The album’s production credits are a who’s-who in the post-Avril pop world, the same names who have contributed to recent stinkers by Hilary, Ashlee, and Lindsay: John Shanks, Kara DioGuardi, Clif Magness. In a decided bid to “break away” from the American Idol template, Clarkson heads in an edgier, rockier direction with Breakaway. So it’s telling that the title track from Clarkson’s sophomore effort was co-written by a very different kind of starlet: punk-pop princess Avril Lavigne. 1 in the United States, selling 255,000 copies in its first week, with Clarkson continuing to co-write songs.“Miss Independent,” the lead single from Kelly Clarkson’s Thankful, was co-penned by none other than Christina Aguilera, setting the tone for what was a predominantly R&B-oriented debut (not surprising since this was the girl who snagged the first American Idol title by singing the shit out of Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” and Celine Dion’s “I Surrender,” and with a head cold no less). This marked the second time Clarkson broke this record in 2002, her American Idol single 'A Moment Like This' catapulted from No. The jump broke the record of largest leap to the top spot. The first single off the album, 'My Life Would Suck Without You,' hit the airwaves in January 2009, shooting from No. In 2009 Clarkson released her fourth album, All I Ever Wanted. Clarkson called Davis a 'key adviser' and 'an important force in my success,' adding, 'he has also given me respect by releasing my new album when he was not obligated to do so.' 'All I Ever Wanted' She later expressed regret about the dispute, saying that it had been blown way out of proportion. My December was released in late June of that year and initially had strong sales, but still the cloud from the Clarkson-Davis conflict hung over the project. She fired her management and canceled a planned concert tour for the summer of 2007. But Clarkson refused to change what she considered to be a very personal recording.Īround this time, Clarkson experienced more career difficulties. Davis expressed concern that there were no singles on the album and others indicated that its overall tone was too negative. The result led to a clash with Clive Davis over the album, My December (2007), after he suggested it needed to be reworked. Clarkson did not use the same team of songwriters as she had in the past and relied more strongly on songs that she co-wrote.

But she wanted to try something different. The album spawned several big hits, including 'Since U Been Gone,' 'Breakaway,' 'Behind These Hazel Eyes' and 'Walk Away.' It also earned Clarkson two Grammy Awards in 2005: one for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for 'Since U Been Gone' and another for Best Pop Vocal Album - an award she shared with producer Clive Davis and engineer/mixer Serban Ghenea.Īfter selling millions of records, Clarkson was under a lot of pressure to keep the hits coming. Thankful was a hit based in part because of the smash single, 'Miss Independent.' 'Breakaway'Ĭlarkson went on to establish herself as a leading pop star with her second album, Breakaway (2004). Fortunately, her first album fared much better than her movie. In 2003, she made her feature film debut in the forgettable From Justin to Kelly. The following month, her first single, 'A Moment Like This,' went from No. Her official prize was a million-dollar RCA record contract the unofficial prize a considerable amount of fame and notoriety. After grueling rounds of televised eliminations, and critical evaluations by judges Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson, Kelly Clarkson prevailed against Justin Guarini to become the first winner of the hit contest on September 4, 2002.

Breakaway kelly clarkson