Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson is, to date, the most successful American Idol winner. Born in Fort Worth, Texas in 1982, Clarkson grew up in the Burleson. The youngest of three children, she was the was the only one who remained with her mother when her parents divorced during her early childhood. In middle school, one of Kelly Clarkson's teachers heard hear singing in a school hallway and recommended that she try out for the school choir. Performing in school musicals and choir, Clarkson decided she wanted to pursue a singing career. Although she was offered several music scholarships, she decided to put college on hold to work on her music. In 2002, Kelly Clarkson was crowned the winner of the very first season of American Idol over fellow finalist Justin Guarini. Her winning ballad, "A Moment Like This" was featured on her debut studio album Thankful and earned her a nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 2004 Grammy Awards. The album hit the charts at number one and was eventually certified double platinum. As of 2007, more than 3 million copies have been sold worldwide. Kelly Clarkson took more creative control on her second studio album, Breakaway. The result was a rock-oriented album that far outsold her debut effort. Breakaway had five singles that reached the Top Ten in the U.S. The album won two Grammy awards and has been certified five-times platinum in the U.S. The album and the shift to rock from pop were both approved of by many critics. My December, Kelly Clarkson's third album, was released in 2007. The shift to darker-toned lyrics caused friction with her record label, Sony BGM, but Clarkson has stated that it was more important to her to create "an artist's record". My December, despite controversy, has garnered reviews and opening sales comparable to her first two albums and has already been certified platinum. Following the lukewarm commercial reaction to My December, Clarkson rebounded with the 2008 release All I Ever Wanted. Working with collaborators including Ryan Tedder, Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Howard Benson, Clarkson delivered a collection of tracks closer in feel to the positive, upbeat songs on Breakaway than the pensive, dark music on My December. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart, backed by the No. 1 single “My Life Would Suck Without You.” The album was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album. Clarkson is currently working on tracks for her fifth studio album, which is scheduled to be released in early 2011. She is again working with Howard Benson on production, along with Greg Kurstein, who is one-half of the hip soft-rock duo The Bird and the Bee. Kelly Clarkson Official Fan Club
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