Kelly Clarkson is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She rose to prominence after winning the first season of American Idol (2022), which leads to her chart-topping and award-winning career as a singer.
As an actress, she has starred in several films, including From Justin to Kelly (2003), The Star (2017), UglyDolls (2019), Trolls World Tour (2020).
Contents
Career
Kelly Clarkson’s talent was discovered by her choir teacher in school, Cynthia Glenn. Since then, she performed some musicals at her high school and received positive feedbacks.
She continued singing and tried to market her songs to record labels. However, she felt like an outsider and moved to Los Angeles.
In May 2002, she joined American Idol: The Search for a Superstar and eventually won the season. Her career began to shine ever since.
She was signed to S Records, 19 Recordings, and RCA Records. She released her debut Before Your Love in September 2002.
It was ranked #60, but leaped to number one and broke the record by The Beatles. The single became the best-selling one of 2002 in the USA.
In 2004, she wanted to detach from her American Idol image and hired talent management services. Her second album Breakaway led her to win 2 nominations at once at the 2006 Grammy Awards.
Those are the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album. Her next singles continued to be nominated for Grammy Award. Those are Because of You, Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You), and Love So Soft.
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Profile
- Full name: Kelly Brianne Clarkson
- Stage name: Kelly Clarkson
- Nickname: Kellbelle, The Original American Idol, The Queen of Covers
- Birthday: April 24, 1982
- Birthplace: Fort Worth, Texas, United States
- Nationality: American
- Religion: Christian
- Profession: Singer, Songwriter, Actress
- Education: Burleson High School
- Hobbies: Playing golf and board games, also watching movies
- Facebook: @kellyclarkson
- Twitter: @kellyclarkson
- Instagram: @kellyclarkson
- TikTok: –
- YouTube: Kelly Clarkson Official
Height, Weight, & Physical Appearance
- Height: 161 cm (5’3″)
- Weight: 79 Kg (174 lbs)
- Blood Type: –
- Hair Color: Blonde
- Eye Color: Hazel
- Body Measurements: 37-30-37 (Bust -37, Waist -30, and Hips -37 inches)
- Shoe Size: 7 (US)
- Dress Size: 12 (US)
Family
- Father: Stephen Michael Clarkson
- Mother: Jeanne Taylor
- Brother: Jason Clarkson
- Sister: Alyssa Clarkson
- Children: River Rose, Remington Alexander
Husband, Boyfriend, & Dating History
Justin Guarini
She sparked dating rumors with Justin, who’s the runner of of the first season of American Idol, after winning the show.
Kelly opened up about her actual romance with him over a decade later, in 2015, where she stated that they “didn’t date during Idol” but confirmed that they indeed “date a little bit.”
She has never revealed why they chose to part ways.
Graham Colton
The romance between Kelly and Graham, who’s a musician and front-runner of The Graham Colton Band, bloomed in 2015 as his band served as the opening act for her Breakaway and Hazel Eyes Tours.
The couple separated just after six months of dating, which according to a source that told the media was because they’re just working hard on their respective career.
Ryan Key
She dated Ryan, who’s the lead singer of The Yellowcard, in 2006. It wasn’t known why they called it quits.
Brandon Blackstock
Kelly started dating her former-husband, Brandon, in 2011. It didn’t take long before the pair got engaged and revealed it in December 2012.
A year later, they tied the knot. Their little family were blessed with the comings of two children, who were named River and Remington.
Unfortunately, in June 2020, she filed for a divorce after almost seven years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences as the cause. The divorce was finalized a year later.
Net Worth
According to multiple online sources, she has accumulated around $45 million of net worth, which appeared to be built mostly from her successful music career.
Aside of her career in the entertainment industry, she also has practiced a number of financial moves, such as being an author of children’s books.
TV Show Appearances
For her appearance as The Voice judge, she reportedly earned as much as $560 thousand per episode, which summed to $14 million per season.
In total, for four years she has appeared in that show alone, she’s expected to receive $53 million before taxes.
Real Estate
She purchased a quite modest house in Nashville in 2007 for $1.5 million. The property was sold for $1.2 million around four years later.
Later, she bought a farm in Tennessee that’s worth $1.96 million, but sell it for $3 million in 2020.
She also possesses a massive country estate located near Texas where she used to grow up. However, the property was sold for $1.5 million in 2012.
Kelly purchased a 20,000 sq ft house in Tennessee in 2012, which features seven bedrooms. It was listed for sale in 2018 for $8.75 million, but was sold for $6.3 million in June 2020.
Around the same time she listed the Tennessee house, she also purchased a 10,000 sq ft mansion located in Encino, California, for $8.5 million in midst 2018. The house was used as the mainr residence of her family.
The Encino property was listed on the market for nearly $10 million two years later, but then cut don to $9 million. It’s finally sold in 2021 for slightly more than $8.2 million.
She purchased a ranch that features a log cabin in 2019, located in Montana. It was also listed for sale, even though the eventual sale price wasn’t publicized.
Since June 2020 after her divorce, she has been living in a LA mansion that she purchased for $5.5 million.
Controversies
Having Her Show Claimed to Posses ‘Toxic’ Work Culture by the Staffs
In May 2023, the Kelly Clarkson Show made headlines as it’s claimed to created a “traumatizing” work environment for its staffs.
According to Rolling Stone’s report, several employees are “overworked” and “underpaid”. One of them, who’s said to be a veteran in the industry, stated that working on the show was “the worst experience” in their life.
