Instead may refer to:

• Instead (album), a 2007 album by Onetwo
• "Instead", a 2003 song by Stacie Orrico off her self-titled album
• "Instead" (Madeleine Peyroux song), a 2009 song

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2010)

The Randy Rogers Band is an American Texas Country group from the state of Texas. The band is composed of Randy Rogers (lead vocals), Geoffrey Hill (guitar), Jon Richardson (bass guitar), Brady Black (fiddle), and Les Lawless (drums).^[1] They have recorded four studio albums and two live albums, and have charted six singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. Their highest-charting single, "Tonight's Not the Night (For Goodbye)", reached #43 in 2005.

Biography[link]

This section requires expansion with: Critical reception of albums, musical styles.

Randy Rogers was born in Cleburne, Texas. When he was six years old, he learned to play the piano from his grandmother and later learned to play the guitar.^[2]

The Randy Rogers Band recorded its debut album, Live at Cheatham Street Warehouse, at a music hall of the same name in San Marcos, Texas.^[1][3] By 2002, the band was signed to the independent Downtime record label, on which they released the album Like It Used to Be. It was around this time that the band began performing outside of San Marcos, primarily at Nutty Brown Cafe and Amphitheatre in nearby Dripping Springs, Texas. Two years later, the album Rollercoaster was released, producing two minor entries on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in early 2005.^[1] Rogers also co-wrote "Somebody Take Me Home", a song recorded by Kenny Chesney, on his 2005 album, The Road and the Radio. Several of the songs on Rollercoaster were co-written by Radney Foster, who also co-produced the album.^[3] Just a Matter of Time, the band's first major-label album, was released on Mercury Nashville Records in 2006.^[1] The band also released their self-titled album on September 23, 2008, also on Mercury Nashville Records. The first single "In My Arms Instead", was released in August.

The band's current album, Burning the Day, was released on August 24, 2010 on MCA Nashville. The album's first single was "Too Late for Goodbye." It debuted at #55 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and after four weeks on the chart, it peaked at #47, becoming their highest charting single since 2006 when "Kiss Me in the Dark" peaked at #45.

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Live albums[link]

Singles[link]

• ^ACurrent single.

Music videos[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Randy Rogers Band on MySpace
• Official UMG Nashville Artist Page

Alannah Myles
Alannah Myles photographed by Mike F. Campbell
Background information
Born	(1958-12-25) December 25, 1958 (age 53) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Rock, pop
Occupations	Singer, songwriter
Years active	1988–present
Labels	Atlantic
Website	www.alannahmyles.com

Alannah Myles (born December 25, 1958, Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, the daughter of Canadian broadcast pioneer William Douglas Myles. In 1989, she released her eponymous debut album. In 1990, "Black Velvet", a single from that album, was a worldwide hit^[1] and won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female.^[2]

Biography[link]

Alannah began writing songs at the age of 9. She performed in a songwriting group for the Kiwanis Music Festival in Toronto at 12 years of age and by the time she was a teenager, began performing solo gigs in Southern Ontario. She eventually met Christopher Ward, a WMG recording artist and songwriter who helped her to form her own band, and performed cover versions of T. Rex, AC/DC, Bob Seger, Ann Peebles, the Rolling Stones, and the Pretenders. By the time she was in her early mid-twenties, she and Christopher began collaborating with David Tyson to produce her self-titled debut album, Alannah Myles. She appeared in a 1984 installment of the television series program The Kids of Degrassi Street, in which she played the role of an aspiring singer and single mother. She was featured in several other TV and film productions as a guest prior to her success as a recording artist.

In May 1989, Warner Music in Canada released Alannah Myles. It produced four Top 40 selections, including "Love Is", "Lover of Mine", and "Still Got This Thing", and the number-one hit "Black Velvet". In early 1990 Atlantic Records released "Black Velvet" in the U.S., making her first album ineligible for possible Grammy nominations. For Myles, "Black Velvet" became a number one hit worldwide and was named the most played song on radio for 1989 & 1990. By 2000 it had received the ASCAP Millionaire Award for having received over five million airplays at radio.^{[citation needed]} "Black Velvet" won Myles a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Performance in 1991, and three Juno Awards.^[3]

The year 1992 brought the follow-up album, Rockinghorse, which included the hit singles "Song Instead of a Kiss" written by Alannah Myles, Nancy Simmonds and Canadian poet Robert Priest,^[4] "Our World, Our Times", and "Sonny, Say You Will". She received a Grammy nomination for Rockinghorse and several global awards, including a Juno and Much Music's people's choice award for "Our World, Our Times".

The year 1995 produced Myles's final album on Atlantic Records before being released from the label, granting Warner/Atlantic a Best Of CD after only 3 records. The A-lan-nah album, which contained no Top 40 singles, included two tracks which made it into the Top 100: "Family Secret" and "Blow Wind, Blow".

In 1997 she managed to terminate her eight-record contract with Atlantic Records with the help of her then-manager, Miles Copeland III, who immediately signed her to his Ark 21 Records. There she released A Rival, which had the Top 40 hit "Bad 4 You", written and recorded by Myles, Desmond Child and Eric Bazilian at Copeland's castle songwriting retreat at Grand Brassac, France.

