Fan listing and awards. Accomplishments?biggest jump on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, from 52 to 1. Retrieved February 12, 2006. This achievement was largely due to the impact from Idol as the CD single managed to sell 236,000 copies in its first week of sales in the U.S.; Kelly Clarkson?Timeline. ARC Weekly Top 40 information. Rock on the Net. Retrieved February 12, 2006. it spent five weeks at number one in Canada.

Song performances on American Idol

Original audition: "Express Yourself" (Madonna) and "At Last" (Etta James)

After Idol

Shortly following the completion of the first season of American Idol, Clarkson was accused of working with a record company. American Idol's rules stated that a contestant was not allowed to compete on the program if they had been linked to a record company. However, she was cleared of all allegations, as she had only had a contract in order to conduct demonstration work." Kelly Clarkson's record label and songwriters deny she had a recording deal before American Idol". RealityTVWorld.com. Retrieved February 25, 2006.

Lincoln Memorial on September 11, 2002 following her win on American Idol.]]

Soon after winning American Idol, Clarkson starred with Idol runner-up Justin Guarini in the movie From Justin to Kelly. The film was poorly received by critics and grossed only $5 million at the North American box office, less than half its reported budget. Clarkson has mentioned in interviews that she is shocked when people send her scripts after From Justin to Kelly, often citing contractual obligation as her sole reason for involvement in the film.

World Idol

In December 2003, a competition titled World Idol was held in London, UK, gathering the winners of the first seasons of Idol from across the globe. Clarkson placed second behind Norwegian Idol Kurt Nilsen. She performed Aretha Franklin's " a Natural Woman". Because she left immediately after the competition, she was chided by some in the media for what they saw as poor sportsmanship. Clarkson later explained to fans that she was suffering from an illness.Kaplan, Don. The New York Post. January 3, 2004. Where was Kelly when Kurt won? Retrieved March 30, 2006.

2003?2004: Thankful

Following the successful release of "A Moment Like This", Clarkson's full-length debut album Thankful was released in North America by RCA Records on April 15, 2003.SonyMusicStore.com. Thankful: 04/15/03. Retrieved February 23 2006. It debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200. Eventually, the album was certified double platinum by the RIAA for sales of two million copies on December 8, 2003Paulsen, Wade. Kelly Clarkson's Thankful certified double platinum in U.S. December 29 2003. Retrieved February 23 2006. and platinum by the CRIA for sales of 100,000 copies on February 10, 2004.CRIA certification. Album certifications for week ending February 10, 2004. Retrieved February 23 2006. Reviews for the album were generally favorable. However, several critics noted that her early achievement was established due to her performances on American Idol. All Music Guide critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised the album for its vocal ability: "throughout this record, [3] 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".Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. All Music Guide review. older than 18?" Retrieved February 23 2006. Rachel Kipp of JS Online criticized Clarkson for not having the same personality on Thankful that she had on American Idol, and wrote: "on American Idol, Clarkson showcased a great voice and an endearing, 'aw-shucks' personality. That personality is missing on Thankful, and there lies the album's greatest fault". Kipp blamed the producers behind the album for not allowing Clarkson to be herself.Kipp, Rachel. JS Online. Associated Press. Retrieved February 23 2005.

"Miss Independent" became a success when released as the second single from Thankful. It reached the top ten of the U.S. and Canadian singles charts, and earned Clarkson a 2004 Grammy Award nomination for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance".Hollywood.com. Nominations for the 46th annual Grammy Awards. Retrieved February 24 2006. When the single was released in the United Kingdom and Australia, it reached the top ten of the charts; however, Thankful received less attention. It peaked at number forty-one on the UK albums chart and at number thirty-three on the Australian albums chart. Further singles released outside North America would appear even less successful.

"Low", the third single from Thankful, reached number two in Canada, but it was unable to make the Top 40 of the U.S. chart. The final single, "The Trouble with Love Is", was not released in Canada, and it peaked at #101 on the U.S. Charts. Clarkson attributed the underperformance of both releases to poor management and relieved her manager Simon Fuller, who she felt was not completely focused on her career.

