**This is the first of what will likely be many blog posts about Kelly Clarkson – I absolutely adore the woman.
I LOVE KELLY CLARKSON!
For so many reasons – her voice, her songwriting, her confidence, her charisma and likeableness. What is not to like about Kelly?
The woman is amazing. She has managed to maintain longevity after winning a Television talent show in a highly competitive and cut-throat industry. Her career has lasted longer than a decade (still going strong) and she’s had No. 1 hits all along the way. Kelly has been recognized across genres, written a best-selling children’s book and she’s done it all while being herself.
There is something else in particular though that I find honourable about Kelly: her professionalism. Kelly has a willingness to fight for her own voice, her own career, and her own success.
It’s no secret that the Idol deal with RCA records was less than ideal. Kelly has been quoted saying the long contracted pairing was like “an arranged marriage”. She was repeatedly told that her writing sucked. Clive Davis did not support “Because of You”, one of Kelly’s biggest hits. He felt she was a bad songwriter, but she fought to keep her song on the record. She also fought for her first single, “Miss Independent” when RCA didn’t think the song was a hit. Then, when it became a success, they pretended they had supported it all along.
These are just a few of the things Kelly has discussed on the record. Imagine the steeping pile of behind-the-scenes bullsh*t that she hasn’t discussed.
As hard as it must have been to be constantly creatively stifled, doubted, and controlled, Kelly kept pushing forward using the momentum of her initial success. Instead of quitting, or breaking down, she kept going. She kept fighting. She did not break down. She kept using her voice to write hits. She kept winning awards. Here’s the thing – good work speaks for itself. Kelly is competent – she is good at what she does. She maintained confidence in her abilities and she did not allow outside contradictory forces to pressure her into quitting.
Watch this collaboration between Kelly Clarkson and Hoda Kotb – Kelly turns Hoda’s new children’s book “I’ve Loved You Since Forever”, into a song
It was hard. She talks about feeling broken down and wanting to quit many times. But she adapted, she pushed, and she stayed on top of the world. And you know what? Her work speaks for itself, just look at the laundry list of achievements the woman has under her belt. Did I mention she’s also a wife and mother of two?
How many of us have had a sh*tty boss who took credit for our work? Worked a job that we hate because we had to. Been told that our creativity doesn’t make sense? Been told by someone that we are no good?
Kelly is a f*cking inspiration.
Now that her RCA contract is up, Kelly’s got a new album, “Meaning of Life”, released with her new record company, Atlantic Records that she is proud of. It sounds like the songs of a caged bird finally set free. How fitting. She endured, she bided her time, she was patient and now she’s free. She’s just won the Billboard Powerhouse Award, she’s got an amazing new record that she is proud of, she’s got a new label, and she’s a coach on the The Voice.
We are talking about a powerful woman with a lot of self-control, professionalism and patience. Even now, when she discusses her RCA experience, she doesn’t do it vindictively. It’s just finally able to to be candid about what happened to her. She doesn’t have I wonder if other talent show winners (The Voice, American Idol etc.) don’t find longevity because they find the constant creative railroading too much. But Kelly was smart about it, she knew her platform. She wasn’t stupid about it. She bided her time and she prevailed.
What can Kelly Clarkson teach us about a successful career? If you’re dealing with nasty co-workers, a sucky boss, people who doubt you… Keep going, push through it, bide your time, and do good work. It speaks for itself.
