Kelly? Kelly Clarkson? Is that you? For anyone who recalls her angsty, “I hate my (American Idol) life” emo-ish album My December, in which she catered to controversy with an oh-so-public battle with music legend Clive Davis (he thought it sucked/wouldn’t sell), we must ask: where did our aspiring Texan Alanis Morissette go? That was about two years ago. As for the Clarkson of late? Well, she’s licking lollipops and providing salary raises for photoshoppers.
Davis’ concerns were appropriate — despite Clarkson’s kick-ass pipes, My December just wasn’t that good, especially after she laughably compared her darker album to Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska — easy there, girl. Even Rolling Stone couldn’t stomach the Idol getting all Amy Lee: “You just want to play ‘Since U Been Gone’ for her and cheer her up.”
Quips aside, Clarkson really believed in My December, albeit in an arrogant “I want it now” Veruca Salt sort of way. She described her controversial, personal “it’s an artist’s record” to ET in 2007: “No, it doesn’t say, ‘I’m happy, I’m with a boy and having so much fun.’ But it’s reality. I know it’s not going to do what Breakaway did, ’cause it’s not as mainstream. I get that. Some of the songs are not what 10-year-olds are probably going to listen to. But we all go through situations for certain reasons, and I think we should share that.”
And that seemed to be the problem-o: the American Idol audience want their cheery Southern belle to sing about boys and dreams coming true rather than errr, getting sober (“three months, and I’m still sober/picked the weeds but kept the flowers”). Her lyrics, while a little freshmen creative writing class, at least revealed a real person rather than a puppet. And that’s commendable. “This record is more intense, it’s more raw, it’s more emotional. But it’s not that different. It’s not Metallica,” Clarkson told ET in 2007. She’s right; it’s not like she completely abandoned her kiddie audience and got all the mamas in a tizzy by belly dancing on and donning a python around her neck a la Britney Spears.
If anything, Clarkson’s a good role model who can actually sing, looks like a real young woman, and sometimes writes songs about growing up and feeling sad. We get it: the music biz sucks and Clarkson probably should have taken more song writing classes before the release of My December (Note: Clarkson co-wrote massive hits “Because of You” and “Behind These Hazel Eyes”). But the apparent antidote, the prepackaged Kelly Clarkson of today, is boring and tooth achingly artificial — which makes that damn lollipop an appropriate choice. The message of her latest single, “My Life Would Suck Without You,” is a far cry from her My December girl power lead track, “Never Again.” In that one, Clarkson sang, “I hope the ring you gave her turns her finger green.” Now, in the recycled version of “Since U Been Gone” (note, both are Max Martin creations) she seems to be making a desperate plea to Clive Davis: “Please give me a number one? Please don’t send me to nowhere land with Avril Lavigne!”
Clarkson, who is 26, should not be singing this crap nor should she be photoshopped into some entirely different creature. Not that she minds. According to her blog, where she describes her new found love for Twilight (WTF?), it’s fine: “It’s very colorful and they have definitely photo-shopped the crap out of me but i don’t care haha! whoever she is, she looks great ha! i’ve had so much fun with this album i really hope y’all dig it woohooooooooooo!!!!” This doesn’t sound like the Clarkson a few years back who was desperate to be viewed as an “artist.” Before the release of My December, she told ET: “Even if it does tank — who cares? It’s one album! Out of a whole career of albums I’m going to have, you’re worried about one? I’m not worried about it! And I’m obviously not going to want to put out shit. I obviously don’t want to fail. I’m not an idiot.” Brainwashed would be the better word.
During that 2007 interview, ET was shocked by America’s first Idol. “Whoa. What happened to the original American Idol whose favorite catchphrases were ‘Score!’ ‘Sweet!’ and ‘Cool beans!’?” Well, at 26 years old and three albums later, she’s back. My December, we could forgive, but we might not be so kind when you’re covering Katy Perry. We’re rooting for you, Kelly. Be Miss Independent, and take your own advice — breakaway!
Comments (24)
tranny better ack right.
haha. did you see her photoshopping? looking pretty drag.
it would be so not 'en vogue' to go sans photoshopping, so i say more power to a sister! and girlfriend can still rock a high E under water while making an 8 look like a sample size, so rock on KC! ;-)
ok ok but the lollipop?!?
She's damned if she does, and damned if she doesn't. Seems the girl can't win with some people. I loved My December because it was all Kelly, and I like this new song as well, because it's what she needed right now in her career. The girl has some pipes, and I'd hate to see her go into obscerity because her music wasn't mainstream enough. She deserves to be on top, because she's one of the ( if not the best) best vocalists in the pop world today.
i love how britney even found her way into a kelly clarkson article.
you got me amanda ;)
haha. she's fat.
but, alas, so am i.