In February 2005, together with the Swedish band Kee Marcello's K2, she participated in the third semi-final of Melodifestivalen, the Swedish national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. Their song "We Got It All" scored very few points and finished seventh out of eight songs yet managed to dominate the leading newspaper and media headlines in Sweden.^[5]

In April 2008, she went public about her then upcoming album Black Velvet, which featured a new recording of her song of the same name in addition to ten new studio recordings.^[6] She discussed the subject in May 2008 in an interview with Evan Solomon on the TV program CBC News: Sunday Night.^[7]

In the fall of 2009, Myles released the CD Black Velvet on Linus Entertainment, which merged with Canada's legendary True North Records and released the album in America in the spring of 2010. This was followed by a video for the song "Trouble" that features a jug band performance. "Trouble" was awarded an 'Honourable Mention' as a finalist in the blues category at the 2009 International Songwriting Contest.^[8] Myles won the 15th annual USA Songwriting Competition for both best rock/alternative song as well as grand prize finalist for a song written with Nancy Simmonds for her "Black Velvet" CD entitled "Give Me Love".^[9]

Myles toured in support of her Black Velvet CD beginning with a string of European dates in March 2011. Her song Black Velvet was one of four selected to be covered on the CBC Television reality television show Cover Me Canada.^[10]

At a Toronto music festival on July 1, 2011 she revealed that she has suffered severe spinal nerve damage from an excess of chiropractic treatments and has been left unable to move her head or neck. Her voice is unaffected and she continues to perform and record.^[11]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Compilation albums[link]

Singles[link]

See also[link]

• Canadian rock
• List of diamond-certified albums in Canada
• Music of Canada

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Alannah Myles

• Official website
• Alannah Myles's channel on YouTube
• Alannah Myles at the Internet Movie Database
• Alannah Myles on Myspace
• Alannah Myles biography in Rolling Stone online
• Alannah Myles talks to the Canadian Press about the new version of Black Velvet
• Review of 'Black Velvet' (2007)
• Videos and Concerts
• USA Songwriting Competition

Madeleine Peyroux
Madeleine Peyroux in Toronto
Background information
Also known as	Madi
Born	(1973-01-01) 1 January 1973 (age 39) Athens, Georgia, United States
Genres	Jazz, blues
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, guitarist
Instruments	Voice, guitar, ukulele
Labels	Rounder, Atlantic, Decca
Associated acts	The Lost Wandering Blues and Jazz Band
Website	http://www.madeleinepeyroux.com/

Madeleine Peyroux (born January 1, 1973, Athens, Georgia, United States) is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Peyroux (French pronunciation: [madˈlɛn pɛˈʁu]) is noted for her vocal style, which has been compared to that of Billie Holiday.

Peyroux has cited Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith, Patsy Cline, Édith Piaf, Leonard Cohen, Johnny Mercer, Charlie Chaplin, Serge Gainsbourg and Bob Dylan as influences on her music.

Early life[link]

Peyroux's family was in academia. When Peyroux was six, her father moved the family to Brooklyn so he could pursue a career in acting. She grew up in New York City and southern California; when her parents divorced, she moved with her mother to Paris at age 13.^[1] In several interviews, Peyroux described her parents as "hippies" and classifies them as "eccentric educators", which helped her to pursue a career in music.^[2] She has stated that her father would "listen to old records all the time" and her mother had a ukulele that she learned how to play while she was still a child.^[3]

Career[link]

[edit] Early career and Dreamland

Peyroux started singing at the age of fifteen, when she discovered street musicians in the Latin Quarter in Paris. She joined a group called the Riverboat Shufflers, first by passing around the hat, and then by singing. At sixteen she joined The Lost Wandering Blues and Jazz Band and spent a number of years touring Europe performing jazz standards.^[4][5]

Her experiences provided the basis for her first album, Dreamland. The album was released in 1996 by Atlantic Records, and gained widespread attention. It featured a cover of Patsy Cline's "Walkin' After Midnight", Édith Piaf's signature-song "La Vie en rose" and two Bessie Smith covers, among others. This first record resulted in her being referred to as the 21st century Billie Holiday, particularly owing to a "Getting Some Fun Out of Life" cover and to "Hey Sweet Man", an original song with a style highly reminiscent of Holiday. Time called it "the most exciting, involving vocal performance by a new singer this year". Peyroux began opening for artists such as Sarah McLachlan and Cesária Évora, and made appearances at jazz festivals and on the Lilith Fair tour. In 1997, she made an appearance at the Montreal Jazz Festival, where she performed with some guest artists, including James Carter. In this concert, Madeleine performed some standards like "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate", a cover included on Montreal's 30-years Best Of.

When Peyroux was scheduled to start recording again, she was diagnosed with a health problem on her vocal cords.^[6] By this time, she also had some disagreement with her record company, which led to a significant amount of time out of the spotlight and without recording.

