WINNING AMERICAN IDOL SET HER ON THE ROAD TO FAME AND FORTUNE BUT THERE WERE SOME BLEAK TIMES ALONG THE WAY. NOW, THOUGH, SHE’S BACK — AND SOUNDING BETTER THAN EVER

WORDS: CLIFF JOANNOU

BIG GAY FOLLOWING

VINCENT PETERS

KELLY CLARKSON WAS THE FIRST WINNER to come out of reality TV singing contest American Idol. Since appearing on the show 15 years ago, she has released seven albums that have sold more than 25million copies.

Billboard number ones such as Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) and My Life Would Suck Without You have helped make Kelly the show’s bestselling artist ever.

Jumping from pop to rock, her musical output has included a fluffy Christmas album. But Kelly’s time at her first label RCA was fraught with confrontation, with the label often pushing back against her creative decisions. Despite all her success, she felt alienated by executives who showed little interest in her career, describing the situation as an “arranged marriage”.

Now, after signing to Atlantic Records, Kelly, 35, is excited to be back on the stage and ready to release new material, inspired by the artists she grew up listening to, such as Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey.

Ahead of the album’s release, in November, Attitude attended an exclusive showcase at the legendary Rainbow Room in New York — and we’re pleased to report that the original Miss Independent will blow you away all over again.

There’s so much soul and sass to the new music.

Which is my personality, so thank you.

You seem very comfortable with it. How did you settle on this new direction?

Well, it’s a real retro direction for me but it’s all the stuff I grew up on. It’s like the sound and influences that inspired me to be a singer. When I met Craig Kallman [Atlantic Records chief executive] before I even signed, I was like, “What record would you want me to make?” It wasn’t a test or anything but I wanted to know the answer and he said exactly what I wanted to do. He was like, “I see you as this newage Aretha: cool, soulful vibe, contemporary and kinda maybe urban and fresh.” It was remarkable to find someone who had the same dream and goal as me.