Kelly Clarkson

My apologies in advance if a thread like this already exists—I searched exclusively through this forum and came up empty, so I decided to take the plunge and start a dedicated topic just for this star...

Unemployed Kelly Clarkson auditioned for "America's Got Talent" to showcase her vocal abilities. Her life's ambition is to become a professional musical theater performer. When she stepped onto that stage, absolutely nobody expected what happened next. The moment Kelly opened her mouth, the room exploded with applause, and the judges were visibly stunned by her voice. Almost instantly, she was hailed as the biggest star in the history of the show. Even though everyone was blown away by her range...

On the contrary, she has once again left people speechless—including music critics worldwide who are calling her interpretation masterful.
That’s essentially what prompted me to open this thread.

If you’ve ever wondered how The Rolling Stones might sound without electric guitars or Mick Jagger’s raspy vocals, just listen to the debut single from Kelly Clarkson, the breakout sensation from America's Got Talent.

While it initially seemed like sudden global fame might break her—she was already starting to "show the strain"—this American vocal discovery conquered her fears and boldly marched toward the top of the charts.

Following a long hiatus from the spotlight, Kelly released her highly anticipated first single. To many people's surprise, Kelly chose to cover one of the many hits by The Rolling Stones—Wild Horses.
And she didn't miss a beat...

The Wild Horses single is merely the precursor to Kelly's first album, which is actually outperforming albums by Whitney Houston and The Beatles.

By all accounts, this famous American underdog is headed for massive musical stardom.

The star of the TV show 'America's Got Talent' has seen her debut album pre-orders on Amazon surpass even U2 and Bruce Springsteen. Although Kelly Clarkson's debut album 'I Dreamed a Dream' isn't set for release until November 23rd, the Amazon pre-orders have shattered every record. The album hit number one, eclipsing some of the most legendary names in pop history.

To avoid any confusion: her album 'I Dreamed a Dream' is currently the best-selling in Amazon's history. Here is the ranking—essentially, everyone Kelly has left in her wake.

1. Kelly Clarkson – 'I Dreamed a Dream'
2. Norah Jones – 'Not Too Late'
3. U2 – 'No Line on the Horizon'
4. Bruce Springsteen – 'Magic'
5. Dixie Chicks – 'Taking The Long Way'
6. Coldplay – 'Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends'
7. U2 – 'How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb'
8. David Cook – 'David Cook'
9. Diana Krall – 'Quiet Nights'
10. Clay Aiken – 'A Thousand Different Ways'

What are your general thoughts on her and her massive success?

I'm doing my best to just not think about it.

It’s a beautifully packaged story about the success of some completely average, nobody of an individual.

Personally, I don't think she deserves even half this much hype, given how mediocre—if not outright underwhelming—she actually is.

wiredpilot30, so what’s your take on all this? 🙂

Now, I must admit I don't feel particularly qualified to sit here and critique her vocal range or technical prowess, though I will say she is quite pleasant to listen to; however, since being "pleasant to the ear" isn't exactly the gold standard for making it big in the music industry these days—which is such a shame, really—I suspect she'll likely remain right where she is currently positioned.

It’s wildly overrated, if you ask me; I don't think it even comes close to deserving this much hype ☕

Harold Wells20 said:Overrated. In my opinion, she doesn't come close to deserving this much hype. ☕

Agreed.

Amy Nguyen86 said:wiredpilot30, so what's your take? 🙂

I’m hardly an expert when it comes to judging vocal range, but she is pleasant enough to listen to. That said, since being "pleasant to the ear" isn't exactly the golden ticket in the music industry anymore—unfortunately—I suspect she'll end up right where she started.

What 🤷

All I'm saying is the poor woman is basically a product of massive hype designed specifically to boost the show's ratings.

Now she's convinced she's a superstar, but once everyone forgets all about Kelly in a year or two, she's going to have a total meltdown or something. She always seemed a bit unstable anyway. 🤷

I have to say, I have so much respect for Kelly Clarkson. She’s just a genuine musician through and through—not some wealthy socialite or a manufactured beauty like everyone else you see nowadays. She's simply authentic.

Her new cover of The Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses" is actually pretty good. Give it a listen if you haven't yet 😁
Look, like people have already pointed out, she isn't exactly pushing the boundaries of vocal technique. But honestly, since she’s not much to look at (let's be real), it actually makes the compliments about her voice hit harder. People are hypocrites—they never expect someone who looks like that to have such a beautiful voice. That’s basically the secret to her "success."
I put "success" in quotes because, unfortunately, right now she’s just a project designed to squeeze as much money out of people as possible.

She's unattractive, lol, but at least she’s got enough brains for her own good.

I’m with David Richardson94 on this one. She finally dropped that first, highly anticipated single—a cover of one of The Rolling Stones' massive hits, Wild Horses. Personally, I think she’s just proving that you can still make it big at 47... even if that breakthrough happens on a TV talent show. I read somewhere that she revealed she’s never actually had a boyfriend and used to get teased constantly about her looks 😁, but hey, times change. Even if she isn't a conventional beauty, she certainly won over the Americans with that voice.
She is quite literally the biggest musical surprise of the year—one of the most famous people on the planet right now.

