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Kelly Clarkson

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Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24 1982) is an American pop singer from Texas. 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,[1] and won two Grammy Awards. Clarkson's new album, entitled My December, was released on June 26, 2007.

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.[2] Jeff Beck describes Clarkson's voice as a "soul voice" that "demands attention".[3]

Biography

Early life

Clarkson was born in Fort Worth, Texas and grew up in the small town of Burleson, Texas. She is the third and youngest child of Jeanne Ann Rose, a first grade teacher who is of Greek and Irish descent,[citation needed] and Stephen Michael Clarkson, a former engineer who is of Welsh descent.[citation needed] 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.

Clarkson attended Burleson 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 before. In high school, Clarkson performed in musicals such as Annie Get Your Gun, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Brigadoon.

Upon graduation in 2000, Clarkson worked several jobs to finance her demo CD that she hoped to market toward record labels. She received few responses, 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 That '80s Show among others. She played a small role in the 2002 film Issues 101. Following four months in Hollywood, Clarkson was discouraged when her apartment burned down and decided to return to Texas, where she worked as an usher in a movie theater, a cocktail waitress, Six Flags performer, telemarketer, Kirby Vacuum salesperson, and 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 10,000 others, and the judges Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson were impressed with her voice. She earned a position in the Top 30 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 10 position. Other songs Clarkson performed on American Idol include Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", Mariah Carey's "Without You", and Céline Dion's "I Surrender".

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.[4] 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.[5] 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.;[6] it spent five weeks at number one in Canada, and remains Clarkson's only #1 there.

Song performances on American Idol

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

Week # Song Choice Original Artist Theme (if any) Result
Top 121 "Respect" Aretha Franklin Hollywood round 1 Safe
Top 65 "I Say a Little Prayer" Dionne Warwick Hollywood round 2 Safe
Top 45 "Save The Best For Last" Vanessa Williams Hollywood round 3 Safe
Top 30 "Respect" Aretha Franklin Semi-final group 2 Safe
Top 10 "You're All I Need to Get By" Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell Motown Safe
Top 8 "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" Aretha Franklin 1960's week Safe
Top 7 "Don't Play That Song" Aretha Franklin 1970's week Safe
Top 6 "Stuff Like That There" Betty Hutton Big Band week Safe
Top 5 "Walk on By" Dionne Warwick Love Songs week Safe
Top 4 "It's Raining Men"
"I Surrender"
Weather Girls
Celine Dion
1980's week,
1990's week
Safe
Top 3 "Think Twice"
"Without You"
Celine Dion
Mariah Carey
Judge's Week Safe
Top 2 "Respect"
"Before Your Love"
"A Moment Like This"
Aretha Franklin
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
Singer's Choice Week Safe
Finale "A Moment Like This" Kelly Clarkson Crowned as American Idol Winner

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.[7]

Kelly Clarkson performed at the Washington D.C. 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[8] and grossed only $5 million at the North American box office, less than half its reported budget.[9] 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.[10]

Clarkson is the only American Idol winner so far who has not held the title for an entire year, since season 2 started the following spring.

World Idol

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 "(You Make Me Feel Like) 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.[11]

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.[12] 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, 2003[13] and platinum by the CRIA for sales of 100,000 copies on February 10, 2004.[14] 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".[15] 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.[16]

"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".[17] 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

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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.[18] 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.[19] 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, 2006[20] and 5x platinum in Canada in May, 2006.[21] With Clarkson's wins at the American Music Awards, RCA announced Breakaway was certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA.[22] 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 and David Hodges, and producer Max Martin. 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".[23] 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".[24] 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".[25] All Music Guide called the album "a nice, low-key relief".[26]

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 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, 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."[27]

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 (a rare event) 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".[28] 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.[29]

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.

2006–Present: "My December"

While on tour in Europe in 2006, Clarkson began writing and composing songs for her third album, My December.[30] 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 is "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.

Clarkson 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.[31]

Following "Never Again", Clarkson released "Sober" as her next single from My December on June 6, 2007.

Clarkson parted with her management, The Firm, on June 11, 2007, after the controversy surrounding My December.[32] Clarkson would then sign with Starstruck Entertainment, run by Narvel Blackstock - the husband of Reba McEntire - on July 2, 2007.[33]

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.[34]

Clarkson performed both of her singles, "Never Again" and "Sober" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on June 22, 2007. She also performed the songs on Fuse's 'Sauce' and 'Extra Sauce' shows on June 25, 2007.

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. The star performed songs from this new album, such as the single "Never Again."[35]

Despite the controversy surrounding My December, the album debuted at #2 in the U.S. with 291,000 albums sold.[36] This is a slightly higher debut than Clarkson's previous album, Breakaway, which debuted at #3.[37] My December has been certified Gold in Australia, indicating that 35,000 copies have been shipped.[38] Each song on "My December" was co-written by Clarkson, and the album takes on a more brooding tone than in the past.[39]

Clarkson has also stated that her next album may have country influences, along with blues and rock.[40]

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".[41]

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 [in the U.S.]".[42]

"I have never smoked anything in my life. I've never tried any drugs. I wouldn't do anything that would cause holes in your brain or your nasal cavity. Call me Texan, but I don't think of marijuana like that."