1997–2003: pairing with William Galison[link]

Peyroux spent much of the next six years busking in Paris, performing occasionally in clubs in the U.S., and generally living a low-key existence. She continued to contribute to works by other artists, but rarely appeared in clubs under her own name. In 1997, she covered the song "Life is Fine" as a Rainer Ptácek tribute.^[7] She sings a soulful duet, "A Fool at the Other", with American singer/songwriter Mick Reed on the album Courtney's Farm, by The Spring Valley Studs, which was released in 2003. The song appears again with the 2011 release of Mick Reed's album, Goodnight, Texas. In May 2002, she joined multi-instrumentalist William Galison, and together they appeared at such venues as the Bottom Line, Joe's Pub, and the Tin Angel. In 2003 the duo released a seven-song EP entitled Got You on My Mind, which they sold at shows and online. However, in 2003, their relationship ended. At the time, Peyroux was in negotiations with Rounder Records and showed the EP as demo. Although Peyroux claims she told the record company it was co-written with Galison, this has resulted in an ongoing lawsuit.^{[clarification needed]}

Got You on My Mind was re-released by Galison in August 2004; the original EP was expanded by the addition of four tracks by Galison.

[edit] Careless Love (2004) and Half the Perfect World (2006)

After signing up for Rounder, Peyroux was teamed with well-known record producer Larry Klein. In September 2004, she released her second solo album, Careless Love, to generally positive reviews. It went on to sell over a million copies worldwide and took her out of anonymity. The album opens with one of her best-known songs, a cover of Leonard Cohen's, "Dance Me to the End of Love", also featuring covers of Bob Dylan ("You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go"), Elliott Smith ("Between The Bars"), and Hank Williams ("Weary Blues"), among others. As usual, the album also contained a French track, "J'ai Deux Amours", and the only original track on the album was "Don't Wait Too Long" (in collaboration with Jesse Harris and Larry Klein). The songs she covered were mostly from the first half of the 20th century but her choices showed, according to several reviews, "impeccable taste".

Her third solo album, Half the Perfect World, was released on September 12, 2006. She collaborated with several artists, including Jesse Harris, Walter Becker, Larry Klein (who also produced the album), and k.d. lang, with whom Peyroux performed a cover of the Joni Mitchell song "River". Once again, the songs were carefully chosen, and she sang covers of more contemporary artists. Notable covers include "Blue Alert" and "Half the Perfect World" by Leonard Cohen/Anjani Thomas; "Smile" by Charlie Chaplin, John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons; a rendition of Serge Gainsbourg's "La Javanaise" and Tom Waits' "(Looking for) the Heart of Saturday Night". Unlike her previous album, Half the Perfect World had four original tracks.^[1]

On September 3, 2006, Peyroux performed a live session for Live from Abbey Road at Abbey Road Studios. She shared her episode with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Snow Patrol; it was aired in the UK on Channel 4 and in the USA on the Sundance Channel.^[8] On July 12, 2007, she was awarded Best International Jazz Artist at the BBC Jazz Awards.^[9]

[edit] Bare Bones (2009)

Her fourth solo album, Bare Bones, released on March 10, 2009, was a turning point in Peyroux's career with all original tracks. The album was produced by Larry Klein and she collaborated with songwriters Walter Becker, Joe Henry, David Batteau, and Julian Coryell. The album featured a sole Peyroux-penned composition, "I Must Be Saved", and its first single was "You Can't Do Me", a song with a soul-rock beat, a new style for the vocalist. The album received mostly favorable reviews and the lyrics were praised.^[10] After its release the singer toured in the United States, Canada, South America, Europe, and Asia.

On November 23, 2009, Somethin' Grand, Peyroux's first live concert album, was released. The DVD was filmed and recorded in Los Angeles in January 2009. Her set included nine out of the eleven songs of Bare Bonesand some others from the previous albums. The DVD also contained a documentary, Somethin' Grand - A Portrait of Madeleine Peyroux, which offered a glimpse of her background and history.^[11]

[edit] Standing on the Rooftop (2011)

On January 4, 2011, Peyroux announced through her website that she would release a new album that spring.^[12] On March 15, she announced the actual release date to be June 14, 2011, under Decca Records, and that the album was to consist mainly of her newly written songs.^[13] The album was produced by Craig Street (Norah Jones, k.d. Lang, Cassandra Wilson) and "signals a new approach for the musician as she carries her jazz sensibilities into rootsier territory".

She also offered a two-song preview of the new album: a cover of Beatles' song "Martha, My Dear" and a new original song "The Things I've Seen Today" which she co-wrote with vocalist/violinist Jenny Scheinman. The two-track EP was released on March 29. The album itself features contributions from Marc Ribot on guitar/banjo, Me'shell Ndegeocello on bass, drummer Charley Drayton (Keith Richards, Neil Young, Johnny Cash) and guitarist Chris Bruce (Seal, John Legend). The album was released on June 6, 2011. High-profile tour dates were to follow the release of the album.^[14]

Collaborations[link]

In 2003 she collaborated with Mick Reed singing a duet entitled "A Fool at the Other" which appears on the album "Courtney's Farm" by The Spring Valley Studs. The song also appears on Mick Reed's "Goodnight, Texas" (2011) album. In 2008, Peyroux collaborated with Phil Roy on his third album, The Great Longing, as a duo on the track "Exceptionally Ordinary". Madeleine Peyroux also covered "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" from the Still Breathing soundtrack and "Life Is Fine" for a Rainer Ptácek tribute.

