Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is a Grammy
Award- winning American pop rock singer, songwriter, and occasional actress. Clarkson made her debut under RCA Records after she won the highly publicized first season of the television series American Idol in 2002. She was originally marketed as a pop musician with her debut album Thankful (2003). With the release of her multi-platinum second album Breakaway (2004), Clarkson moved to a more pop rock-oriented style of music.Clarkson's third album, entitled
My December, was released on June 26, 2007. It went Platinum in many countries, including the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Australia. Clarkson has
sold over 18.6 million albums as of 8th of March. Her fourth album is expected in the fall of 2008.
Kelly Clarkson was born in Fort Worth, Texas and grew up in the small town of Burleson, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth. She is the third and youngest child of Jeanne Ann Rose, a first grade teacher who is of Welsh and Greek descent and Stephen Michael Clarkson, a former engineer. Clarkson's siblings include her brother Jason, and her sister Alyssa. When Clarkson was
six years old, her parents split up after seventeen years of marriage. As a result, her brother went to live with her father,
her sister went to live with an aunt, and Clarkson remained with her mother. Clarkson frequently moved around Texas while
her mother managed several professions in order to support the family. The family settled in Burleson, where Clarkson's mother
married her second husband, Jimmy Taylor.
While growing up, Clarkson's family had a hard time financially and often argued about
money. From this experience, Clarkson learned to be financially responsible and independent at an early age. Music became
her refuge after the first divorce, but she didn't embrace it as her salvation until her teens. Clarkson attended Pauline G Hughes Middle School and Burleson High School. She originally wanted to become a marine biologist. In seventh grade, a teacher (Mrs. Cynthia Glenn) overheard her singing in a hallway and asked her to audition
for the school choir. Clarkson told the teacher that she had never received professional vocal training. In
high school, Clarkson performed in musicals such as Annie Get Your Gun, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Brigadoon. It was whilst at school that Clarkson first decided to pursue singing. She sang at her high school talent show, after
which a gentleman shared some inspiring words with her: "God has given you this gift. You've got to sing. You're destined
to sing." Clarkson did continue to sing and soon started classical training, since her family didn't have much money and she
hoped that music would offer college scholarships.
Clarkson worked numerous odd jobs during and after high school, such as mowing lawns,
helping her contractor stepfather build porches, and working in a movie theater starting at age 16 and until she moved to
Los Angeles. She also worked for Papa John's, Subway, Starbucks, and sold vacuums door to door (her latter experience which
she described with a well-intended pun: "It sucked.").
Upon high school graduation, Clarkson was offered full scholarships to the University of Texas, University of North Texas, and Berklee, but decided against college because she had "already written so much music and wanted
to try on [her] own. And [she] figured you're never too old to go to college."
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Basics
Date of Birth: April 24, 1982
Astrological Sign: Taurus
Eye Color: Hazel
Natural Hair Color: Blonde
Hometown: Ft. Worth, TX
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