Cords of Steel
For a chart-topping star, Kelly Clarkson is remarkably down-to-earth. Literally. An hour ago, the 25-year-old was basking in the adulation of 4,000 screaming fans in Burbank's Johnny Carson Park. Now she's sprawled on her dressing room floor, wolfing down an energy bar. "I'm sorry to be eating," she says in her slight Texas drawl. "I just haven't had a chance to grab anything."
Life's like that these days for Clarkson, who, after winning the Fox Network's 2002 American Idol competition, has grabbed two Grammys and sold nearly 15 million records. Her newest CD, My December, reveals a sharper, darker edge. When record executives balked, she fought back -- and won the right to define her sound. But with ticket sales slow, Clarkson budged and canceled her summer tour days before My December's scheduled release, saying that it was "too much, too soon." Was it?
Just under five-foot-four, Clarkson has proved to be one determined powerhouse. She grew up the youngest of three in Burleson, a Fort Worth suburb. When she was six, her parents divorced, and music became her refuge. It wasn't until she hit her teens that she realized it could be her salvation. Her voice -- "cords of steel," said one music instructor -- has made her millions, and given her a sense of control in her life that she'd never dreamed of.
And even though Idol hit maker Simon Cowell has said that Clarkson has "one of the best pop voices in the world right now," much of her charm comes from her everyday approachability. "I'm really not that interesting," she says. When RD sat down with her -- yes, on the floor -- we found out otherwise.
RD: You said being on American Idol was one of the best and worst times.
Clarkson: It was definitely one of the best. I had so much fun. But at the same time, I have never been that tired in my entire life.
RD: You've also said you went through a bout of depression shortly after that.
Clarkson: There came a point when it hit me: I have nowhere I'd want to go on this planet where people don't know me. And I'd been going for two years, touring and promoting. It just caught up with me. I had good people around me, but all the nice people in the world can't help you when you're that down. So I took some time and went on vacation with my friends and family, kind of called it quits. I have no desire to be the biggest star on the planet. You can keep it, Madonna.
RD: Your new album has a different sound for you.
Clarkson: The first single and two more are kind of edgy. The others, they're softer, and one's way more pop-y. The CD is a good mix, because I love hard and soft stuff. I get tired of people saying you have to have one sound.