103 Facts About Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson rose to fame after winning the first season of American Idol in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA.

Kelly Clarkson then had the best-selling Christmas album of the year with Wrapped in Red.

Kelly Clarkson has sold over 25 million albums and 45 million singles worldwide.

Kelly Clarkson has 11 top-ten singles in the US, and nine top-ten singles in the UK, Canada, and Australia.

Kelly Clarkson became the first artist in history to top each of Billboard's pop, adult contemporary, adult pop, country, and dance charts.

Kelly Clarkson has served as a coach on The Voice from its fourteenth season to the twenty-first season, and again for the twenty-third season.

Kelly Brianne Clarkson was born in Fort Worth, Texas, to Jeanne Ann, a first grade English teacher, and Stephen Michael Clarkson, a former engineer.

Kelly Clarkson is the youngest of three children, with a brother named Jason and a sister named Alyssa.

Kelly Clarkson has two younger half brothers from her father's second marriage.

Kelly Clarkson's 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.

Kelly Clarkson told her she had never received any professional vocal training.

Kelly 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.

Kelly Clarkson started voice training, hoping to secure a college scholarship in music.

Immediately after winning American Idol, Kelly Clarkson was signed to a record deal with RCA Records, 19 Recordings, and S Records by talent manager Simon Fuller, who created American Idol, and music mogul Clive Davis, who was slated to executive-produce her debut album.

The film was poorly received by critics and was unsuccessful at the box office, with Kelly Clarkson explaining that she was "contractually obligated" to do the film and didn't like it.

Kelly Clarkson portrayed Brenda Lee in two episodes of the television drama American Dreams between 2003 and 2004.

On December 25,2003, Kelly Clarkson participated in the television special competition World Idol in London, along with the inaugural winners of the several Idol television series around the world.

Kelly Clarkson was contractually obligated to participate, and she performed Aretha Franklin's " A Natural Woman".

Kelly Clarkson ended up as the runner-up with 97 points, behind the first Norwegian Idol Kurt Nilsen.

Kelly Clarkson reinvented her musical direction by developing a more rock-oriented sound with her second studio album, Breakaway.

Davis served as the executive producer for the record, while Kelly Clarkson co-wrote six of the tracks with pop and rock songwriters such as former Evanescence band members Ben Moody and David Hodges, Kara DioGuardi, Dr Luke and Max Martin.

Kelly Clarkson supported Breakaway with the Breakaway Tour, Hazel Eyes Tour, and Addicted Tour which took place from 2005 to 2006.

Kelly Clarkson won Best Female Video two years in a row, for "Since U Been Gone" and "Because of You", at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Kelly Clarkson performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Game2 of the NBA Finals.

Kelly Clarkson performed during the festivities All-Star Game and the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy; In 2006, Clarkson recorded "Go" as a free download for the Ford Motor Company advertising campaign.

Kelly Clarkson replaced Davis as the executive producer and co-wrote all the tracks.

Kelly Clarkson opted to collaborate with her band members rather than her previous producers and collaborators.

Kelly Clarkson noted the album's lack of professional production input and wanted her to re-record tracks with a more mainstream appeal, which she refused.

Kelly Clarkson later hired talent manager Narvel Blackstock of Starstruck Management.

Blackstock was the husband of country artist Reba McEntire, of whom Kelly Clarkson is a close friend.

Kelly Clarkson later issued an apology to Davis, citing him as "a key advisor" in her success.

On July 7,2007, Kelly Clarkson performed on the American leg of Live Earth concert.

Kelly Clarkson partnered with NASCAR during their 2007 season, appearing in televised advertisements, performed at pre-race concerts, promoted NASCAR Day, and appeared at the Champions' Banquet in December.

Kelly Clarkson collaborated with Reba McEntire in an hour-long CMT Crossroads special at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium on February 22,2007.

Kelly Clarkson appeared on an episode of McEntire's sitcom Reba, which aired on January 14,2007.

Kelly Clarkson supported All I Ever Wanted with the All I Ever Wanted Tour from 2009 to 2010.

Kelly Clarkson performed as one of many main artists for the return of VH1 Divas in September 2009.

