Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson is an American singer, songwriter and occasional actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and later was the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.

Two weeks after Clarkson was crowned the American Idol, her first single, "A Moment Like This", was released and broke The Beatles' record for the biggest leap to number one in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 2003, Clarkson released her debut album, Thankful, which entered the Billboard 200 at number one. Its first single, "Miss Independent", received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. The album has sold 4.5 million copies worldwide.

Her sophomore album, Breakaway, was released in 2004 and sold more than 12 million copies worldwide. The album's fourth single, "Because of You" became the best-selling single by an Idol contestant worldwide. "Because of You" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals. In 2006, Clarkson received a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album and another for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for its hit single "Since U Been Gone".

Her third album, My December, was released in 2007, which has been certified platinum in the United States and Canada, and has sold 3 million copies worldwide. All I Ever Wanted was released in 2009, with the album's lead single, "My Life Would Suck Without You", topping the charts in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Clarkson's fifth studio album, Stronger, was released in 2011, and the album's lead single, "Mr. Know It All" became her ninth top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It's second single, "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)", became her most commercially successful single in over twenty countries, including the United Kingdom.

In a career spanning a decade, Clarkson has become the most successful Idol contestant internationally with album sales of over 23 million and singles sales of over 36 million worldwide. Billboard also ranked Clarkson as the 14th best-selling artist of the 2000s.