Peyroux is represented by American International Artists, a management group whose other artists include James Carter and Sarah Pedinotti.

Image and publicity[link]

Peyroux eschews publicity and keeps a low profile. She has dropped "out of sight" for extended periods of time, as when she spent several years busking after the release of her first record.^{[citation needed]}

Peyroux is an American of French descent; she occasionally sings in French but the majority of her songs are in English.^{[citation needed]}

The ballad "Don't Wait Too Long" was featured in an American national television ad campaign for Dockers San Francisco brand apparel and the entire song played over the closing credits of the movie The Answer Man, released in 2008. The song was also played in the 2006 film Last Holiday. A clip of her recording of "Blue Alert" was used in an Old Navy jeans advertisement in 2007. The song "A Prayer" from the album Dreamland was featured in the closing credits in the HBO television series Deadwood in the episode "E.B. Was Left Out".^{[citation needed]}

Discography[link]

• Spreading Rhythm Around and Best Of, with The Lost Wandering Blues and Jazz Band
• 1996: Dreamland (Atlantic)
• 2004: Got You on My Mind, with William Galison (Waking Up)
• 2004: Careless Love (Rounder)
• 2006: Half the Perfect World (Rounder)
• 2009: Bare Bones (Rounder)
• 2011: Standing on the Rooftop (Emarcy/Decca)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Madeleine Peyroux

Information

• Madeleine Peyroux — official site.
• Madeleine Peyroux discography at Discogs.
• Madeleine Peyroux biography on All About Jazz.

Articles and media

• Via Paris, with Snaps article at Time Magazine.
• Madeleine Peyroux singing "I'm All Right" on YouTube.
• Live From Abbey Road — film clip, slideshow and brief bio.
• Madeleine Peyroux - Interview and Biography on Female First.

Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson at the 2009 Women's World Awards in Austria
Background information
Birth name	Kelly Brianne Clarkson
Born	(1982-04-24) April 24, 1982 (age 30) Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Origin	Burleson, Texas
Genres	Pop rock, pop
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, record producer, actress
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2001–present[1]
Labels	RCA, 19
Associated acts	Reba McEntire
Website	kellyclarkson.com

Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) 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.

In 2003, Clarkson released her debut album, Thankful, which was a commercial success and established herself in the pop music industry. The release of its first single, "A Moment Like This" (2002), broke The Beatles' record for the biggest leap to number one, from 52, in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. After parting ways with her management, Clarkson developed a more rock-oriented music with the release of her critically acclaimed sophomore album, Breakaway (2004), which sold more than 12 million copies worldwide^[2] and which garnered Clarkson more worldwide success as a pop rock artist. The album's single, "Because of You" (2005), became the best-selling single by an Idol contestant worldwide. In 2007, Clarkson took full creative control for her third album My December, which had a more rock-inspired sound and was met with controversy and moderate success. Clarkson later returned to a more pop-oriented sound with All I Ever Wanted (2009), which became a commercial and critical success. The album's lead single, "My Life Would Suck Without You" (2009), surpassed "A Moment Like This"'s record for the biggest leap to number one on a single week in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, a milestone it still holds today. Furthermore, it also became her first number one single in the United Kingdom. Clarkson's fifth studio album, Stronger, was released in 2011, containing elements from synthpop, R&B and country music. The album's single, "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" (2012), became her longest number one single and eventually became her best-selling single in the United States.

In a career spanning a decade, Clarkson has become the most successful Idol contestant around the world, with album sales of over 23 million worldwide and singles sales of over 36 million,^[3] according to Billboard^[4] and Nielsen SoundScan.^[5][6][7] Clarkson's work also gained her numerous accolades, including two Grammy Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, 12 Billboard Music Awards, four American Music Awards and a Women's World Award. Billboard also ranked Clarkson as the 14th best-selling artist of the 2000s, as well as also being ranked on the top 200 album sellers of the Nielsen SoundScan era at number 187.^[8][9] She is currently a mentor on ABC's singing competition show Duets.

Early life and career beginnings[link]

Clarkson was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and grew up in the small town of Burleson, a suburb of Fort Worth. She is the third and youngest child of Jeanne Rose, a first grade English teacher of Greek descent and Stephen Michael Clarkson, a former engineer of English descent.^{[citation needed]}

Clarkson's siblings include her older brother and sister, Jason and Alyssa. When Clarkson was six years old, her parents divorced after seventeen years of marriage. The family settled in Burleson, where Clarkson's mother married her second husband, Jimmy Taylor.^[10]

Clarkson's family struggled financially, and after her parents divorced, music became her refuge. Clarkson attended Pauline G Hughes Middle School and Burleson High School. She wanted to become a marine biologist but changed her mind after seeing the movie Jaws.^[11] 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. She sang at her high school talent show, after which an audience member shared some inspiring words with her: "God has given you this gift. You've got to sing. You're destined to sing." Clarkson continued singing and soon started classical training, hoping that music would be her ticket to a college scholarship.^[12]

