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Independent
Kelly
Clarkson
Artist
shares the details of her climb to fame
By
Lindsey Hope
Night
after night Kelly Clarkson follows a specific routine.
She works out, showers, warms up by dancing around her
room to Britney Spears In the Zone and
performs in front of thousands of screaming fans. Sounds
intimidating, right?
Its not too bad, 21-year-old Kelly Clarkson
said. I dont get nervous, boys make me nervous,
but thats about it.
In two years Clarkson has gone from waiting tables at
Hyenas Comedy Club to performing in front of sold-out
audiences in her Independent tour with her tour-mate Clay
Aiken.
This is my payback, Clarkson said. You
talk a whole lot as a singer, doing interview after interview,
you dont sing. This is what I am doing this for.
The hit show American Idol is what launched
Clarksons singing career. Determination and the
help of close friends, she said, are what led the Texas
singer to the auditions in May 2002. Fourth in line at
4 a.m., Clarkson had no idea how much the experience would
change her life.
We were all like chickens with our heads cut off,
Clarkson said. No one knew the show would be such
a hit. Becoming the first American Idol was not
the initial goal for Clarkson. I was just hoping
to be noticed. I was hoping some random record producer
was watching the show, and then I ended up doing really
well, Clarkson said.
Clarkson did more than impress some random record producer;
she became an overnight star.
Kellys knowledge and passion for music and
tremendous talent are what swayed Clive Davis, said
Tom Ennis, a 26-year music business veteran and part of
Kellys 19 Management team. The moment she
began to sing there was no doubt the country had discovered
a great voice.
A crash course in media training is how Clarkson described
the madness that followed her overnight stardom, but she
wasnt alone.
I leaned on the other contestants, especially Tamyra
(Gray), because they knew what I was going through,
Clarkson said.
Clarkson soon found out that with media attention there
are responsibilities. People began to dissect Clarksons
life.
Journalist dont always ask the questions you
want them to ask, so you learn how to avoid the hard questions
or change the subject, Clarkson said.
Keeping her clean image, however, has not been a problem.
Clarkson sees herself as a role model and refuses to be
anything but herself.
Kelly is the same now as she was when she served
popcorn at Wallace/Hollywood Theaters, said Jessica
Hugghins, one of Clarksons best friends. She
is still a dork.
Since the launch to stardom, Clarkson has been keeping
herself busy. She put out a debut album and she is now
more than a month into her Independent tour with Clay
Aiken.
Clays fans act like Elvis just came back.
His fans lick him and want to have his kids. My fans dont
lick me, Clarkson said.
Teaching herself to play the guitar and the piano are
two more accomplishments Clarkson can add to her list
since her launch. Clarkson said her determination was
the key to reaching her goal of playing the guitar for
her tour and she has been surprising audiences across
the nation with her new found talent.
Working hard to keep up with the fast-paced music industry,
Clarkson doesnt have time to pursue movie, television
and Broadway offers. Establishing herself as an artist
is her current goal.
I always knew I wanted to sing, Clarkson said.
It didnt matter what I had to go through to
get there.
Clarkson has written most of the songs for her second
album and is working with artists like Ben Moody from
Evanescence to develop them. She said she continues to
draw upon her friends, life experiences and her favorite
artists like Aerosmith and Aretha Franklin as her inspiration
for new material.
Kelly Clarkson came from a small town in Texas and describes
herself as average, but nothing could be further from
the truth.
The fame stuff isnt important, its all
smoke and mirrors, so I decided to stay true to myself,
Clarkson said. The best thing you can do for kids
is just be yourself. |
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Special
to the Skiff Staff
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Kelly
Clarkson on stage at Next Stage in Grand Prairie
in March during her Independent tour with Clay Aiken. |
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