Kelly Clarkson Biography

Kelly Clarkson is the first “American Idol” winner as well as one of the best pop vocalists today. Throughout her career, she dabbled in a variety of genres in her albums such as pop, rock, and country.

Early Life

She was born in Forth Worth, Texas on April 24, 1982, to an English teacher mom and a former engineer father. While in high school she performed in several plays and musicals. During that time Kelly started taking classical training to prepare herself for a music career.

Struggles to Start a Career

She worked numerous jobs in order to afford recording demos and marketing them to a variety of record labels. Jive Records and Interscope Records, two major labels offered deals, however, she declined them as she felt they expected her to be “a bubblegum act”. In 2001 she moved to Los Angeles, but her hopes started to drop after she saw the rejection from almost every record label.

“American Idol”

Kelly went to the audition of the new singing competition “American Idol” and eventually won the first place on September 4, 2002. After the victory, Kelly was immediately signed to several recording labels. She released her first single “Before Your Love”/”A Moment Like This” which climbed from spot 52 to spot 1 in a week breaking “The Beatles” record of the biggest leap to number 1 on Billboard history.

Professional Debut and Success

Her debut album “Thankful” was revealed in 2003 to critical praise for Clarkson’s vocal ability and new R&B sound. Her first international successful track was “Miss Independent” reaching top ten in several countries. For her second album, Kelly wanted more control over her music, so she parted ways with one of her record labels, 19 Recordings. She opted for a pop-rock oriented sound with “Breakaway” becoming her best album to date both commercially and critically. The album was certified platinum six times in the US and got Kelly her first Grammy for “Best Pop Vocal Album” in 2006.

Becoming More Independent

Clarkson’s third album “My December” dealt with heavier themes than her last record, leaning more towards heavy rock. This change was not received well by her managers so the album received limited promotional support. Nonetheless, the album was certified platinum and enjoyed success. Going into 2008, Kelly focused more on country duets, collaborations, and concerts. Released in 2009, the “All I Ever Wanted” album went back to the pop-rock oriented sound becoming successful yet again with hits like “My Life Would Suck Without You”. The “Stronger” album had influences from various genres, receiving a platinum certification and winning the Grammy for “Best Pop Vocal Album” again, in 2013. After the best-selling Christmas album “Wrapped in Red” and various EP’s released, she revealed the personal “Piece by Piece” album in 2015. The album was certified gold by the RIAA and the track “Piece by Piece” was nominated for a “Best Pop Solo Performance” Grammy. She changed labels and signed to Atlantic Records in 2016 and is planning to release a seventh album in 2017.

Photo credit: Billboard.com