Upon high school graduation, Clarkson was offered full scholarships to The University of Texas at Austin, University of North Texas, and Berklee, but decided against college because she had "already written so much music and wanted to try it on her own," and she figured "you're never too old to go to college."^[12] Clarkson later turned down two recording contracts from Jive Records and Interscope Records in the late 1990s, stating "They would have completely pigeonholed me as a bubblegum act. I was confident enough that something better would come along."^[13] She went to Los Angeles in late 2001 to pursue a career in music, but worked as a waitress and appeared as an extra in such shows as Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and Dharma & Greg to support herself.^[14] She worked with songwriters such as Gerry Goffin and recorded five tracks between January and March 2002 to try to get a record deal, but returned to Texas after four months in Los Angeles.^[1]

Music career[link]

[edit] 2002–03: American Idol and World Idol

Clarkson auditioned for the first season of American Idol (under the full title American Idol: The Search for a Superstar) in May 2002. She subsequently won the competition on September 4, 2002, earning 58% of the vote against runner-up Justin Guarini.^[15] Clarkson performed the ballad "A Moment Like This", the song written for the winner of American Idol, which subsequently appeared on her debut album, Thankful. When released as a single in October 2002, it set a record on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart when it rose from number 52 to number one.^[16] The CD single sold 236,000 copies in its first week of sales in the U.S.^[17] and spent five weeks at number one in Canada.

[edit] American Idol season 1 performances and results

[edit] World Idol performance and results

Clarkson performed at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on September 11, 2002, following her win on American Idol.

In December 2003, a competition titled World Idol was held at the Pop Idol stage in London, gathering the winners of the first seasons of Idol series around the world. Clarkson was contractually obligated to participate, and placed second behind Norwegian Idol Kurt Nilsen. She performed Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman". She left immediately after the competition, later explaining to fans that she was not feeling well.^[18]

[edit] 2003–04: Thankful

Shortly after the completion of the first season of American Idol, Clarkson was signed to RCA Records by Clive Davis and Simon Fuller. In 2003, Clarkson was later accused of working with a record company prior to winning American Idol. American Idol's rules stated that a contestant was not allowed to compete on the program if they had been linked to a record company. However, she was cleared of all allegations, as she only had a contract in order to conduct demonstration work.^[19]

Following the release of "A Moment Like This", Clarkson's full-length debut album Thankful was released in North America by RCA Records on April 15, 2003 with several singers and songwriters including Christina Aguilera, Diane Warren and Babyface contributing on the tracks.^[20] It debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200. To promote the album, Clarkson appeared on various episodes of American Idol in 2003. In October that year she performed in Australia at the 2003 NRL grand final.^[21] "A Moment Like This" was certified double platinum by the RIAA for sales of two million copies on December 8, 2003^[22] and platinum by the CRIA for sales of 100,000 copies on February 10, 2004.^[23] Thankful peaked at number 41 on the UK albums chart and at number 33 on the Australian albums chart.

Reviews for the album were generally favorable. However, several critics noted that her early achievement was established due to her performances on American Idol. Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised the album for its vocal ability: "throughout this record, [Clarkson] makes it seem effortless and charming. She can croon, she can belt out a song, she can be sexy and sassy while still being graceful and as wholesome as the girl next door".^[24] Rachel Kipp of JS Online criticized Clarkson for not having the same personality on Thankful that she had on American Idol, and wrote: "on American Idol, Clarkson showcased a great voice and an endearing, 'aw-shucks' personality. That personality is missing on Thankful, and there lies the album's greatest fault". Kipp blamed the producers behind the album for not allowing Clarkson to be herself.^[25] Clarkson covered Danielle Brisebois' "Just Missed the Train" on the album.

"Miss Independent" was released as the second single from Thankful. It reached the top ten of the U.S. and Canadian singles charts, and earned Clarkson a 2004 Grammy Award nomination for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance".^[26] When the single was released in the United Kingdom and Australia, it reached the top ten of the charts. "Low", the third single from Thankful, reached number two in Canada, but it was unable to make the top 40 of the US chart. The final single, "The Trouble with Love Is", was released as a promotional single for the British romantic film Love Actually and failed to chart in the United States, she then promoted the song on Pop Idol in 2003.

Soon after the first season of American Idol ended, Clarkson starred with Idol runner-up Justin Guarini in the movie From Justin to Kelly (2003). The film was poorly received by critics^[27] and grossed only $5 million at the North American box office, less than half its reported budget.^[28] Clarkson has mentioned in interviews that she is shocked when people send her scripts after From Justin to Kelly, often citing contractual obligation as her sole reason for involvement in the film.^[29] Clarkson was quoted telling People, "I knew when I read the script it was going to be real, real bad, but when I won, I signed that piece of paper and I could not get out of it."^[30] The script was written by Kim Fuller, Simon Fuller's brother.^[31]

She played Brenda Lee in the television drama American Dreams and appeared in the sitcom Reba. She also participated in sketch comedy on MADtv (2002) and Saturday Night Live (2005).^[32]

[edit] 2004–06: Breakaway

	"Because of You" (2005) noicon At the age of 16, Clarkson wrote the lyrics and melody to this song to cope with her emotions. The later composition resulted in the use of the piano and a full orchestral arrangement.
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

Distancing herself from her American Idol image, Clarkson parted ways with 19 Entertainment and took more creative control with her second studio album Breakaway, to develop a more rock-oriented image.^[33] Clarkson co-wrote six of the songs with songwriters such as former Evanescence band members Ben Moody, David Hodges and producer Max Martin; the title track was co-written by punk-pop singer Avril Lavigne.