Kelly herself was not reprimanded by the claims. One of the interviewees stated how she is “fantastic” and “never treats anyone with anything but dignity and is incredibly appreciative.”
That being said, she responded to the allegations shortly via her Instagram page, citing that she “always led with my heart and what I believed to be right,” and how she love her team at the show.
Furthermore, she said that “to find out that anyone is feeling unheard and or disrespected on this show is unacceptable.”
NBCUniversal also put out a respond, claiming that they are “committed to a safe and respectful work environment and take workplace complaints very seriously” and promised for the issues to be “promptly reviewed, investigated and acted upon as appropriate.”
Facts
- She loves eating red velvet cake and chili chips.
- Kelly’s go-to board games are Scrabble, Boggle, Farkle, and Sequence.
- Her voice signature is spanning three octaves.
- She repeatedly performs barefoot!
- This woman supports several charities including UNICEF, Save the Children, and Save the Music Foundation.
- Clarkson has suffered from autoimmune and thyroid condition since 2006.
- Kelly Brianne Clarkson was raised Southern Baptist.
- Her parents divorced at the age of 6, and her mother remarried Jimmy Taylor.
- She had a dream to be a marine biologist. However, she changed her mind after watching Jaws.
- The University of Texas at Austin, Berklee College of Music, and the University of North Texas offered her full scholarships. However, she turned them down and attempted to build her music career.
- She used to work at a comedy club, Hollywood Theatres, bookstore, and zoo.
- She traveled to Los Angeles in 2001 and tried to join record labels. Yet, many of them rejected her because she sounds “too black”.
- Before her audition for American Idol in 2002, she stayed up all night!
- In 2003, Christina Aguilera co-wrote her single Miss Independent.
- In the World Idol in 2003, Kelly Clarkson became the second place.
- Her single Breakway was co-written by Avril Lavigne. This single becomes the soundtrack of The Princess Diaries 2.
- She sang Because of You at the 2006 Grammy Awards ceremony and got a standing ovation.
- She was married to Brandon Blackstock in 2013 and becomes the stepmother of her husband’s son and daughter, River Rose and Remington Alexander.
- In September 2019, she premiered The Kelly Clarkson Show, her own variety talk show.
- In February 2020, Wayfair chose her as the brand ambassador.
- She released a single I Dare You in 2020 and had duets with five artists with their own native languages.
- Kelly Clarkson was divorced from her husband in 2020.
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Movies
- Trolls World Tour (2020), as Delta Dawn
- UglyDolls (2019), as Moxy
- The Star (2017), as Leah (voice)
- From Justin to Kelly (2003), as Kelly Taylor
TV Shows
- American Idol (ABC ⏐ 2022), as herself (contestant)
- Duets (ABC ⏐ 2022), as herself (mentor)
- American Song Contest (NBC ⏐ 2022), as herself (host)
- The Kelly Clarkson Show (Syndication ⏐ 2019–present), as herself (host)
- The Voice (NBC ⏐ 2018–2021, 2023), as herself (mentor)
Quotes
“My friends and family are my support system. They tell me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear and they are there for me in the good and bad times. Without them I have no idea where I would be and I know that their love for me is what’s keeping my head above the water.”
“I’ve never been more nervous in my life than singing the national anthem at the Super Bowl.”
“My winning is getting to perform. That’s my victory.”
“I never said I was a ‘good girl.’ I’m not a bad girl.”
“God will never give you anything you can’t handle, so don’t stress.”
“I love healthy stuff and junk an equal amount. Whatever I’m craving, I go for it. I’m never trying to lose weight – or gain it. I’m just being.”
“I’m cute – and God I hate that. Because that’s not cool. I’m like your niece, and nobody wants to date their niece. It’s the chubby cheeks. The whole reason people voted for me on American Idol is because I’m an everyday, normal girl.”
“I just had my 30th birthday and we went turkey shooting. It’s what I wanted to do, so we went.”
“I have a big fear of change, or negative change, anyway. I’m basically the same person I was when I won ‘Idol,’ or when I was 10.”
“When people talk about my weight, I’m like, ‘You seem to have a problem with it; I don’t.'”
“I think one thing you could probably say for all my albums is that they’re all pretty eclectic pop. There’s always a little bit of urban influence, some dance, a little bit of country, singer-songwriter, pop-rock. I like everything! On every album you can find that.”
“Everyone says I’m like the girl next door… Y’all must have really weird neighbors!”
“I love my body. I’m very much OK with it. I don’t think artists are ever the ones who have the problem with their weight, it is other people.”
“I’m loyal and I think most Texans are very loyal, but I’m also stubborn.”
“I’m always going to live in Texas. Texas is my home – it’ll be my home forever.”
“There is no greater feeling than hanging out with my dogs, or just walking around the land with our horses. My rescue ranch is is where I feel the most at peace and where I’m reminded of the simple things in life and let the chaos of my crazy work life fade away.”
Pics of Kelly Clarkson
1. Kelly’s look is as gorgeous as her performance!
2. She seems excited for a contestant’s performance in The Voice Season 19. She becomes one of the coaches along with John Legend, Gwen Stefani, and Blake Shelton
3. Kelly Clarkson and her Christmas outfit. Isn’t it lovely?
4. Kelly wears a long black dress for her talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show.
5. Black or white, which one do you like from her outfits?
Who doesn’t agree that Kelly Clarkson is a role model for everyone dreaming to become a star? She is the representation of “zero to hero”!