Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, author and television personality. She rose to fame in 2002, after winning the first season of American Idol, which earned her a record deal with RCA Records. Clarkson's debut single, "A Moment Like This", topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and became the country's best-selling single of 2002. It was followed by the release of her debut studio album, Thankful (2003), which debuted atop the US Billboard 200. Trying to reinvent her image, Clarkson parted ways with Idol management and shifted to pop rock music for her second album, Breakaway (2004). After numerous top 40 radio number-one singles, such as "Since U Been Gone" and "Because of You", the album sold over 12 million copies worldwide and earned Clarkson two Grammy Awards.
She took further creative control for her third album, My December (2007), by becoming the executive producer and co-writing the entire album. However, her label was dissatisfied with her darker rock music and promoted the album reluctantly. Clarkson returned to the top of the charts with her more mainstream-oriented fourth album, All I Ever Wanted (2009). Its lead single, "My Life Would Suck Without You", holds the record for the biggest jump to number one on the Hot 100 chart. Her fifth studio album, Stronger (2011), made Clarkson the first artist to win the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album twice. It spawned her third Hot 100 number-one single "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)". She became the first American female artist to achieve the best-selling holiday album of the year with Wrapped in Red (2013). Following the release of her third number-one album Piece by Piece (2015), Clarkson concluded her contract with RCA Records and signed with Atlantic Records in 2016. Her soul-influenced eighth album, Meaning of Life (2017), hit number two on the Billboard 200 and garnered her a record fifth Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album.
Clarkson has sold over 25 million albums and 45 million singles worldwide. She has had 28 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with three number one songs and eleven in the Top 10. Her accolades include three Grammy Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, four American Music Awards, and two Academy of Country Music Awards. Billboard has hailed Clarkson as "one of pop music's greatest singers" and honored her with the Powerhouse Award for her vocals. Clarkson became the first artist in history to top each of Billboard's pop, adult contemporary, adult pop, country, and dance charts. She was ranked nineteenth on VH1's list of 100 Greatest Women in Music. Clarkson also ventured into film, television, and writing children's books. She currently serves as a coach on the competition series The Voice and hosts the daytime talk show The Kelly Clarkson Show.
Kelly Clarkson was born in Fort Worth, Texas, to Jeanne Ann (née Rose), a first grade English teacher, and Stephen Michael Clarkson, a former engineer. She is the youngest of three children with a brother named Jason and a sister named Alyssa. Clarkson also has two younger half brothers from her father's second marriage. Her parents divorced when she was six years old, whereupon her brother went to live with their father, her sister went to live with an aunt, and she stayed with her mother. Clarkson's mother later remarried, to Jimmy Taylor. Her ancestry is of Greek, Welsh, English, and Irish. Her mother is a descendant of Republican state senator Isaiah Rose, whose life story was discussed on Clarkson's episode of Who Do You Think You Are?, in 2013. Clarkson was raised Southern Baptist. She has said: "I always grew up in church. I was the leader of our youth group. I've always grown up pretty close to church and with God. But I think I've just gotten a lot closer just because He's the only one I can lean on." She later said of her upbringing: "My family was highly conservative; I had to go to church on Sunday and Wednesday."
Clarkson was educated at Pauline Hughes Middle School and in the seventh grade, the school's choir teacher, Cynthia Glenn, overheard her singing in a hallway and asked her to audition for the school choir. Clarkson told her she had never received any professional vocal training.Clarkson graduated from Burleson High School in 2000, where she performed in several musicals, such as Annie Get Your Gun, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and Brigadoon. She sang at her high school talent show, after which an audience member shared some inspiring words with her: "God has given you this gift. You've got to sing. You're destined to sing." Clarkson continued singing and soon started classical training, hoping music would be her ticket to a college scholarship. Upon graduating from high school, Clarkson was offered full scholarships to University of Texas at Austin, University of North Texas, and Berklee College of Music, but later declined them, explaining: "I've already written so much music and wanted to try a career on my own" adding, "you're never too old to go to college."
After graduation, Clarkson worked several jobs to finance a demo, recording material and trying to market it to record labels, but received little response. Clarkson turned down two recording contracts from Jive Records and Interscope Records, stating "They would have completely pigeonholed me as a bubblegum act. I was confident enough that something better would come along." In 2001, she traveled to Los Angeles, trying to pursue a career in music. She appeared as an extra in a few television series such as Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and Dharma & Greg and briefly worked with musician Gerry Goffin to record five demo tracks in trying to secure a record deal. According to Clarkson, her early attempts to launch her music career floundered when she was turned down by almost every U.S. record label for sounding 'too black'. Lack of other career opportunities and a fire incident in her apartment forced Clarkson to return to Burleson, where she worked at a movie theater, promoted Red Bull energy drinks, and worked as a telemarketer and as a cocktail waitress in a comedy club.