Breakaway was released by RCA Records on November 30, 2004.^[34] The album debuted within the U.S. top five and Canadian top ten, but sales were initially low in comparison to Thankful.^[35] The singles from Breakaway were very successful, and the album became only the fourth album in history to stay in the Billboard 200 top 20 for a consecutive year, as well as being certified six times platinum in the U.S. in late 2007^[36] and five times platinum in Canada in May 2006.^[37] With worldwide sales of over 12 million copies, Breakaway is the most successful album by an Idol.

Breakaway received different responses from critics; Rolling Stone commented that "on Kelly Clarkson's second album, ... she embraces her rock side rather than the pop pageantry that put her on top of the American Idol heap".^[38] TeenInk noted the strength of her vocals on Breakaway, and praised the change from pop music to contemporary rock: "[Clarkson] retains the incredible power and beauty of her voice while switching to rock".^[39] Stylus magazine also enjoyed Clarkson's foray into rock music, however, she was called out because of her American Idol image, which reviewer Charles Merwin believed she had yet to lose. He praised the non-singles and wrote that they "maintain a quality high".^[40] Allmusic called the album "a nice, low-key relief".^[41]

Clarkson performing her Hazel Eyes concert tour on November 10, 2005, Geelong, Australia

"Breakaway" served as the original song for The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004) and achieved considerable success across the world; it became Clarkson's third top-ten single in the U.S. and fourth top-ten single in Canada. It reached number ten in Australia, and number 22 in the UK. The second single, "Since U Been Gone", which was produced by Max Martin, became the most successful release from the album. It reached number two in the U.S. and the top five across the world. It also earned Clarkson her first Grammy Award for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance"; she won a second award for "Best Pop Vocal Album".^[42]

The third and fourth single releases, "Behind These Hazel Eyes" and "Because of You", also followed with chart success. The video for "Because of You" won the 2006 MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video, her second consecutive win in that category (following "Since U Been Gone"). Clarkson was the most-played artist of 2006 on American radio, despite releasing only one single in the entire year, "Walk Away" (the fifth single from Breakaway).^[43] She was also the most radio-broadcasted artist of 2006 in Australia and "Because of You" was the third most broadcast song of the same year, despite being released in 2005.^[44]

Clarkson at the Naval Air Station Fort Worth, Texas, Joint Reserve Base in 2006

In 2005, Clarkson made a performance during the 2005 NBA All-Star Weekend as part of the festivities leading up to the All-Star Game.^[45] Later that year, she performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons She also performed that spring as part of the 2005 NCAA Final Four festivities in St. Louis, Missouri.^[46]

Clarkson performed during the festivities of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy.^[47] In mid 2006, Clarkson lent Ford Motor Co. a song titled "Go", written by Clarkson and Rhett Lawrence ("Miss Independent"). The song was used in the company's advertising campaign in 2006, "Bold Moves" and the song, along with its music video, was made available free at Ford's AddictedtoKelly.com website (now defunct).^[48]

[edit] 2006–08: My December

Clarkson in April 6, 2008 during her My December Tour

During her tour in Europe in 2006, Clarkson began writing songs for her third album, My December.^[49] The first single from My December was "Never Again", which peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at number eight. Clarkson released "Sober" as the second single. She returned to American Idol for the season 6 finale, performing "Never Again" and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" with Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry during a Beatles medley.^[50]

Clarkson parted with her management, The Firm, in June 2007, amid low radio airplay for "Never Again" and low ticket sales for her then-upcoming tour.^[51] Clarkson then signed with Starstruck Entertainment, run by Narvel Blackstock – the husband of Reba McEntire – on July 2, 2007.^[52] The same month, Live Nation announced that the tour – her first nationwide arena tour – had been canceled due to underwhelming ticket sales, to be rescheduled after the release of the My December album at smaller, more intimate concert environments.^[53] Clarkson reinstated plans to tour the U.S. during 2007, with a much smaller tour than the one she canceled in June. She began her My December Tour in October 2007 in venues significantly smaller than those previously booked.^[54] The August 2007 issue of Blender included a feature on Clarkson and her new album, as well as her music label woes.^[55]

My December was released in the U.S. on June 26, 2007. The album debuted at number two in the U.S. with 291,000 albums sold,^[56] a slightly higher debut than Clarkson's previous album, Breakaway, which debuted at number three.^[57] In Canada, the album was awarded a platinum certification for shipments of more than 100,000 copies.^[58] My December was certified platinum in December 2007 by the RIAA.^[59] It has sold more than three million copies worldwide.^[60]