Kelly Clarkson became a guest mentor on the Dutch television series X Factor in November 2009.

Kelly Clarkson recorded a country duet with Jason Aldean, "Don't You Wanna Stay", for his 2010 album My Kinda Party.

Kelly Clarkson incorporated a slight country vibe into her fifth studio album, Stronger, which was influenced by Prince, Tina Turner, Sheryl Crow, and Radiohead.

Kelly Clarkson worked with several producers including Greg Kurstin, Ester Dean, Darkchild, Toby Gad, Steve Jordan, and Howard Benson.

Kelly Clarkson co-wrote "Tell Me a Lie", which was recorded by British boy band One Direction for their debut album, Up All Night.

Kelly Clarkson later released a promotional single, "Get Up ", for use in Pepsi's NFL advertising campaign.

Kelly Clarkson served as a mentor and judge, alongside John Legend, Jennifer Nettles, and Robin Thicke, on the ABC television show Duets, which premiered on May 24,2012.

Kelly Clarkson became a guest mentor to Blake Shelton's team on second season on The Voice.

In January 2013, Kelly Clarkson performed "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" at the second inauguration of US President Barack Obama.

Kelly Clarkson released a non-album single, "Tie It Up", exclusively to country music stations in June 2013.

Kelly Clarkson was featured on the re-recorded version of "Foolish Games" for Jewel's first compilation, Greatest Hits.

Kelly Clarkson collaborated with singer Robbie Williams on the song "Little Green Apples" for his 2013 album Swings Both Ways.

Kelly Clarkson co-wrote all five original songs and recorded eleven cover versions of Christmas standards and carols.

Kelly Clarkson subsequently became Billboards ninth top adult contemporary act of 2013.

Kelly Clarkson performed a rendition of "All I Ask of You" with Josh Groban on his seventh studio album, Stages, and its companion television special.

Kelly Clarkson was featured on Ben Haenow's "Second Hand Heart", the lead single from his debut studio album.

In February 2015, Kelly Clarkson released Piece by Piece, her seventh and final studio album under her recording contract with RCA Records.

Kelly Clarkson supported the Piece by Piece Tour throughout 2015, which was cut short of its worldwide visits following medical recommendations for a vocal rest during the year.

However, Kelly Clarkson failed to achieve a similar success with the second single, "Invincible".

In February 2016, it was announced that Kelly Clarkson had signed a book deal with HarperCollins.

Kelly Clarkson recorded a solo version of "It's Quiet Uptown" for The Hamilton Mixtape.

Kelly Clarkson's version was released on November 3,2016, as a promotional single for the album.

Kelly Clarkson recorded a duet called "Love Goes On" with Aloe Blacc for the original soundtrack of The Shack, which was released in the United States on March 3,2017.

On May 11,2017, it was announced that Kelly Clarkson would join The Voice as a coach for the series' fourteenth season.

On June 24,2016, Kelly Clarkson announced she had signed a long-term worldwide deal with Atlantic Records, with the intentions of releasing a soul-influenced eighth studio album in 2017.

On September 6,2017, Kelly Clarkson announced that her album, Meaning of Life, would be released on October 27,2017.

Kelly Clarkson lent her voice in the computer-animated film The Star, alongside Oprah Winfrey, Steven Yeun, Tyler Perry, and others.

In March 2018, Kelly Clarkson released "I've Loved You Since Forever", a ballad version of the children's book by Hoda Kotb.

Kelly Clarkson hosted and performed at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards on May 20,2018.

Kelly Clarkson voiced Moxy and provided original songs in the animated musical comedy film UglyDolls, which was released on May 3,2019.

Clarkson began hosting the daytime variety talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, which premiered on September 9,2019.

Also in November 2019, Kelly Clarkson made an appearance on the Apple TV+ drama series The Morning Show as herself, performing her song "Heat" and interacting with the fictional hosts of the show.

In February 2020, Kelly Clarkson became a brand ambassador for Wayfair.

In May 2020, The Kelly Clarkson Show earned seven nominations, the most for any talk show, with Clarkson winning in the category Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host.