As of 2007, Thankful has sold over 3 million copies worldwide.

2004?2006: Breakaway

Distancing herself from her American Idol image, Clarkson took more creative control with her second studio album Breakaway, and through considerable experimentation, developed a rock-oriented image. Her second album (2004), yielded five U.S. top ten singles and won two Grammy Awards. The album released by RCA Records on November 30 2004.SonyMusicStore.com. Breakaway: 11/30/04. Retrieved March 3 2006. Unlike her previous effort, it debuted within the U.S. top five and Canadian top ten, and sales were initially low in comparison to Thankful.Graham, Adam.

[http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051229/ENT01/512290380/1033 ''Big comebacks, small triumphs'']. DetroitNews.com. Retrieved March 4 2006. However, the single releases from ''Breakaway'' proved very successful, and allowed it to become only the fourth album in history to stay in the Billboard 200 Top 20 for a consecutive year, as well as, being certified five-times platinum in the U.S. on January 18, 2006KellyClarkson.ca. [http://www.kellyclarkson.ca/index.php?action=news&subarea=announcements&aid=1763&mtype=active ''Breakaway'' is 5x platinum]. January 11 2006. Retrieved March 4 2006. and 5x platinum in Canada in May, 2006.''CRIA certification''.   And is now 11x platinum worldwide. [http://www.cria.ca/gold/1205_g.php Album certifications for week ending September 29, 2005]. Retrieved March 4 2006. With Clarkson's wins at the American Music Awards, RCA announced Breakaway was certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA.PRNewswire.com.[http://sev.prnewswire.com/entertainment/20061122/NYW04122112006-1.html]. November 22 2006. Retrieved November 25 2006. In Australia, the album reached number two and spent 52 weeks in the top 10 and was certified 6x Platinum; however, it experienced a delayed release in the UK. Clarkson co-wrote six of the songs with several songwriters, such as former Evanescence band members Ben Moody, David Hodges and producer Max Martin and the title track with punk rocker Avril Lavigne. ''Breakaway'' received different responses from critics; ''Rolling Stone'' commented that "on Kelly Clarkson's second album, [?] she embraces her rock side rather than the pop pageantry that put her on top of the ''American Idol'' heap".''Rolling Stone''. [http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/_/id/6639900?rnd=1141428735187&has-player=true&version=6.0.12.1212 Kelly Clarkson?''Breakaway'']. Retrieved March 3 2006. ''TeenInk'' noted the strength of her vocals on ''Breakaway'', and praised the change from pop music to contemporary rock: "[Clarkson] retains the incredible power and beauty of her voice while switching to rock".S., Ryan. ''TeenInk''. [http://www.teenink.com/Past/2005/September/19320.html ''Breakaway'' by Kelly Clarkson]. Retrieved March 3 2006. ''Stylus'' magazine also enjoyed Clarkson's foray into rock music, however, she was called out because of her ''American Idol'' image, which reviewer Charles Merwin believed she had yet to lose. He praised the non-singles and wrote that they "maintain a quality high".Merwin, Charles. ''Stylus''. February 17 2005. Retrieved April 21 2006. ''All Music Guide'' called the album "a nice, low-key relief".Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:rns9kemtfq7b ''All Music Guide'' review]. ["Clarkson may be a fine ballad singer?"] Retrieved March 4 2006.

