BIOGRAPHY:
American singer Kelly Clarkson’s path to the musical Olympus began with a victory at a talent show. The audience highly appreciated the young performer’s vocal abilities, her skill and charisma. During her creative career, the celebrity never ceased to delight fans with new bright hits and stylish videos. But the artist’s talents were not limited to the field of music.
Childhood and youth:
The singer’s biography began in 1982 in the “most American” state of the USA – Texas, and her childhood was spent in the small town of Burleson. The girl’s ancestors came to America from the British Isles, among them were the Irish and Welsh. Kelly became the youngest in the family of Jeanne and Stephen Clarkson, who raised three children.
The divorce of her parents, who had been married for 17 years, led to the fact that the future artist was separated from her sister Alyssa and brother Jason, leaving her to live alone with her mother. While studying at school, the girl began to sing in the choir and participate in the production of musicals. At the same time, Kelly’s hobbies extended to serious school subjects like biology, but her passion for music soon came to the fore. After graduating from school, Clarkson worked part-time in several places at the same time, trying to save up for a demo recording that she could present to labels. In pursuit of her dream, the girl went to Los Angeles, where she dreamed of conquering Hollywood. The southerner did not achieve her goal the first time: after living for six months in the City of Angels and failing to sign a contract, Kelly returned to her native Texas. Here she worked in a bar, sang in an amusement park and acted in local theater productions.
In the spring of 2002, casting began for the new talent show American Idol, and Kelly managed to pass it, although she already had little faith in herself. However, having entered the top 30, the rising star gained confidence and with each stage became more and more popular with the audience. As a result, in September 2002, the singer won the first season of the popular project and received a million-dollar contract to record her first album.
MusicTaking first place in the competition, Kelly performed the song A Moment Like This, written especially for the winner. The track became her debut official song and immediately “shot”, rising to the top of the Billboard Hot 100.
After that, in 2003, the singer released her debut album Thankful, which immediately topped the Billboard 200. The disc went double platinum and took the performer to unprecedented heights, but critics insisted that its success was not due to its musical merits, but rather to the popularity of the show.
Clarkson’s second album:
Breakaway, released a year later, confirmed that the initial success was no accident. The hits Because of You, Addicted and Gone were played here. The solo album was certified platinum seven times, and the title song became the soundtrack to the film The Princess Diaries 2. Kelly did not stop there and worked on new compositions, receiving her first Grammy in 2006 for the best female performance of a pop song Since U Been Gone. Having released two more solo records, by 2010 Kelly rightfully became one of the world’s biggest stars. . At this time, she recorded perhaps her main hit – the track Stronger, which formed the basis of the album of the same name, which brought the performer another Grammy Award. Over time, the artist continued to delight fans with new records.
In 2019, the performer became a mentor in the 16th season of the American version of the show “The Voice.” In the previous two seasons, she also sat in the red chair, both times leading her charges to victory in the competition.
In September 2021, Kelly released Christmas Isn’t Canceled, the lead single from her ninth studio and second Christmas album, When Christmas Comes Around. It also included a duet performance of the song Santa, Can’t You Hear Me with Ariana Grande.
In February 2022, Clarkson and Snoop Dogg were named co-hosts of the American Song Contest series. It is an adaptation of the popular international songwriting competition Eurovision Song Contest. The premiere took place in March 2022.
Films and books In the early 2000s, Kelly began starring in episodes of TV series, including Sabrina the Teenage Witch and King of the Hill. However, the tiny works did not bring fame to the actress.
The performer received the main role in 2003 after the success of American Idol. She starred in the teen comedy From Justin to Kelly with fellow finalist Justin Guarini. The film received the Golden Raspberry anti-award as the worst musical in the last 25 years. Kelly also appeared in films and TV series as a cameo, and also voiced cartoons.
Not limiting herself to music and cinema, in 2016 Clarkson created the book “River Rose and the Magic Lullaby”, in the appendix of which she recorded a special song. In 2017, the second fairy tale, “River Rose and a Magical Christmas,” was published, also accompanied by a disc with a children’s composition.
In addition, Kelly began writing songs for the cartoons she voiced. In particular, the animated film Ugly Dolls was released, which featured the track Broken & beautiful performed by Clarkson. In addition to everything, the vocalist launched her own program, The Kelly Clarkson Show. The variety daytime show premiered in September 2019.
In May 2020, the singer was nominated for an Emmy for “The Kelly Clarkson Show” in two categories: “Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show” and “Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host.” In the latter, the artist won.
Personal life:
Kelly Clarkson is one of those who is not afraid to share details of her personal life with journalists. The singer met her future husband Brandon Blackstock in 2006 at a music awards ceremony. The man worked in the same industry as the singer, as a manager.
The relationship did not immediately turn into a romantic direction, but gradually the girl saw her one and only in Brandon. The couple dated for more than two years and got married in October 2013. The celebration took place in the vicinity of the center of American country music – the southern city of Nashville, Tennessee.
In 2014, the happy newlyweds welcomed a daughter, River Rose, and a son, Remington Alexander, in 2016. Moreover, the woman told fans that she was pregnant for the second time right during the concert, unable to contain her violent emotions.
Carrying both children was difficult for the singer, and after giving birth to a boy, Kelly decided to resort to radical measures. Surgeons tied the patient’s fallopian tubes, and her husband had a vasectomy, making it impossible for him to have another child. Clarkson said that she now feels absolutely happy, because there are four children in their house: the couple are also raising Savannah and Seth, a daughter and a son, Brandon, from her first marriage.
With the birth of her babies, the artist gained significant weight, but did not attach any importance to it even after the attacks of haters. The vocalist did not suffer from complexes about her curvy figure and sadly recalled the times when she tried her best to lose weight, trying to adapt to general standards. Now Kelly felt loved and happy, weighing 79 kg (her height is 161 cm).
