"Everyone says I'm like the girl next door...Y'all must have really weird neighbors! "

Does the American Idol Still have a Title?

Kelly Clarkson is an singer, songwriter, and occasional actress who came to fame through America's television reality series, American Idol, in 2002.

Clarkson spent her childhood in Texes. Her father, Stephan, was an engineer and her mother, Jeanne Ann Taylor, was a first grade teacher. Her parents separated when she was six years old, after seventeen years of marriage. Clarkson remained in her mother's care; however, her older brother moved to live with her father; her older sister, with her aunt. After the separation, Clarkson moved around Texas, while her mother pursued several careers. Eventually, Clarkson's mother settled in Burleson, Texas when she married Jimmy Taylor.

As a child Clarkson had dreams of becoming a marine biologist, unaware of her singing talent. While in seventh grade, Clarkson's teacher overheard her singing in the bathroom, and encouraged her to audition for choir. By the time she was in high school, clarkson was performing in musicals.

After high school graduation, Clarkson moved to Hollywood to seek music opportunities. Her early attempts in a musical career were unnoticed, however, she found a suiting role as an extra in Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. Her apartment burned down soon after; Clarkson, in defeat, moved back to Texas in 2002. when she returned to Burleson, her friends encouraged her to audition for American Idol. She sang Aretha Franklin's "Respect," and earned a top ten position. She made it as one of the two final contestants singing "A Moment Like This," and won the competition with 58% of the audience vote. Thus, Clarkson was able to produce her debut CD single, which sold 236,000 copies in its first week.

Clarkson performed in the World Idol competition in London in December, 2003. She was called out for poor sportsmanship when she realized she wasn't going to win. She placed second behind Norwegian Kurt Nilsen.

She released her first full-length album, Thankful, was produced with RCA Records on April 15, 2003. The album became certified double platinum for its collective sales of 2 million copies on December 8, 2003. Clarkson earned a 2004 Grammy nomination for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance," but did not win the award.

The song "Breakaway" brought Clarkson back into the music industry in 2004, and influenced her next album, Breakaway. Clarkson co-wrote many of the album's songs with her producers, Max Martin, Avril Lavigne, and former Evanescence band members. The album received high praise, and was 2005's third best-selling album. She was named one of the "Hottest 25 Stars Under 25" by Teen People magazine. Clarkson received two Grammy Awards in 2006, including Best Pop Vocal Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album.