2002–2003: American Idol, World Idol, and Thankful in
Washington, D.C., on September 11, 2002, after her win on
Idol, exactly a year after the
9/11 attacks Upon returning to Burleson, Clarkson was encouraged by her friends to audition for the first season of the reality television series
American Idol: The Search for a Superstar in May 2002. Despite receiving a "golden ticket", a pass to the Hollywood rounds, in the series premiere, Clarkson made her first appearance during the second episode. In an interview in 2012, Clarkson referred to the first season as "ghetto", explaining: "On our season we were like kids in camp. Nobody knew what to do. The show was ever changing every day. They did one season of
Pop Idol in the UK, but America is a very different market. They dropped us off in a mall and said 'find some clothes to wear on national television'. I am maybe the closest to white trash you can get. What do I buy? White pants I guess? I definitely looked like a cocktail waitress." Clarkson went on to win the competition on September 4, 2002, at the
Kodak Theatre (Dolby Theatre), earning 58% of the votes against runner-up
Justin Guarini. Immediately after winning
American Idol, Clarkson was signed to a record deal with
RCA Records,
19 Recordings, and
S Records by talent manager
Simon Fuller, who created
American Idol, and music mogul
Clive Davis, who was slated to executive-produce her debut album. On September 17, 2002, her debut double-A-side single, "
Before Your Love"/"
A Moment Like This", was released. Both songs were performed by Clarkson during the season finale of
American Idol. After debuting at number 60 on the
Billboard Hot 100 chart, the single climbed to number 52 the following week, and subsequently ascended to number one. It broke a 38-year-old record set by the British band
The Beatles for the biggest leap to number one. It eventually went on to become the
best-selling single of 2002 in the United States. Clarkson's debut album,
Thankful, was released on April 15, 2003. The album contained aspects of
pop,
contemporary R&B, and
gospel music, with several established musicians such as
Rhett Lawrence,
Diane Warren,
The Underdogs, and
Babyface contributing on to the tracks. Released during a time of urban-R&B dominance, the album was well received by several critics.
AllMusic critic
Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised the album for its vocal ability: "throughout this record, (Clarkson) makes it seem effortless and charming. She can croon, she can belt out a song, she can be sexy and sassy while still being graceful and as wholesome as the girl next door." Henry Goldblatt of
Entertainment Weekly remarked: "Clarkson glides through octaves with the masterful control of someone who's been doing this for decades."
Billboard ranked Clarkson 10th in their Top Pop Artist (female) list of 2003. Its lead single, "
Miss Independent", became her first international hit, reaching the top ten in five national charts, including the US. It was later certified gold by the RIAA. It earned Clarkson her first
Grammy Award nomination for "
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" at the
46th Grammy Awards. It was followed with two moderately successful singles, "
Low" and "
The Trouble with Love Is"; the latter was used on the soundtrack of British romantic film
Love Actually. Her first video album,
Miss Independent, was released on November 18, 2003, and was certified gold by the RIAA. Clarkson made her film debut with Guarini with the release of the musical romantic comedy film
From Justin to Kelly in June 2003. The film was poorly received by critics and was unsuccessful at the box office, with Clarkson explaining that she was "contractually obligated" to do the film and didn't like it. In 2002, Clarkson, along with
American Idol judges
Paula Abdul and
Randy Jackson and hosts
Brian Dunkleman and
Ryan Seacrest, participated in the season premiere of the
eighth season of the television comedy series
MADtv. She also portrayed
Brenda Lee in two episodes of the television drama
American Dreams between 2003 and 2004. On December 25, 2003, Clarkson participated in the television special competition
World Idol in
London, along with the first winners of the several
Idol television series around the world. Clarkson was contractually obligated to participate, and she performed
Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman". She ended up as the runner-up with 97 points, behind the first
Norwegian Idol Kurt Nilsen.
