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Kelly Clarkson: How America Got It’s First ‘American Idol’ [VIDEO]

Kelly Clarkson has become one of the biggest names in the music industry in the past two decades. The Texan first rose to fame when she won the first season of American Idol back in 2002. Nobody knew what kind of success the show would bring, but Kelly has been on such an upward climb since she was first introduced on television.

Kelly Clarkson Won Season 1 Of ‘American Idol

The first season of American Idol seems like it was literally ages ago when a young Ryan Seacrest took on hosting duties with Brian Dunkleman. The first few contestants that the judges saw during the auditions really had them questioning what they signed up for. Then one day, in walked Kelly, ready to make all of her dreams come true.

Before coming to her Texas audition, Kelly’s Los Angeles apartment had burned down which left her homeless and living out of her car. She had to make an outfit for her audition out of old pairs of jeans. Kelly said that she was “intimidated” to walk into the judging room because so many people were being rejected. For her audition, she sang both “Express Yourself” and “At Last.” Simon Cowell was immediately a huge fan of Kelly’s and continued to give her rave reviews week after week.

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All throughout the competition, she took on huge hits by some big names like Celine Dion’s “I Surrender” and Aretha Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” This propelled her all the way to the finale where she went head to head with Justin Guarini before she was declared the winner. There was a record 15.5 million votes cast, with 58% for Kelly. Her winners single “A Moment Like This” was released soon after and eventually hit the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

Kelly Had A Reunion With All Of The Judges 17 Years Later

Kelly has sold over 25 million albums worldwide after her time on American Idol and has also won three Grammy Awards. After conquering the Billboard charts for nearly two decades, Kelly set her sights on hosting her own talk show. The Kelly Clarkson Show is a daytime talk show that allows Kelly to connect with real people through humor, heartfelt stories and discover emerging new talent. It has won three Emmy Awards including Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host and is currently in its second season.

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On season one of the show, she brought Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon to reflect on the show’s success. They all agreed that without Kelly, the show would not have gone on to be such a big phenomenon as it did. “The whole premise of the show was we had to find a star who was going to sell records,” Simon said. “We found some great people that whole year, but when you delivered that moment on that first live show and when you sang that winning song at the end…” he trailed off. “It was a game-changer” Paula added.

Another big name to come out of American Idol is country superstar Carrie Underwood. There has long been a debate about whether Carrie or Kelly is the queen of the talent world. Both have incredible resumes and achievements, but you can watch the What’s Hot Video below to decide for yourself.

Kelly Has Had A Career Full Of Success After The Show

She balanced all of this with coaching The Voice starting in season 14. She won the show with artist Brynn Cartelli in season 14, again with artist Chevel Shepherd in season 15 and once again with Jake Hoot in Season 17. She was the first female coach to win multiple seasons. Kelly is returning to The Voice for season 19 which has already begun filming.

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Not to mention she is a mother of two children and is planning on releasing another studio album, this time channeling the emotions she has felt going through a divorce from Brandon Blackstock. Through it all, Kelly has proved time and time again that she is a huge superstar and can dominate all platforms. American Idol was only the beginning for her and she will no doubt continue to dominate the music and entertainment worlds.