 The winner of Fox TV's first American Idol: The Search for a Superstar
competition during the summer of 2002,
Kelly Clarkson went from an anonymous talent to a nationally
known singer, performing for an audience of millions of viewers. One of the
show's most naturally gifted singers, the 20-year-old Burleson, TX native's
vocal talents were discovered when she was in seventh grade, when her school's
choir teacher heard her singing and urged
Kelly Clarkson to join the choir. After high school,
Kelly Clarkson cultivated her voice and went to Hollywood to make her name; she
appeared as an extra on an episode of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch but no other
opportunities materialized.
Upon returning to Burleson,
Kelly Clarkson worked at a movie theater, promoted Red Bull energy drinks, and
ultimately worked as a cocktail waitress at a comedy club before entering the
American Idol contest. One of 10,000 aspiring singers,
Kelly Clarkson distinguished herself not only with her big, surprisingly mature
voice, but also with her down-to-earth charm and sense of humor; at one of her
auditions, she switched places with judge Randy Jackson, who did an impromptu
version of
R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly." Over the course of the 13-week show, her
consistently strong performances of songs like "Respect," "Natural Woman,"
"Stuff Like That There" and "Without You" earned
Kelly Clarkson enough audience votes to claim one of the contest's two finalist
positions. After singing "A Moment Like This" and "Before Your Love," both of
which were written for the show,
Kelly Clarkson won the American Idol contest with 58-percent of the audience's
votes.
In addition to the show's prize of a one-million dollars and a recording
contract with RCA,
Kelly Clarkson secured a deal with the national American Idol tour and a performance of the national
anthem at the September 11 commemoration at Washington, D.C.'s Lincoln Memorial.
Despite her newfound fame,
Kelly Clarkson opted to remain in Texas rather than move to New York or Los
Angeles. Her first single, "A Moment Like This," was released just two weeks
after she won the contest and quickly earned platinum sales.
Kelly Clarkson's debut full-length Thankful was released in spring of 2003, just
in time to coincide with the second season of American Idol and right before the
American Idol movie, From Justin to Kelly. Breakaway followed in 2004. ~ Heather
Phares, All Music Guide
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