Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to fame in 2002 after winning the inaugural season of the television series American Idol, which earned her a record deal with RCA Records. Clarkson's debut single, "A Moment Like This", topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart and became the best-selling single of 2002 in the US. It was followed by the release of her debut studio album, Thankful (2003), which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.

Clarkson has scored 100 number ones on the Billboard charts and sold over 25 million albums and 45 million singles worldwide, including 14 million albums and 35 million digital singles in the United States alone. She became the first artist to top each of Billboard's pop, adult contemporary, adult pop, country and dance charts. She was ranked nineteenth on VH1's list of 100 Greatest Women in Music. Television channel Fuse included Clarkson among "30 Greatest Musicians to Come From Singing Competitions" list. Music executive Simon Cowell believed that "What [Clarkson] sold in the UK, Europe, Asia had nothing to do with American Idol. It had everything to do with the fact that she made a great record and she's got an incredible voice. She's not a girl who got lucky in a talent competition; we got lucky to find her." According to The Hollywood Reporter, Clarkson is "the embodiment of the perfect pop star. Her unmistakable pipes are a powerful presence in top 40 and country, with forays into anthemic rock and dance." Nolan Feeney from Time magazine asserted that Clarkson "has had more of a lasting impact on the pop music landscape than casual listeners might realize."  According to Billboard, Clarkson was a "phenomenon" who "helped legitimize" the impact of talent shows. The Washington Post wrote that "Clarkson's powerhouse voice and dynamic presence signaled that the music industry should take these reality show contestants seriously: Her first two albums, Thankful and Breakway, sold about 10 million copies combined, and her pop tunes became empowerment anthems across the globe." Glenn Gamboa of Newsday believed that Clarkson "has set the standard for all singing competition contestants with her savvy mix of pop, rock and country." Fox Broadcasting Company claimed that Clarkson gave "lasting credibility" to American Idol and "in so many ways she cleared a road" for all of the next contestants." George Varga from The San Diego Union-Tribune underlined the difference of Clarkson from most of other talent show contestants is that she "writes or co-writes a fair number of [her] own songs. She is also the only one whose quest to follow her artistic instincts--the better to rock out and break free from the Idol cookie-cutter pop mold--prompted her to fire her management team and engage in a prolonged public battle with her record company, RCA."  Jon Lisi from PopMatters cited Clarkson as one of the forces of female domination in pop music of the 2000s. He explained that "Clarkson's anti-sexual image appealed to those who were uncomfortable with Britney Spears' overt exhibitionism. When Clarkson performed "Since U Been Gone" at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, for instance, she only showed her midriff, and it was clear that she was marketing herself to an alternative group of young females that liked pop music's conventional sound but didn't want to be confronted with sexual imagery." Singer Demi Lovato, who cited Clarkson as her musical inspiration, said that "[Clarkson] stays out of the tabloids. You hear about her through how talented her music is, not what's going on in her personal life." Country music singer Kelsea Ballerini cites Clarkson as her inspiration and her most favorite female artist of all time, calling her "the best vocalist in the whole world."

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