The beautiful Kelly Clarkson is one of the most famous singers in Hollywood today, but it all started with her American Idol win. The now 35-year-old mother-of-two has come a long way since her 2002 small screen debut. At such a young age, Kelly proved she was destined for stardom. Watch her audition for the hit show below.
Kelly was only 20 years old when she won American Idol back on June 11, 2002. She turned 20 just two months before on April 24. It’s so hard to believe she won when she was that young!
Kelly won the first-ever season of Idol 16 years ago. After her big win in 2002, 14 more people took home the title, but she will always be the original crown-holder!
However, Kelly joked in a previous interview that she wouldn’t have minded coming in second place to Justin Guarini because she didn’t want to do the From Justin to Kelly movie. “I don’t like to lose, let’s be real,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “The reason why I didn’t is because I found out, Justin and I both found out that last week, that whoever won had to do this movie.”
Kelly decided to join The Voice over American Idol, and in a recent interview, she explained why. “I’ve been in talks with The Voice about doing stuff for years,” she previously shared with Entertainment Tonight. “It’s a family decision too, for us. Like, my husband, [Brandon Blackstock], manages Blake [Shelton] so we’re all in one place and it’s going to be good. And I’m excited, y’all.”
She added to Entertainment Weekly, “We’re used to The Voice schedule, we already have to work around it because of our family. We have four children — that can be very taxing with a schedule. It was just a no-brainer for me with The Voice because of that alone. But my thing is, I was kind of bummed too when [Idol] came to me. I hope it’s super successful.”
It’s here y’all! Tonight is the night! @nbcthevoice #VoicePremiere
She notes it would have been great to work on the Idol reboot with pal Ryan Seacrest. “Would it have been awesome to come back to the show that started me and help give someone that start? Yes!” Kelly confessed. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t do the same thing on The Voice. That’s my goal. I want to have someone on my team, whether they win or not, to have a successful career after being on the show.”
Click through to see the stars of American Idol then and now!