In May 2021, NBC announced that Kelly Clarkson's show would take over the time slot of The Ellen DeGeneres Show after it ends in 2022.

In June 2021, Kelly Clarkson won two Daytime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Talk Show Entertainment and a second consecutive win for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host.

On September 23,2021, Kelly Clarkson released "Christmas Isn't Canceled ", the lead single off her ninth studio album and second Christmas album, When Christmas Comes Around.

In November 2021, Kelly Clarkson performed at the second annual iHeartRadio Holiday Special.

Kelly Clarkson hosted her second Christmas special, Kelly Clarkson Presents: When Christmas Comes Around, which premiered on December 1,2021.

On June 9,2022, Clarkson released Kellyoke, an EP consisting of six cover songs that Clarkson covered during her "Kellyoke" segment on her talk show.

Kelly Clarkson revealed that her tenth studio album and follow-up to 2017's Meaning of Life and 2021's Christmas album When Christmas Comes Around.

In June 2022, Kelly Clarkson won two Daytime Emmys, including Outstanding Talk Show Entertainment for the second consecutive year and Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host for the third consecutive year.

Kelly Clarkson received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on September 19,2022.

Kelly Clarkson appeared on the Kelsea Ballerini song, "You're Drunk, Go Home" along with Carly Pearce, which was released in September 2022.

Kelly Clarkson hosted the 12th Annual NFL Honors on February 9,2023.

Kelly Clarkson covered the Cole Porter song, "Don't Fence Me In" on Jeff Goldblum and The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra's EP, Play Well with Others, which was released in March 2023.

Kelly Clarkson is a soprano, with a range spanning from E3 to G6.

Kelly Clarkson can ascend to the whistle register, as well as possessing the ability to sing complex melisma.

Cowell immediately answered that Kelly Clarkson did "by a mile", noting that she was "up there" with other great singers such as Celine Dion.

Esquire wrote that Kelly Clarkson has "the best voice in the history of pop music".

Kelly Clarkson has earned the title "Queen of Covers" for her ability to perform songs from artists of various genres.

At age eight, Kelly Clarkson was first inspired to venture into music during a visit to an African-American church in Fort Worth.

Kelly Clarkson cited soul singer Aretha Franklin as her major influence.

Kelly Clarkson was influenced by rock acts such as Radiohead, Garbage, Aerosmith, and Jimi Hendrix, as well as Reba McEntire, Bette Midler, and Rosemary Clooney.

Kelly Clarkson has scored over 100 number ones on the Billboard charts and sold over 25 million albums and 45 million singles worldwide, including 14 million albums and 35 million digital singles in the United States alone.

Kelly Clarkson became the first artist to top each of Billboards pop, adult contemporary, adult pop, country and dance charts.

Kelly Clarkson was ranked nineteenth on VH1's list of 100 Greatest Women in Music.

In 2012, Kelly Clarkson began dating talent manager Brandon Blackstock, son of her former manager Narvel Blackstock and former stepson of Reba McEntire.

In June 2020, Kelly Clarkson filed for divorce from Blackstock, citing irreconcilable differences.

In October 2019, Kelly Clarkson said that she has been managing an autoimmune condition and a thyroid condition since 2006, a fact which she had previously addressed on Today in 2018.

Kelly Clarkson would perform a five-song set later that year on the American leg of Live Earth concerts opting for environmental awareness about climate change.

Kelly Clarkson has visited those children and participated in "A Night for Hope" fund-raiser concert, where she performed a song she wrote after her trip to South Africa, "You Still Won't Know What It's Like".

Kelly Clarkson had a ranch in Texas for unwanted animals, which included amputee goats, blind dogs, and horses that survived colic; there are more than 80 animals at the sanctuary.

Kelly Clarkson helped provide veterinary care for them and found them an adoptive family.

In 2013, Kelly Clarkson supported Feeding America, The Ad Council and their Child Hunger PSA Campaign, which provides food for children facing hunger.

Also in 2013, Kelly Clarkson participated in Green Mountain Coffee's Great Coffee, Good Vibes, Choose Fair Trade campaign by traveling to coffee farms in Peru to draw attention to the importance of being Fair Trade Certified.