Discography

Albums

  1. Thankful (2003)
  2. Breakaway (2004)
  3. My December (2007)

Awards and nominations

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 it's 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".

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 is scheduled to debut 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, which 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 2005 single, "Because of You," which also became the lead single off of McEntire's upcoming album of all-star duets.[43] The music video for this version of the song later debuted on June 20, 2007.

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 [Clarkson] come back on the show it makes everybody else look like an amateur."[44]

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.[45]

August's issue of Blender Magazine has a feature on Kelly and her new album, as well as her music label woes- the article can be read here.

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ "Kelly Clarkson—Breakaway". Rolling Stone. 2004-12-15. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
  2. ^ http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3207996
  3. ^ Roccio, Christopher, "Original 'Idol' Kelly Clarkson 'could give a crap about being a star'", Reality TV World, June 11, 2007[1]
  4. ^ The Amazing Kelly Clarkson. Angelfire.com. Retrieved February 12 2006.
  5. ^ UltimateKC.com. Fan listing and awards. Accomplishments—biggest jump on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, from 52 to 1. Retrieved February 12, 2006.
  6. ^ Kelly Clarkson—Timeline. ARC Weekly Top 40 information. Rock on the Net. Retrieved February 12, 2006.
  7. ^ "Kelly Clarkson's record label and songwriters deny she had a recording deal before American Idol". RealityTVWorld.com. Retrieved February 25, 2006.
  8. ^ "From Justin to Kelly (2003)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 19 August. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "From Justin to Kelly (2003)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 19 August. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ Snierson, Dan. "Stupid Questions with Kelly Clarkson". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 19 August. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ Kaplan, Don. The New York Post. January 3, 2004. Where was Kelly when Kurt won? Retrieved March 30, 2006.
  12. ^ SonyMusicStore.com. Thankful: 04/15/03. Retrieved February 23 2006.
  13. ^ Paulsen, Wade. Kelly Clarkson's Thankful certified double platinum in U.S. December 29 2003. Retrieved February 23 2006.
  14. ^ CRIA certification. Album certifications for week ending February 10, 2004. Retrieved February 23 2006.
  15. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. All Music Guide review. ["Anybody older than 18…"] Retrieved February 23 2006.
  16. ^ Kipp, Rachel. JS Online. Associated Press. Retrieved February 23 2005.
  17. ^ Hollywood.com. Nominations for the 46th annual Grammy Awards. Retrieved February 24 2006.
  18. ^ SonyMusicStore.com. Breakaway: 11/30/04. Retrieved March 3 2006.
  19. ^ Graham, Adam. Big comebacks, small triumphs. DetroitNews.com. Retrieved March 4 2006.
  20. ^ KellyClarkson.ca. Breakaway is 5x platinum. January 11 2006. Retrieved March 4 2006.
  21. ^ CRIA certification. And is now 11x Platinum worldwide. Album certifications for week ending September 29, 2005. Retrieved March 4 2006.
  22. ^ PRNewswire.com.[2]. November 22 2006. Retrieved November 25 2006.
  23. ^ Rolling Stone. Kelly Clarkson—Breakaway. Retrieved March 3 2006.
  24. ^ S., Ryan. TeenInk. Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson. Retrieved March 3 2006.
  25. ^ Merwin, Charles. Stylus. February 17 2005. Retrieved April 21 2006.
  26. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. All Music Guide review. ["Clarkson may be a fine ballad singer…"] Retrieved March 4 2006.
  27. ^ 48th annual Grammy Award winners. Grammy.com. Retrieved March 4 2006.
  28. ^ "Mediabase Announces 2006 Radio Airplay Leaders" (Press release). Premiere Radio Networks, Inc. 2006-12-21.
  29. ^ "Phonographic Performance Company of Australia announces most played artists" (Press release). Phonographic Performance Company of Australia. 2006-01-16.
  30. ^ http://www.kellyclarkson.com/main.php?content=journal
  31. ^ http://www.the-trades.com/article.php?id=5578
  32. ^ Kelly Clarkson's Management Breakaway
  33. ^ "Clarkson signs with Starstruck Entertainment". Billboard. 2007-07-02. Retrieved 2007-07-02. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  34. ^ Kelly Clarkson Pulls Plug On Summer Tour as Ticket Sales Fall Flat
  35. ^ Good Morning America Concert
  36. ^ Cyrus Sidesteps Clarkson To Debut At No. 1
  37. ^ Billboard.com - Artist Chart History - Kelly Clarkson
  38. ^ Australia: Top 50 Albums Chart
  39. ^ Drama Accompanies New Clarkson Album, ABC
  40. ^ http://music.aol.com/artists/aim-celebrity-interview/kelly-clarkson Music.aol.com
  41. ^ [3]
  42. ^ http://www.usaweekend.com/07_issues/070715/070715kelly_clarkson.html
  43. ^ Kelly and Reba to Duet at Academy of Country Music Awards
  44. ^ http://www.elle.com/coverstory/11273/kelly-clarkson-page8.html
  45. ^ Press Release, Rogers & Cohen, Modern Guitars Magazine, 01/18/07, retrieved January 24, 2007