Kelly Clarkson Isn't Apologizing For Her New Figure

Aug 06, 2021

Kelly Clarkson first became a household name in 2002 following her win on the hit competition series “American Idol.” Since then, the singer has gone on to sell millions of copies of her albums and tour across the world. Some of her most notable hits include “Since U Been Gone,” “My Life Would Suck Without You,” and “Because Of You.” With an incredible vocal tone and range, Clarkson has easily become one of the best and most recognizable singers in the world.

Along with being a highly accomplished singer, Clarkson has also appeared in a variety of films and TV shows and has gone on to become one of the most beloved women in the entertainment industry due to her hilarious personality and charming wit. She has gone on to become a judge for another singing competition series called “The Voice,” and is even the host of her own talk show, “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”

When Clarkson first entered the music industry, she had a very girl-next-door look with a bit of an edge. Like most superstars, her look and style changed as the years progressed, and Clarkson discovered more sides of herself. She even switched up the genre of music she released during the span of her career. 

During her time in the spotlight, many people have shared their opinions of Clarkson’s appearance, but Clarkson has never let any mean comments bring her down. In fact, she’s been incredibly open and honest about her health journey and weight fluctuations over the years, showing that she is a beautiful woman both inside and out.

Clarkson was born on Apr. 24, 1982, in Fort Worth, Texas. While she was attending Pauline Hughes Middle School, the school’s choir teacher had overheard Clarkson singing in the hallway, leading to the young girl later auditioning for the school choir. Clarkson went on to perform in several musicals as her school years progressed and even sang at her high school talent show at Burleson High School. It was clear that Clarkson had a remarkable voice from a young age, and she soon began classical training.

After being offered full scholarships to the University of Texas at Austin, University of North Texas, and Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, Clarkson declined all of them, as she tried to start a career in music her own way. She recorded a demo and sent it off to various record labels but received little response. She later turned down recording contracts from a few different companies that she felt wouldn’t be suited for her desirable sound.

In 2001, Clarkson took the jump and traveled to Los Angeles to finally pursue a real career in music. She worked with musician Gerry Goffin to record another demo reel full of five songs to continue her hopes of landing a record deal that matched her career ambitions. After failing to get anywhere with a music career, Clarkson returned to Burleson, Texas, but didn’t stay discouraged for long. After hearing about the television series “American Idol: The Search for a Superstar,” which later was shortened to “American Idol,” Clarkson tried her hand at auditioning. 

The hopeful singer auditioned with the song “Express Yourself” by Madonna while wearing a handmade shirt that Clarkson had stitched together out of an old pair of jeans. After impressing judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson, she received a golden ticket, which gave her a pass to the next round of auditions in Hollywood.

Throughout the competition series, Clarkson became a fan favorite and impressed the judges and the audience time and again with her stunning renditions of various songs, including “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” by Aretha Franklin, “Respect” by Otis Redding and “Walk On By” by Dionne Warwick. Moving on to the finals, Clarkson once again performed “Respect,” as well as two original songs that would be her first official musical releases if she won the competition. 

Sure enough, Clarkson impressed the audience with her gorgeous vocals filled with emotions and power and went on to win the first season of “American Idol” in September 2002. She released a double single composed of “Before Your Love” and “A Moment Like This,” the songs she had performed during the finale of the competition series, and went on to achieve great success on various music charts.

In April 2003, the newly crowned “Idol” released her debut album titled “Thankful.” The album was full of pop, contemporary R&B, and gospel-inspired songs. Her lead single, “Miss Independent,” was written by Clarkson alongside Rhett Lawrence, Matt Morris, and music legend Christina Aguilera. The song became an international hit and earned Clarkson her very first Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Even though “American Idol” had brought Clarkson the fame and success she had always desired, she didn’t want to stay in that image forever and decided to part ways with Simon Fuller for her next project after working with his team for her debut album. Clarkson’s sophomore album, “Breakaway,” was still conventionally pop music but had more rock and soul elements throughout the songs compared to her first album. 

Working with established songwriters and producers, including Max Martin, Avril Lavigne, and Kara DioGuardi, Clarkson’s second album was a massive hit. Her singles “Since U Been Gone,” “Behind These Hazel Eyes,” “Breakaway,” and “Because of You” all showed off her incredible vocal tone and range and were highly successful on the radio and the music charts. Clarkson herself received great recognition for the body of work along with many accolades, including two Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards.

Continuing to play with her sound, Clarkson switched it up again with her third album, “My December.” The album was composed of heavier rock music and darker lyrical themes, with Clarkson co-writing every song on the body of work. The lead single, “Never Again,” did well on the charts but received little radio play. The follow-up single, “Sober,” was the fan-favorite of the album, with Clarkson’s raw vocals being on full display during live performances.

In January 2007, Clarkson appeared on an episode of the sitcom “Reba.” She teamed up with country music legend Reba McEntire again for the release of a country version of Clarkson’s song “Because of You.” Fans were once again given a chance to hear Clarkson’s voice in yet another genre of music, leaving even more people blown away by her vocal capabilities.

