Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982 in Fort Worth, TX) is a Grammy-winning American singer-songwriter and TV hostess. Clarkson recorded her debut album with RCA Records after having won the highly-publicized first season of the television series American Idol in 2002.

Though originally marketed as a pop musician, she eventually developed a more rock-oriented image. Her debut album, Thankful, was released in 2003 and debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 with almost 300,000 copies sold in its first week, now certified double platinum with over 4.5 million copies sold. Her first single, A Moment Like This, broke the record for largest leap to #1, shooting from #52 to #1, where it remained for two weeks. The second single, Miss Independent, was also a success, hitting #1 on the US Top 40 Mainstream chart and remaining there for six weeks. Further singles Low and The Trouble With Love Is were released but failed to mimic the success of her previous songs. However, Low managed to become a hit in Canada and reached #2. To date, Thankful has been certified 2x Platinum in the United States, Platinum in Canada and Gold in Australia.