2004–2006: New management and Breakaway on November 15, 2005,
Canberra, Australia Trying to distance herself from her
American Idol image, Clarkson decided to leave Fuller and
19 Management and hired the services of talent manager
Jeff Kwatinetz of
The Firm. She reinvented herself to some extent, developing a more rock-oriented sound with her second studio album,
Breakaway. Davis served as the executive producer for the record, while Clarkson co-wrote six of the tracks with pop and rock songwriters such as former
Evanescence band members
Ben Moody and
David Hodges,
Kara DioGuardi,
Dr. Luke and
Max Martin.
Breakaway received critical acclaim, with Erlewine of
AllMusic remarking: "What gives
Breakaway its spine are the driving, anthemic pop tunes, numbers that sound simultaneously mainstream and youthful, which is a hard trick to pull off, and they are the tracks that illustrate Clarkson is a rare thing in the 2000s: a pop singer who's neither hip nor square, just solidly and enjoyably in the mainstream."
Breakaway was released on November 30, 2004, and became Clarkson's most commercially successful album. After debuting at number three on the
Billboard 200, its longevity allowed it to become the third-best-selling album of 2005 in the US and was certified sextuple platinum by the RIAA. The album also enjoyed success throughout the world; it topped the charts in the Netherlands and Ireland, became the world's seventh-best-selling album of 2005 and went on to sell more than twelve million copies worldwide. Clarkson was named the
Top Female Artist of the Year by
Billboard. She promoted the album with the
Breakaway Tour,
Hazel Eyes Tour, and
Addicted Tour which took place from 2005 to 2006. Five singles were released to promote
Breakaway. Its title track, "
Breakaway", was originally released in July 2004, as the soundtrack for
Disney film
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement and was later re-released as the album's fifth single in May 2006. It became Clarkson's third top-ten single on the
Billboard Hot 100 with a peak of number six. It was a major success on
adult contemporary radio, topping the
Billboard Adult Contemporary for 21 weeks and the Adult Contemporary Audience chart for 28 weeks (her longest number one on any charts). "
Since U Been Gone" was released as the album's
lead single in November 2004 and became Clarkson's most successful single on the Hot 100 despite peaking at number two. The fourth single, "
Walk Away", peaked at number twelve on the Hot 100. According to
Mediabase, Clarkson was the most-played artist of 2006 in the U.S.
Breakaway garnered Clarkson many accolades, including two trophies at the
48th Grammy Awards—the
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Since U Been Gone" and the
Best Pop Vocal Album. She also won
Best Female Video two years in a row, for "Since U Been Gone" and "Because of You", at the
MTV Video Music Awards. Clarkson's second video album,
Behind Hazel Eyes, was released on March 29, 2005. In 2005, she performed and participated during the
thirtieth season of the American sketch-comedy series,
Saturday Night Live, and the reality series
Damage Control with
Simple Plan frontman
Pierre Bouvier. She performed "
The Star-Spangled Banner" at Game2 of the
NBA Finals. She performed during the festivities
All-Star Game and the
2006 Winter Olympics in
Torino, Italy; In 2006, Clarkson recorded "Go" as a free download for the
Ford Motor Company advertising campaign.
