Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24 1982) is a Grammy Award-winning American pop singer and 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), which yielded her first and only U.S. number-one single. As a result of her contract with American Idol, Clarkson made a foray into film with the release of From Justin to Kelly (2003) with runner-up Justin Guarini.

Biography and music career

Early life

Clarkson in an undated yearbook photograph aired on E! True Hollywood Story.

Clarkson was born in Fort Worth, Texas on April 24 1982, and grew up in the small town of Burleson, Texas. She is the third and youngest child of Jeanne Ann Rose, a first grade English teacher of Greek and Scottish descent, and Stephen Michael Clarkson, a former engineer of Welsh extraction. 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; her brother went to live with her father, her sister went to live with an aunt, and Clarkson remained with her mother. Following the separation, Clarkson frequently moved around Texas while her mother managed several professions in order to support the family. Clarkson has since stated that, being six years old at the time, she did not understand why her family had been constantly moving. Eventually, the family settled in Burleson, Texas where Clarkson's mother married her second husband, Jimmy Taylor.

Clarkson attended Pauline Hughes Middle School when she reached seventh grade. She had originally wanted to become a marine biologist, but during the same school year, a teacher 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 before. Following middle school, she attended Burleson High School and performed in musicals such as Brigadoon.

Upon graduation in 2000, Clarkson worked several occupations to finance her demo CD that she had been hoping to market toward record labels. She received few responses though, and eventually decided to move to Hollywood to seek out other opportunities in music, one of which was a mentorship under songwriter Gerry Goffin. However, Goffin fell ill, and to make ends meet, Clarkson appeared as an extra on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and played a small role in the film Issues 101, which was released in 2002. Following four months in Hollywood, Clarkson was discouraged and returned to Texas, where she worked at a cinema, and as a cocktail waitress, telemarketer and a Red Bull promoter.

American Idol

Once Clarkson returned to Burleson, several of her friends encouraged her to audition for the 2002 debut of the reality television program American Idol. She entered the competition with ten thousand others, and the judges Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson were impressed with her voice. She earned a position in the top thirty finalists and week-by-week performed a song on live television to North America. When American Idol concluded each week, the viewers would vote based on the performance they enjoyed the most. Clarkson sang a rendition of Aretha Franklin's "Respect" which garnered her a top ten position. Other songs Clarkson performed on American Idol include Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman"(where she sang in the whistle register[1]), Badfinger's "Without You", and Céline Dion's "I Surrender".

Kelly Clarkson performed at the Washington D.C. Lincoln Memorial on September 11 2002 following her win on American Idol.

Clarkson had made it to the final two 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 in an abandoned theatre and incorporated short scenes of Clarkson performing on Idol. When released as a single in October 2002, it set a still-standing 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, and remains Clarkson's only number-one there.

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.

In December 2003, a competition titled World Idol was held in London, England, 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 due, she was chided by some in the media for what they saw as poor sportsmanship. Kelly later explained to fans that she was suffering from 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 success 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, [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".Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. All Music Guide review. ["Anybody 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.

The third single taken from Thankful "Low" reached number two in Canada, but was unable to make the top forty of the U.S. chart. The final single "The Trouble with Love Is" yielded low peak positions on both charts. Clarkson attributed the underperformance of both releases to poor management and relieved her manager Simon Fuller, whom she felt was not completely focused on her career.

2004–2006: Breakaway

During the promotional tour of Breakaway (2004), Clarkson appeared on Saturday Night Live on February 12, 2005.

Clarkson's second studio album Breakaway, distancing herself from her American Idol image, Clarkson took more creative control, and through considerable experimentation, developed a rock-oriented image for the release of her second album (2004), which yielded four 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. 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. Breakaway is 5x platinum. January 11 2006. Retrieved March 4 2006. and quadruple platinum in Canada on September 29, 2005.CRIA certification. Album certifications for week ending September 29, 2005. Retrieved March 4 2006. In Australia, the album reached number two; 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 and David Hodges, producer Max Martin, and Canadian singer-songwriter 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. 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. 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. 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" served as the original song for The Princess Diaries 2: 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, however, is only receiving a UK release at present. 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 ambiance 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.

"Since U Been Gone" (2005) presented Clarkson with a rock music-influenced sound that had not been heard on her previous efforts.

The third and fourth single releases "Behind These Hazel Eyes" and "Because of You" also followed with chart success. Breakaway's fifth single "Walk Away" climbed to the U.S. top-twenty and the Canadian BDS top-five. It is also the track which uses Kelly's full vocal range.

Billboard has reported that Clarkson will be unveiling new tracks from her upcoming album on the Addicted U.S. tour.Hasty, Katie. Billboard. Clarkson To Unveil New Tunes On Summer Tour. April 13 2006. Retrieved April 14 2006. The album is set for release sometime in early 2007, with an unconfirmed date.Rolling Stone. Kelly Clarkson Readies Summer Tour. Grammy-winning Idol brings "Breakaway" to amphitheaters across the U.S. Retrieved April 23 2006.MTV.com. Kelly Clarkson Eyeing Black Eyed Peas for New Album. February 14 2006. Retrieved April 7 2006. Co-written by Clarkson and producer Rhett Lawrence, "Go", a possible new song for the album, is currently featured in a commercial and advertising campaign for the Ford Motor Company.MTV.com. Kelly Clarkson Airs New Song in Commercial, Will Play More on Tour. May 3 2006. Retrieved May 5 2006.The Ford Kelly Site has premiered a music video for "Go" (primary featuring vehicles instead of Clarkson) on the site on July 10th and can be viewed on The Ford Kelly site. The full studio version was leaked online in June of 2006.

While on tour in Europe in 2006, Clarkson began writing and composing songs for her third album which she will release in early 2007. Three possible new songs from her upcoming CD reportedly to be released in February were unveiled in the first concert of the Addicted Tour, including "Maybe," "Anymore," and "Yeah", in which "Maybe" appears to be the most popular.

Clarkson will headline her first HBO concert event next February. She will perform her greatest hits as well as material from her third album.

"Addicted" was rumored to be a sixth single, but Clarkson has stated that the next single will be from her third album.

Go

In early 2006 Kelly was signed up to be a spokesperson for motor vehicle company 'Ford'. In June 2006 Ford released their "Bold moves" commercial which featured a brand new song by Kelly... "Go"Written by herself and Rhett Lawrence, Go was even made into a music video. There are no plans to release this track, however.

Acting Career

Clarkson appeared as a non-speaking extra in season 5 of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. She also starred with Idol runner-up Justin Guarini in the movie From Justin to Kelly. The film was poorly received by critics and viewers. Clarkson has not taken any acting roles since, and says she's shocked when people send her scripts after From Justin to Kelly, and often citing "contractual obligation" as her sole reason for involvement in the film.

Discography

Studio albums

#Thankful (2003)#Breakaway (2004)#TBA (2007)

Singles Stats

All regularly released singles and their chart peak position: USA (U.S.), United Kingdom (UK), Canada (CAN), Australia (AUS), Ireland (IR), Germany (GE) and the World Chart Show (WCS).