Clarkson appeared on numerous television programs during the promotional tour for Breakaway, some of which included Saturday Night Live, The Oprah Winfrey Show and The View; she performed the first two singles "Breakaway" and "Since U Been Gone" on Saturday Night Live, which became her first major telecast appearance in order to support the album."Breakaway", co-written by Avril Lavigne, served as the original song for Royal Engagement (2004) and achieved considerable success across the world; it became Clarkson's third top-ten single in the U.S. and fourth top-ten single in Canada. It reached number ten in Australia, and number 22 in the UK. The song's contemporary pop-rock ambience was one of the several tracks including a stronger rock-influenced sound that had not been heard on Thankful. The second single "Since U Been Gone", which was 'produced' by Max Martin, became the most successful release from the album. Its music video presented Clarkson singing to an underground audience with a full band; cutscenes of Clarkson destroying a former boyfriend's apartment were incorporated. The song's strong rock ambience allowed it to reach number two in the U.S. and the top five across the world. It also earned Clarkson her first Grammy Award for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance"; she won a second award for "Best Pop Vocal Album". 48th annual Grammy Award winners. Grammy.com. Retrieved March 4 2006.

The third and fourth single releases, "Behind These Hazel Eyes" and "Because of You", also followed with chart success. The video for "Behind These Hazel Eyes" broke the record for days at #1 for a female artist with 33 out of 50 days #1 on TRL. "Because Of You" became Clarkson's biggest worldwide hit, her first to reach the number one position on the world chart show, where it held for two consecutive weeks in 2006. The video for "Because of You" won the 2006 MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video, her second consecutive win in that category (The first being from "Since U Been Gone"). The fifth single from Breakaway, "Walk Away", was a top 10 hit in the U.S. and a top five hit in Canada. Breakaway spent 103 weeks on the Billboard 200. It fell out of the Billboard 200 in late November and was moved to Billboard's Pop Catalog. Breakaway was the tenth best selling album of 2006 in the US, adding nearly 2 million additional sales to the 2005 and 2004 sales. As a testament to Clarkson's continuing popularity, she was the most-played artist of 2006 on American radio, despite releasing only one single in the entire year, "Walk Away". On December 23, 2006, American Top 40 radio show host Ryan Seacrest announced during a countdown of 2006's most popular songs that Clarkson had had a song in the American Top 40 for 111 weeks, making her "the most successful female artist in AT40 history". She was also the most radio broadcasted artist of 2006 in Australia and "Because Of You" was the third most broadcast song of the same year, despite being released in 2005.

In the summer of 2006, Clarkson lent Ford Motor Co. a song titled "Go", written by Clarkson and Rhett Lawrence ("Miss Independent"). The song is being used in the company's new advertising campaign, "Bold Moves".

As of 2007, Breakaway has sold over 11 million copies worldwide.

2007?Present: My December

While on tour in Europe in 2006, Clarkson began writing and composing songs for her third album, My December.http://www.kellyclarkson.com/main.php?content=journal During the Addicted Tour, Clarkson debuted two of her songs: "Maybe" and "Yeah". Recording commenced on the album in the summer of 2006.The first single from My December was "Never Again", which made its radio debut on April 13, 2007. The song was released on iTunes on April 20, 2007, but was taken down and replaced with a notice that said that the song was not available until April 23, 2007. The single peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #8 and on the Pop 100 at #5. Following "Never Again", Clarkson released "Sober" as her next single from My December on June 6, 2007. The singles were promoted with appearances on Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Clarkson also returned to American Idol on the May 23 2007 season six finale for the first time since its third season, performing "Never Again" and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" with Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry during a Beatles medley.http://www.the-trades.com/article.php?id=5578

The song "Chivas" is a hidden track which can be found after the song "Irvine." Clarkson wrote the song on bar napkins before going to a concert by Los Angeles based cover band Metal Skool where she was famously seen drinking a bottle of Chivas Regal in a popular YouTube video when the she was brought on stage to sing with the band.