In April 2007, Clarkson appeared on the American Idol Idol Gives Back charity show aimed at raising money for tackling poverty, hunger and AIDS in Africa, as well as the Hurricane Katrina appeal. Clarkson noted that she was in a dispute with her record label bosses and executives as to which song to perform for the event. Clarkson refused to perform her new single "Never Again" viewing it as simple self-promotion through a charitable event. She is quoted as saying,

She opted to perform Patty Griffin's "Up to the Mountain". After the performance, the audience who watched Clarkson perform live gave her a standing ovation. American Idol judge Simon Cowell described her as "incredible", saying, "When you let her [Clarkson] come back on the show it makes everybody else look like an amateur."^[62] Clarkson later sang "Never Again" in the American Idol grand finale on May 23, 2007. On July 7, 2007, Clarkson performed on the American leg of Live Earth.^[63] Clarkson was invited to be a celebrity mentor for Canadian Idol during its Top 5 week of the fifth season, aired on the CTV network on August 20, and she performed on the results show the next night. Clarkson also performed the grand finale of Swedish Idol in December 2007.^[64] Clarkson also performed at the 2007 NFL opening kickoff where she sang the national anthem and songs from My December.^[65] Clarkson also performed in the halftime show for the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets game on Thanksgiving Day.^[66][67]

Clarkson performing at the Live Earth concert

Clarkson and Reba McEntire performing during 2 Worlds 2 Voices Tour

In addition to her roles as spokeswoman for the acne treatment Proactiv as well as Vitaminwater, Clarkson partnered with NASCAR for the 2007 season. She appeared in televised advertising spots, performed at pre-race concerts, promoted NASCAR Day, and appeared at the Champions' Banquet in December.^[68] In April 2008, Clarkson participated in a Papal Youth Rally at the campus of St. Joseph's Seminary, Dunwoodie in Yonkers, New York performing a mini-concert for those in attendance. This was the Papal Visit of Pope Benedict XVI. She performed Schubert's "Ave Maria" for the Pope later in the day following the Pope's speech.^[69]

Clarkson performed "What Hurts the Most" with Rascal Flatts at the ACM Awards in 2006 and returned again to sing a duet with Reba McEntire in 2007. This was her second performance on a country music award show, even though she is in the pop/rock genre. Along with her performance with Rascal Flatts, Clarkson also performed "Cigarettes", with the country duo The Wreckers during one of their shows in Texas.^[70]

Building on her country music status, Clarkson and Reba McEntire, who first met after Clarkson won the first season of American Idol,^[71] recorded an hour-long CMT Crossroads special at Nashville's famed Ryman Auditorium on February 22, 2007. It aired on CMT and Palladia (then known as MHD) on June 24, 2007. Previously, Clarkson was a performer on CMT's Giants: Reba McEntire. where she sang McEntire's hit song "Why Haven't I Heard From You", introduced Dolly Parton, and later also sang McEntire's hit "Does He Love You" with Martina McBride. Clarkson also appeared on an episode of McEntire's sitcom Reba, that aired on January 14, 2007.^[72]

At the Academy of Country Music Awards on May 16, 2007, Clarkson and McEntire sang a duet of Clarkson's own 2005 single, "Because of You", which also became the lead single from McEntire's album of all-star duets.^[73] The music video for this version of the song later debuted on June 20, 2007. This collaboration with McEntire earned Clarkson a CMA Award nomination for "Musical Event of the Year" in 2007 and a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Country Collaboration With Vocal" in 2008. Additionally, the song was featured on Now That's What I Call Country, which was released in August 2008.

Clarkson was a surprise guest at the 2007 CMA Music Festival in Nashville on June 7, 2007, where she performed "Does He Love You" and "Because of You" with Reba McEntire during the internationally-renowned annual event. The performance of "Because of You" was taped and aired as part of the "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night To Rock" television special that aired on ABC on July 23, 2007.^[74]

On January 17, 2008, Clarkson embarked on the 2 Worlds, 2 Voices Tour 2008, a co-headlining tour with Reba McEntire. Reba and Clarkson have since stayed in touch and Clarkson is now managed by McEntire's husband Narvel Blackstock.^[75]

On May 18, 2008, Clarkson performed on stage at the Academy of Country Music Awards All-Star Jam with Reba McEntire and Ronnie Dunn of Brooks and Dunn.^[76] The All-Star jam is the final event of the week taking place immediately after the awards show. Clarkson was not announced ahead of time for an appearance.