However, in 2018, the celebrity decided to change. After turning to doctors, the performer learned that she had an autoimmune disease associated with the thyroid gland. There was a need to take medication, which, in turn, slightly reduced Clarkson’s volume. The changes became even more noticeable after the singer read Stephen Grandry’s book “The Plant Paradox.”
The publication prompted the artist to think about her diet and make food healthy and safe. At the same time, there was no talk about physical activity. In an interview, Kelly emphasized:
“Don’t even think about me going to the gym.”
:But treatment with proper nutrition was enough for the star to lose 20 extra kg. At the end of May 2018, the noticeably slimmer celebrity appeared in a tight black dress at the Billboard Music Awards – photos from the ceremony were posted online.
And two years later, Clarkson surprised fans with the message that she was filing for divorce from Blackstock. The reason for the break in relations was called “irreconcilable differences.” In March 2022, the public learned that the divorce process was completed.
Children’s books, meaning of life and voice:
In February 2016, it was announced that Clarkson had signed a book deal with HarperCollins. Her first children’s book, River Rose and the Magical Lullaby, was released on October 4, 2016. The book features an original lullaby written and performed by Clarkson. Na Clarkson told Publishers Weekly about the possibility of writing new books: “I have a few ideas – there could be a lullaby for each book. We have a lot of stories and I’ve already written seven songs, so we’ll just have to see which ones might turn out to be a book. But yes, there will definitely be more.” The second Rose River book, Rose River and a Magical Christmas, was released on October 24, 2017, and included an original song written and sung by Clarkson: “Christmas Eve”. On March 15, 2016, First Lady Michelle Obama released “This Is for My Girls”, a collaboration track featuring Clarkson’s vocals from Janelle Monáe, Kelly Rowland, Lea Michele, Zendaya and Missy Elliott, to coincide with Barack Obama’s SXSW speech and promote Lady’s First Third World Education Initiative Let Girls Learn, Clarkson recorded a solo version of the song “It’s Quiet Uptown”. The Hamilton Mixtape. Her version was released on November 3, 2016, as a promotional single for the album. She also recorded a duet called “Love Goes On” with Aloe Blacc for the original soundtrack of the film The Shack, which was released in the United States. March 3, 2017 On May 11, 2017, it was announced that Clarkson would be joining The Voice as a coach for the fourteenth season.
On June 24, 2016, Clarkson announced that he had signed a long-term international contract with Atlantic Records, with the intention of releasing his eighth studio album From My Soul in 2017. In November 2016, Clarkson announced his intention to release a new single in April 2017, with the album to be released in June. On September 4, 2017, Clarkson announced her new lead single, “Love So Soft”, which was released on September 7, 2017, along with the song “Move You”. On September 6, 2017, Clarkson stated that her album The Meaning of Life would be released on October 27, 2017. Clarkson opened the 45th American Music Awards with P! nk, and together they performed REM’s “Everybody Hurts” to honor the memory of the first responders. Later in the show she performed “Miss Independent” and “Love So Soft”. “Love So Soft” was nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. She now holds the record for the most nominations in this category – four. With the release of The Meaning of Life, Clarkson revealed that she had been in discussions with Atlantic Records about the sound of the next album and expressed interest in delving deeper into RB and soulful pop music.
Clarkson lent her voice to the computer-animated film Star alongside Oprah Winfrey, Steven Yeun, Tyler Perry and others. The film is based on the Nativity of Jesus. The film, please note Sony Pictures Animation, was released on November 17, 2017. This was the first film in which Clarkson performed a voice role. Clarkson also had a guest role on the Netflix animated series Home: Adventures with Tip and O, playing herself in the series’ 2017 animated Christmas special, Home for the Holidays, alongside Ben Schwartz. In March 2018, Clarkson released a ballad version of Hoda Kotb’s children’s book I’ve Loved You Since Forever. On May 10, 2018, Clarkson was announced to return to The Voice for its fifteenth season. Clarkson hosted and performed at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards on May 20, 2018. In the fourteenth season of The Voice, Brynn Cartelli was named the winner, giving Clarkson her first win. On the fifteenth season of The Voice, Chevel Shepherd was crowned the winner, giving Davrkson her second win in a row and making her the first female coach to win multiple seasons.
Kelly Clarkson now:
In 2023, Kelly continued her creative activity. The singer announced the release of her tenth studio album, delighting fans with this news. Clarkson hosted the 12th annual NFL Awards in February. In addition, the vocalist performed a cover of Cole Porter’s song Don’t Fence Me In, which was included in Jeff Goldblum’s mini-album.
Discography:
2003 – Thankful
2004 – Breakaway
2007 – My December
2009 – All I Ever Wanted
2011 – Stronger
2013 – Wrapped in Red
2015 — Piece by Piece
2023 – Kellyoke
Filmography:
2000 — “Sabrina the Teenage Witch”
2000 — “King of the Hill”
2001 — “Riba”
2002 — “One Hundred and One Rules”
2003 — “From Justin to Kelly”
2007-2015 — “Phineas and Ferb”
2013-2014 – “Crazy”
Interesting Facts:
In January 2023, the singer managed to obtain a court order against Victor Fernandez and Huguetta Nicole Young. They were banned from having contact with Kelly or her heirs for the next five years. In addition, the couple should not come within 91 meters of the celebrity’s family members. It was previously reported that these attackers often appeared at the singer’s home in Los Angeles and caused disturbances.
In 2022, on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Kelly competed in a musical battle of guessing tunes with Anne Hathaway. During the third song, Ann immediately guessed the track – it turned out to be Clarkson’s famous hit Since U Been Gone. After this, the performer herself, who did not recognize her own composition, fell to the floor as a sign of despair.