Working with some of her previous collaborators from “Breakaway,” as well as some new songwriters, Clarkson released “All I Ever Wanted” in March 2009. “My Life Would Suck Without You” was the lead single for the album and peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, bringing the star back to similar fame she had during her “Breakaway” era. She followed up with another single called “Already Gone,” which received some criticism for its similarities to Beyonce’s song “Halo.” However, both songs were written and produced by OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder, accounting for the similarities.

After recording a country duet with Jason Aldean called “Don’t You Wanna Stay,” Clarkson was inspired to incorporate a slightly more country vibe in her next album, “Stronger.” After finding success in the country music industry alongside Aldean, Clarkson’s single “Mr. Know It All” easily became a crossover hit. The singer even released a country music version of “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You).” 

In 2012, Clarkson released her first greatest hits album commemorating the 10th anniversary of her career in music. The album featured many fan favorites, along with a few new songs such as “Catch My Breath.” Moving forward with her musical career, Clarkson released “Wrapped In Red” in 2013, a Christmas album that featured the original song “Underneath the Tree.” In 2015, she released “Piece by Piece” with the lead single “Heartbeat Song.” Her most recent album was released in 2017, called “Meaning of Life.” The soulful lead single “Love So Soft” highlighted Clarkson’s stunning control and colorful inflection of her voice.

In 2012, Clarkson served as a guest mentor to Blake Shelton and his team of aspiring singers on season two of the singing competition series “The Voice.” This marked the singer’s first appearance on the series, as she went on to become a coach later on. Starting in 2017, Clarkson served as one of the four coaches for “The Voice,” and returned as a coach for the following season. For her first two seasons, someone from Clarkson’s team won the competition, leading her to become the first female coach with multiple wins. The songstress has continued to return to the show each season as a coach, even as other vocal mentors have come and gone.

For the 21st season of “The Voice,” Clarkson and Shelton are both returning as coaches on the judging panel, alongside returning coach John Legend and first-time coach Ariana Grande. Each judge gets to select their team upon only hearing the contestants’ voices before helping them grow as a true artists throughout the remainder of the competition. The newest season is scheduled to premiere on Sept. 20, 2021.

Along with spending plenty of time helping aspiring singers on “The Voice,” Clarkson can also be seen on television on her own talk show called “The Kelly Clarkson Show.” Clarkson was nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards for the show in 2020 and took home one of the awards. In 2021, she was once again nominated in the same categories and again took home the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host.

Throughout her many years in the spotlight, Clarkson has been known to change up her sound and style. During this time, the topic of her weight has been unwantedly discussed, as many people watched the then-20-year-old star win “American Idol” and grow up to be a gorgeous woman. It’s common for people’s weight to fluctuate over the years, as everyone has a different means of dealing with stress and figuring out what diet and exercise routine best fits their personal lifestyle. On top of this, Clarkson is also a mother of two children, which also impacted her weight.

No matter what size she is, Clarkson is not apologizing for the way she looks. Over the years, Clarkson has been honest about her change in lifestyle. While appearing on the “The Today Show” in June 2018, Clarkson addressed her 37-pound weight loss due to some health complications. “I had an autoimmune disease and a thyroid problem that started in 2006,” Clarkson explained. “I know the industry loves the weight gone, but for me, it wasn’t really (about) the weight. For me, it was ‘I’m not on my medicine anymore.’”

Speaking with Glamour Magazine, Clarkson talked about the pressure to look a certain way in the music industry. “I felt more pressure from people actually when I was thin, when I was really thin, and not super healthy because I was just worn out,” she admitted. “It was more of magazines shoved in front of you and, ‘This is what you’re competing with and we’ve got to compete with it.’ I can’t compete with that.”

In 2018, Clarkson talked more about industry pressures with Redbook. “...No one actually cares about your health. They just care about aesthetics,” she explained. Clarkson also admitted that she’s happy when she has more weight on her, as it represents how happy she feels about her life. She added, “People should just concentrate on their own lives and their own health and their own happiness, and whatever that looks like for you, be happy with it.” 

After spending many years as a coach and mentor on “The Voice,” Clarkson has become incredibly comfortable with the people who work with her on the show. She told Glamour Magazine that it had become the perfect place for her as it allows her personality to really shine. 

“I got on the number one television show at my heaviest point, because it was right after I had kids and it was like they didn’t care,” Clarkson said. She explained that she was hired because people loved her personality and her ability to “connect with people.” Clarkson added, “It had nothing to do with my sex appeal or my look aesthetically. It had to do with me as a person. I think it’s really up to artists to force people to have that mentality.”

Since Clarkson has been the center of attention for so long, she has gotten used to online hate and trolling comments and has never shied away from talking about her changing appearance. She has continued to be honest with herself and her fans about food, body-shaming, and body image issues, making her even more relatable to her fans. Along with being an established singer, songwriter, and talk show host, Clarkson has proven to be a beautiful woman both inside and out.

What do you think about Kelly Clarkson’s career? What do you think about her outlook on her body image? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to any Kelly Clarkson fans you know!