Clarkson parted with her management, The Firm, on June 11, 2007, after the controversy surrounding My December. Kelly Clarkson's Management Breakaway Clarkson would then sign with Starstruck Entertainment, run by Narvel Blackstock - the husband of Reba McEntire - on July 2, 2007. On June 14, 2007, Live Nation announced that Clarkson's summer tour ? her first nationwide arena tour?has been cancelled due to underwhelming ticket sales, to be rescheduled after the release of the My December album at smaller, more intimate concert environments. Kelly Clarkson Pulls Plug On Summer Tour as Ticket Sales Fall Flat

Clarkson has reinstated plans to tour the US this year - with a much smaller tour than the one she cancelled in June. Clarkson began her My December Tour on October 10 in Verona, New York in venues significantly smaller than those previously booked.http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003634356

My December was officially released in the U.S. on June 26, 2007. On the date of the album's release, Clarkson appeared on Good Morning America to promote her new album. Clarkson performed songs from this new album, including the single "Never Again". Good Morning America Concert Despite the controversy surrounding My December, the album debuted at #2 in the U.S. with 291,000 albums sold. Cyrus Sidesteps Clarkson To Debut At No. 1 This is a slightly higher debut than Clarkson's previous album, Breakaway, which debuted at #3. Billboard.com - Artist Chart History - Kelly Clarkson My December has been certified Platinum in Australia, indicating that 70,000 copies have been shipped. Australia: Top 50 Albums Chart

On July 7, 2007, Clarkson performed on the American leg of Live Earth. Her five-set performance list included: "Walk Away", "How I Feel", "Never Again", "Sober", and "Since U Been Gone".[4] In a July edition of USA Weekend Magazine, Clarkson reported that she tried a marijuana cookie while in Amsterdam. "It is legal there," she said, saying that she's never done "anything illegal here the U.S.".http://www.usaweekend.com/07_issues/070715/070715kelly_clarkson.html

Music Choice deemed Clarkson as their "Artist of the Month" for the month of August. Music Choice Artist of the Month: August 2007 Justin Prager, Director of Rock and Pop Programming, issued a public statement: "Kelly's relatively short career has already produced so much exciting music and she has reached millions of viewers through her vast catalog of music videos available on Music Choice. We are looking forward to helping Kelly continue to connect with her fans with this huge campaign." In light of this, Music Choice released programming detailing Clarkson's career, including a catalog of her favorite moments on screen and in production, a question and answer session with her fans, as well as Clarkson's thoughts on her career.[5]

Clarkson was the celebrity coach for Canadian Idol during its Top 5 week of the fifth season, aired on the CTV network on August 20th, and she performed on the results show the next night.http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070801/CI5_Kelly_Clarkson_070801/20070801?s_name=idol2007&no_ads= She was also awarded a Platinum Certification for shipments of more than 100,000 copies of My December in Canada.Clarkson also performed at the 2007 NFL opening kickoff where she sang the national anthem and performed songs from My December including "Never Again", "Maybe" and "Don't Waste Your Time".http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070907/LOCAL18/709070431 Clarkson also performed in the halftime show for the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets game on Thanksgiving day.http://www.nbc5i.com/sports/14269491/detail.html?rss=dfw&psp=news

Clarkson has stated in many recent interviews that she is working on her 4th album, which is to be released in late 2008 or early 2009.http://www.kckellyville.com/

Country Music

Clarkson performed "What Hurts the Most", with Rascal Flatts, at ACM Awards in 2006 and returned again to sing a duet with Reba McEntire in 2007. This was her second performance on a country music award show, even though she is in the pop/rock genre.

Building on her country music status, Clarkson and Reba McEntire recorded an hour-long CMT Crossroads special at Nashville's famed Ryman Auditorium on February 22, 2007. It aired on CMT and MHD on June 24, 2007. Previously, Clarkson was a performer on CMT's Giants: Reba McEntire. where she sang McEntire's hit song "Why Haven't I Heard From You", introduced Dolly Parton, and later also sang Reba's hit Does He Love You? with Martina McBride. Clarkson also appeared on an episode of McEntire's sitcom Reba, that aired on January 14, 2007.

At the Academy of Country Music Awards on May 16, 2007, Clarkson and McEntire sang a duet of Clarkson's own 2005 single, "Because of You", which also became the lead single from McEntire's album of all-star duets. Kelly and Reba to Duet at Academy of Country Music Awards The music video for this version of the song later debuted on June 20, 2007. This collaboration with McEntire earned Clarkson a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Country Collaboration With Vocals" for her song "Because of You". The awards ceremony is February 10th, 2008 for the 50th anniversary of the Grammys.http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/50th_Show/list.aspx

In early 2008, Clarkson will embark on the 2 Worlds, 2 Voices Tour 2008, a co-headlining tour with Reba McEntire.