[not as fat]
[i think.]
the bigger picture is that kelly talked very publicly about wanting to be an "artist" and not allowing anyone to tell her what to do… yet, at 26, she's now posing with lollipops and covering Katy Perry songs. I mean, I want her to do well too – she does have a great voice. But this is a little much. Pink has a great voice too… she may have mainstreamed up her latest album, but I'm pretty sure she'd never cover Katy Perry…
Yes, you're right, she did talk publicly about wanting to be an artist during the My December era. But, in the long run, she got thrown under the bus for trying, by her label, specifically Clive. In turn, they never even tried to support the cd, it wouldn't have the numbers Breakaway did, but, it would've sold a lot better than it did if they had given her a little support. So, now what? She's at a place where she has to create some peace between her and the label, and put out something more mainstream. The next song isn't a Katy Perry cover, it's a song that Katy wrote with Kara Diguardi (sp?) that didn't make her cd, due to the theme not fitting the rest of her cd. So, it's a demo, and Kelly liked it, and recorded it. CON'T….
If Kelly wrote her own stuff again, do you really think she would have support of the label? I think not. And there lies the problem, because if she wants to continue to make music for the masses, she has to have their support to get it to the masses, and keep herself relevant. She has wrote or co-wrote 6 songs on the upcoming cd, so it looks like the label and her have compromised this time around….notice I said compromised, not sell out, like you seem to infer.
I applaud her for co-writing some of her songs on the new album.
What we do know about the album so far: something about Katy Perry (a far cry from Springsteen/Morissette), that she's using a lot of the same producers/writers who made her a chart topper, that the single/album artwork shows her being very photoshopped/posing with a lollipop for some reason, that in the music video she apparently throws her BF's stuff out of the window and sings while driving in her car…. very American Idol-y stuff which already is proving successful. But for a 26 year old?
Whether the last album sucked or not, it was kind of cool to witness an "American Idol" trying to not be so packaged and controlled. I don't think she's selling out, but it seems she's kind of taking a step back. Playing it safe like we'd expect an American Idol to do. But again, maybe the album as a whole will prove me and others wrong.
She is so awful why does she even get her own article, I'd rather listen to Taylor Swift.
1. there is already one katy perry, we don't need another. 2. the song didn't make KP's album because it sucks. i thought kelly was smarter than that. RIP kelly's angst and girl power.
Alex you see through her hazel eyes. I miss her girl anthems. I wouldn't mind if her new shit walked away though.
where can i locate these fatty mclollipop pics?
Don't be so dramatic. Let the girl experiment, in this business one can fall on their face and the record company can pick um up and dust them off. She is a pop singer and I don't think she forgot that, let her play and get paid in the process. And if she is in the mood to write more and put out records a little different than mainstream so be it. You only live once, or twice if you're in the record business.
pic: http://cdn.stereogum.com/img/kelly_clarkson_my_li…
ew ew ew
that picture is nauseating. and who covers KATY PERRY?? my gd. even crazy shaved-head britney didn't look this bad on her album cover.
see Alex, the thing is, I'd love for you to find the quotes from Kelly where she specifically talks about wanting to be this great "artist" She talked about wanting to put out an album which she felt she needed to put out, period, end of story. she had gone though hell the two years leading up to My December, Clive was sending her LinLo retreads and she just went with her gut. She didn't compare her album to Nebraska in the quality, rather she said it would probably turn out to be like Nebraska, less commerical but still a fan favorite. If you need, the articles can be provided for you. Kelly has stated throughout her career that she is a POP artist, she leans a little more rock but she's still pop.
I find it interesting (read ridiculous) that you are judging an album that you clearly haven't even heard based on one single and word of one song which was written by katy Perry. Her current single's purpose was to get Kelly back in radio, much like SUBG during Breakaway. SUBG was by far the worst single on that album yet it's what launched that era and got radio really interested in Kelly again after an extended absence (Breakaway the single was being played on AC not pop really). Do you realize that she worked with Ryan Tedder? That she worked with Sam Waterson? That she co-wrote several tracks on this album, just like on previous albums?
*if you allowed longer comments I wouldn't have to break up my post LOL*
As for "covering" Katy Perry, well no one knows what the actual finished version will sound like. Perhaps it'll have a different feel to it. I'm not thrilled with the Katy Perry material either but if anyone can save a song it's Kelly.
Perhaps you could provide us the links to your blogs where you supported Kelly during the My December era, that would be great! I seem to recall most bloggers and media outlets were ripping her apart for trying something different, said she should know her place and go back to what works for her. Maybe she just decided to listen to everyone else.
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