[edit] 2008–10: All I Ever Wanted

Clarkson at red carpet 2009 VH1 Divas

Clarkson's fourth album, All I Ever Wanted, was released on March 10, 2009. During recording of the album, Clarkson worked closely with producer-songwriters Ryan Tedder, Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Howard Benson, among others. In its first week of sales, it sold 255,000 copies in the U.S., debuting at number one on the Billboard 200; it stayed at number one for two weeks.^[77] All I Ever Wanted received a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Pop Vocal Album".^[78] Clarkson was placed eighth on Billboard's Top Female Artists of 2009 and ninth on Billboard's Top Hot Artists of 2000s.^[79] She was ranked second on Billboard's Best of 2000s: Pop Song Artist, behind Pink.^[80]

Clarkson in 2010 during her All I Ever Wanted World

The first single from All I Ever Wanted, "My Life Would Suck Without You", entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 97 and rose to number one the following week; this broke the record for the largest leap to the top spot, formerly held by Britney Spears' "Womanizer".This was the second time Clarkson broke this record. Moreover, "My Life Would Suck Without You" was Clarkson's first number one in the United Kingdom and it made her the first American Idol winner to achieve a number one single in the UK. The album's second single, "I Do Not Hook Up", peaked at number 20 in the U.S. "I Do Not Hook Up" did not fare very well overseas and the believed reason for this is due to a lack of radio support because a previous version had been recorded by Katy Perry. The third single, "Already Gone", reached number 13 in the USA and number 15 in Canada, but had mixed results internationally. "Already Gone" sparked another conflict between Clarkson and her label. There was a widely reported scandal with the album's third single, which Clarkson wrote with OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder. Many critics had noticed that the backing track and style of the song sounded similar to Beyoncé's "Halo". After becoming aware of the comparisons, Clarkson did not want to release the song out of respect for Beyoncé, instead requesting release for a self-penned song, "Cry", which later hailed extremely positive reviews, most notably from the BBC.^[81] However, her record company refused, publishing "Already Gone" against Clarkson's wishes. In response to the entire fiasco, Clarkson penned a song called "Wash Rinse Repeat" in which she states her view on the lack of creativity record labels give their artists; it is widely believed the song is an attack on Ryan Tedder.

The fourth single was "All I Ever Wanted". Clarkson performed as one of many guests for the return of VH1 Divas in September 2009.^[82] Clarkson also became a guest mentor on the Dutch television series X Factor in November 2009.

Clarkson was announced as one of the VH1 Save the Music Foundation ambassadors for 2009–2010.^[83] She began her 32-date All I Ever Wanted tour in October, following a string of summer concerts around the United States. Clarkson toured all over the world with the album, reaching territories such as Europe, South Africa, Oceania and Asia.The fall tour shows were performed in arena/theater type venues, with the summer tour being performed in outdoor amphitheatres. Her Indonesia show was initially sponsored by tobacco company Djarum, but after complaints from some fans and anti-tobacco groups, the promoter removed the sponsor.^[84] The tour ended in May 2010 in China.^[85]

[edit] 2010–present: Stronger

On August 23, 2010, it was announced that Clarkson had recorded a duet called "Don't You Wanna Stay" with country star Jason Aldean for Aldean's upcoming album, My Kinda Party.^[86] They performed the song at the 2010 CMA Awards on November 10, 2010^[87] and again on April 14, 2011 during the elimination show of American Idol season ten. On the week ending February 27, 2011, the song moved to number one on Billboard Hot Country Songs, giving Clarkson her first number one hit on the chart.^[88] As of July 21, 2011, "Don't You Wanna Stay" has sold nearly 2 million digital singles, becoming the most downloaded country music collaboration of all time.^[89] "Don't You Wanna Stay" was nominated for a 2012 Grammy Award for "Best Country Duo/Group Performance".^[90]

Clarkson's fifth studio album, Stronger, was released on October 24, 2011.^[91] Clarkson began writing the material on November 2009 and was originally intended for a late 2010 release.^[92] Clarkson collaborated with several producers including Greg Kurstin, Ester Dean, Darkchild, Toby Gad, Steve Jordan and Howard Benson.^[93][94] Clarkson completed recording on February 28, 2011, and stated that it "was influenced by Prince, Tina Turner, Sheryl Crow, Radiohead and there's a little bit of a country vibe/influence on a couple of songs."^[93] On March 15, 2011, she announced that the album had been pushed back to at least September 2011. Rodney Jerkins told The Hollywood Reporter that it was a "smart decision",^[95] while Claude Kelly, said to MTV News that the move could work in her favor.^[96] Associated Content also reported that the delay was caused by the company restructuring at Sony Music with the former Universal Music Group chairman Doug Morris entering as its new CEO.^[95][97] The release of the album was accompanied by a limited release of Clarkson's first extended play, The Smoakstack Sessions, which featured alternate versions of Stronger and All I Ever Wanted songs.^[98]

Clarkson performing at Sudbury, Canada, in 2011

The first single, "Mr. Know It All", premiered via a live webcast on on August 30, 2011 and was commercially released on September 5, 2011. The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 18, becoming her second highest debut since "Never Again" (2007); On November 3, the song ascended to number 10, earning Clarkson her ninth top ten single. On October 2, 2011, Clarkson performed the song at the 2011 NRL Grand Final in Sydney, Australia, marking Clarkson's first appearance at the event since the 2003 NRL Grand Final.^{[99][100][101]} The following week, "Mr. Know It All" hit #1 on the Australian charts, the first single of her career to top the charts in that country.^[102] 'Mr Know It All charted at number 4 in the UK and 8 in New Zealand. The song received double platinum certification in Australia and gold certification in New Zealand.