Vocal ability

Clarkson's vocal talents and abilities have been met with praise from critics and celebrities alike.

On an interview with Good Morning America, Simon Cowell was asked of the six American Idol winners, who he thought had the best voice. Cowell immediately answered that Clarkson did "by a mile", noting that she was "up there" with other great singers such as Celine Dion.http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3207996

Reflecting back on Clarkson's performance during the Idol Gives Back special, Jeff Beck described Clarkson's voice as a "soul voice" that "demands attention".Roccio, Christopher, "Original 'Idol' Kelly Clarkson 'could give a crap about being a star'", Reality TV World, June 11, 2007 [6]

After attending a rehearsal for American Idol's season six finale (in which Clarkson was scheduled to perform), Blender magazine described Clarkson's voice as such:Marks, Craig, "Kelly Clarkson and the Bubble Gum Machine",Blender Magazine, August 2007 [7]

"The Texas native has one of the great voices in pop music, a powerful and versatile instrument that?s steeped in the rhythm and blues and country music she grew up with in the South. If Mariah Carey?s five-octave voice is the equivalent of an expensively bred poodle, then Clarkson?s is a bloodhound: friendly, earthy, but fierce just the same."

Discography

Albums

• 2003: Thankful
• 2004: Breakaway
• 2007: My December

Number-one singles

Awards

Appearances in popular culture

Clarkson's name has been mentioned in two songs: The Jonas Brothers' remake of Busted's "Year 3000", and in the remix of "You Know I'm No Good" by Amy Winehouse featuring Ghostface Killah.

In the 2005 film The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Steve Carell's character screams out "Aaaahh! Kelly Clarkson!" after getting his chest waxed. This line was not scripted, but was featured in the film and its theatrical trailer.

The late-night FOX sketch comedy show MADtv did a parody of "Since U Been Gone" in its 10th Season, where it featured American Idol winners and runner-ups talking about their careers and how most of them have flopped. Nicole Parker played Kelly Clarkson. Also featured in the sketch was Aries Spears as Ruben Studdard, Jordan Peele as Justin Guarini, Paul Vogt as Diana DeGarmo, Ron Pederson as Clay Aiken, Daniele Gaither as Fantasia, and Bobby Lee as William Hung. MADtv also mentioned Clarkson a second time in a sketch from its past season, featuring two characters called "The Crafty Gals". One girl says to the other "Well, we don't know each other sexually" and she says "Yes we do, remember we made out after that Kelly Clarkson concert?" and the other girl said "Oh, yeah! Her music will do that to you".

On April 25, 2007, Clarkson appeared on Idol Gives Back and performed Patty Griffin's "Up to the Mountain". After the performance, the audience who watched Clarkson perform live gave her a standing ovation. American Idol judge Simon Cowell described her as "incredible", saying, "When you let her [8] come back on the show it makes everybody else look like an amateur."http://www.elle.com/coverstory/11273/kelly-clarkson-page8.html

In addition to her roles as spokeswoman for the acne treatment Proactiv as well as vitaminwater, Clarkson has partnered with NASCAR for the 2007 season. She will appear in televised advertising spots, perform at pre-race concerts, promote NASCAR Day and appear at the Champions' Banquet in December. Press Release, Rogers & Cohen, Modern Guitars Magazine, 01/18/07, retrieved January 24, 2007

August's issue of Blender has a feature on Clarkson and her new album, as well as her music label woes. http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?ID=2740&src=ad169 Blender.com Clarkson also appeared at the NFL's opening night performance in Indianapolis for the kickoff of the new season.

Kelly also performed at half-time during the 2007 Thanksgiving Day football game between the NY Jets and the Dallas Cowboys.[9]