In many ways, the future success of Fox’s “American Idol” depended on Kelly Clarkson’s success at taking over the pop music airwaves. Fortunately for the popular talent show, she has most certainly delivered. With two multi-platinum albums and six top-ten singles to her credit, Clarkson has not only helped make “American Idol” the most popular show on television, she has also proven herself to be a versatile and talented recording artist who doesn’t need the advice of Simon Cowell to hold her own.
Clarkson was born in Fort Worth, Texas on April 24, 1982, and moved around Texas frequently as a child with her mother. The future pop diva settled in Burleson, Texas with her family, and upon graduating high school in 2000 worked several jobs to finance a demo tape. She found little luck, and moved to L.A. to cultivate opportunities in Hollywood. Finding little success, she soon moved back to Texas where she again worked several wage jobs before auditioning for the 2002 debut of “American Idol”. The gorgeous starlet effortlessly impressed famous judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson every week with her rich voice and crowd-pleasing performances. Against 10,000 other wannabe pop stars, Clarkson ultimately won the competition, narrowly beating runner-up Justin Guarini.
Unlike the subsequent winners of “Idol” (Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, and Carrie Underwood), who have largely found success in niche genres, Clarkson has emerged as a true mainstream pop idol. Displaying the versatility and gusto of legendary pop acts, Clarkson’s first album was an unsurprisingly sugary yet catchy collection of songs, while her second saw her move on to pop-tinged radio rock. The first, “Thankful”, sold around two million copies and included the immediate post-“Idol” single “A Moment Like This”, which remains her sole #1 hit in the U.S. In 2004 Clarkson released her second effort “Breakaway”, which featured several songs co-written by the star herself and saw her incredible voice matched with more challenging music. Though sales were slow at first, its longevity has been impressive as it has reached sales of over five million in the U.S. Its biggest single to date is “Since U Been Gone”, which reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has exhibited a remarkable staying power, even becoming a surprise club remix favorite. The single earned Clarkson a Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, in addition to her win for Best Pop Vocal Album.
Clarkson is prepping a major tour for 2006, as well as a third album rumored to be released late in the year. Even if the “Idol” phenomenon drives you nuts, it’s hard to ignore Clarkson, who proves that even a politely saccharine reality show can discover a major talent.