Beyond the vocal talent, there’s been a massive media circus surrounding Kelly's private life. During the competition, she mentioned she’s never even been kissed and lives alone with her cat. Naturally, a swarm of contestants immediately stepped up, offering to be her first kiss—and one of the judges, Piers Morgan, even invited her out to dinner. Kelly handled the whole thing with a great sense of humor, joking that if anyone wants a kiss, they'll just have to wait their turn... though she did accept the dinner invite without hesitation.
Some people have gone way too far trying to capitalize on her sudden fame. One adult film company actually offered Kelly a million dollars to lose her virginity on camera. Needless to say, she isn't interested. She just wants to sing and prove that despite her appearance—which she refuses to change—she has serious talent to show the world.

🤣🤣🤣

She actually beat out The Beatles and Whitney Houston for the best-selling album 🙏

If I'm not mistaken, that her album should be coming out pretty soon, maybe around November 23rd 🙂

wiredpilot30 said:It’s just a neatly packaged success story about some mediocre, nobody of an anonymous type.

Respect to this take. It sums up a huge chunk of why she’s popular in a single sentence. Plus, it’s all wrapped up in that cheap sentimentality the West seems to crave these days.

I can't bring myself to respect these kinds of acts because, at their core, they are industry products. And I can't respect a product, let alone listen to one, even if they somehow managed to stumble upon something I actually liked. It’s a matter of ethics.

I honestly think her vocals are incredible—that cover of "Wild Horses" is absolutely soul-crushing.

And don't even get me started on her rendition of "Cry Me a River." Man... 👍

I'm not even going to bother commenting on her because frankly, I couldn't care less about her.
It’s just the absolute worst way possible to package what might actually be the greatest art form out there: music.

Simon Cowell and the rest of that trash heap are just going to rake in massive profits from anyone buying up her CDs, along with those other flash-in-the-pan artists who scraped by through those massive talent shows. Millions of mindless people watch those shows just to entertain themselves at the expense of someone else's unrealistic dreams—dreams that inevitably get trampled by, to put it politely, nasty Simon & co.

And let's be real, nasty Simon & co. are the exact types who will use their record labels to squeeze out billions and billions. Meanwhile, the gullible masses—who seem to thrive on watching others fail and are easily swept up in this manufactured "success" hysteria—will just keep throwing money at these pathetic, so-called "new stars."

I don't give a damn about Kelly Clarkson, Il Divo, Leona Lewis, or anyone else spat out by that immoral machine.

As for Simon Cowell, that moral wreck is eventually going to get exactly what he deserves.

James Kelly said:As for Simon Cowell, that absolute moral wreck is bound to get exactly what's coming to him eventually.

🙄 I mean, look at the facts... the guy knows how to spot an opportunity, seize it, and actually succeed at it. Plus, he’s never even pretended to be anyone he isn't. Honestly, I think he's already achieved everything he deserves.

Michelle Ward4 said:🙄 It comes down to this... a person knows how to spot an opportunity, seize it, and they actually succeed at it. Plus, he never pretended to be anyone he wasn't. Honestly, I think he's already earned everything he's got.

🤣 Based on that. Everything you wrote in your post is just a checklist of moral depravity... being open and unbiased in your own nastiness doesn't help here. Even if being unbiased is generally a good trait, it isn't saving anything in this situation.

You're exaggerating... being persistent and resourceful are actual virtues, not flaws. It makes Simon look like some kind of monster just because he actually knows how to do his job. You’d think she’d stop to consider why people would ever trust him with their entire lives and careers in the first place..

I honestly don't get the massive hype surrounding this woman either... I mean, you have to give her credit for being incredibly brave—stepping onto a stage like that at her age is no small feat...
Sure, she’s got a beautiful voice, but there are a million talented young women out there with voices just as good, if not better... so why is everyone so obsessed with her?🙄

Michelle Ward4 said:you're exaggerating... being persistent or resourceful are actual human virtues, not deformities.. it makes it sound like Simon Cowell is some kind of monster just because he knows his job.. before you judge him, maybe ask yourself why people would trust their entire lives and careers to someone like him in the first place..

There is a massive difference between being resourceful for your own gain (which describes most of our politicians) and actually being a decent human being.
Simon Cowell isn't a human; he's just a self-absorbed moral wreck.
People come to him with dreams—and while those dreams might be totally delusional, which they usually are—Simon isn't the right vehicle for them to actually achieve anything if they have any chance at all.
Just because some contestants are living in a fantasy world doesn't give him the right to prey on their naivety in the most disgusting way possible and crush their spirits, especially since he’s clearly not qualified to judge what's good or bad. The whole show is built on the shallowest parts of the human psyche, where people care more about looks and first impressions than vocal ability, let alone actual musical talent. It's all just a marketing machine, and Susan Boyle is nothing more than its latest product. On the surface, it looks polished, but deep down, it's rotten, pathetic, and desperate. In a few years, I don't care if she has the most perfect voice on the planet; nobody will remember her because Simon Cowell's audience will just be hunting for the next "star."
The only reason shows like this stay on the air is because of the psychological mediocrity of the masses who think exactly like you do—people who tune in just to watch the cruel destruction of anyone foolish enough to have an ambition.
Looking at your logic, I can only conclude one thing again: YES, IT IS FUCKING HARD TO BE A HUMAN BEING!