2007–2009: My December and All I Ever Wanted Clarkson's third studio album,
My December, was released on June 22, 2007. The album relied on darker themes and heavier rock music. She replaced Davis as the executive producer and co-wrote all the tracks. She opted to collaborate with her band members rather than her previous producers and collaborators. Its production and release became a subject of a dispute with RCA, particularly with Davis. He noted the album's lack of professional production input and wanted her to re-record tracks with a more mainstream appeal, which she refused. The album received positive response, but lack of promotion due to reluctance of RCA led Clarkson to dismiss Kwatinetz and
Live Nation to cancel its accompanying tour, the
My December Tour, and reschedule it into a smaller scale with supporting acts
Jon McLaughlin,
Sean Kingston and
Mandy Moore. Clarkson later hired talent manager Narvel Blackstock of Starstruck Management. Blackstock was the husband of country artist
Reba McEntire, of whom Clarkson is a close friend. Clarkson later issued an apology to Davis, citing him as "a key advisor" in her success. during the
2 Worlds 2 Voices Tour in
Minneapolis in 2008
My December debuted at number two on the
Billboard 200 chart and was certified platinum by the RIAA. It featured only one major hit single, "
Never Again", which debuted and peaked at number eight on the
Billboard Hot 100—her highest debut on the chart ever. On July 7, 2007, Clarkson performed on the
American leg of
Live Earth concert. Clarkson partnered with
NASCAR during their 2007 season, appearing in televised advertisements, performed at pre-race concerts, promoted NASCAR Day, and appeared at the Champions' Banquet in December. Clarkson collaborated with Reba McEntire in an hour-long
CMT Crossroads special at
Nashville's
Ryman Auditorium on February 22, 2007. Introduced by
Dolly Parton, Clarkson performed "
Why Haven't I Heard from You" and "
Does He Love You" with
Martina McBride on the television special
CMT Giants: Reba McEntire. She also appeared on an episode of McEntire's sitcom
Reba, which aired on January 14, 2007. At the Academy of Country Music Awards on May 16, 2007, Clarkson and McEntire sang a
country version of "Because of You", which also became the lead single from the album
Reba: Duets. It peaked at number two on the
Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and was nominated for a
Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals. Throughout 2008, Clarkson and McEntire embarked on the
2 Worlds 2 Voices Tour to support
Reba: Duets and
My December. Clarkson's fourth album,
All I Ever Wanted, was released on March 6, 2009. Clarkson continued to co-write her own material, but this time she returned to a mainstream-oriented sound by reuniting with previous collaborators Dr. Luke, Martin, and DioGuardi, and new collaborators
Howard Benson,
Claude Kelly,
Ryan Tedder,
Glen Ballard,
Matt Thiessen and
Katy Perry in contributing tracks for the album. The release of
All I Ever Wanted was met with positive acclaim from music critics for its lighter themes. The album was a commercial success, debuting at number one on the
Billboard 200 and remaining there for two weeks. The album has sold over a million copies in the U.S. and garnered Clarkson a nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album at the
52nd Grammy Awards. Its first single, "
My Life Would Suck Without You", became an international hit. It entered the
Billboard Hot 100 at number 97 and rose to the top position the following week, breaking the record for the biggest jump to number one in a single week previously held by
Britney Spears' "
Womanizer". It also topped the charts in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Hungary. It was followed with two more top-twenty singles, "
I Do Not Hook Up" and "
Already Gone". The release of "Already Gone" became a subject of another dispute between Clarkson and RCA, after she realized its similarities with
Beyoncé's song "
Halo", both of which were produced by Tedder. Further promotion for the album was abruptly ended with the limited success of its fourth and final singles, "
All I Ever Wanted" and "
Cry". Clarkson supported
All I Ever Wanted with the
All I Ever Wanted Tour from 2009 to 2010. She also performed as one of many main artists for the return of
VH1 Divas in September 2009. Clarkson became a guest mentor on the Dutch television series
X Factor in November 2009.
2010–2012: Stronger, Duets, and Greatest Hits – Chapter One Clarkson recorded a country duet with
Jason Aldean, "
Don't You Wanna Stay", for his 2010 album
My Kinda Party. It became her first number-one song on the
Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and has sold over 2.7 million copies, It received numerous country-related accolades, including a nomination for a
Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance at the 54th Grammy Awards. Clarkson incorporated a slight country vibe into her fifth studio album,
Stronger, which was also influenced by
Prince,
Tina Turner,
Sheryl Crow, and
Radiohead. She worked with several producers including
Greg Kurstin,
Ester Dean,
Darkchild,
Toby Gad,
Steve Jordan, and
Howard Benson. Released on October 21, 2011,
Stronger debuted at number two on the
Billboard 200 and was certified platinum by the RIAA. in 2011
Strongers lead single, "
Mr. Know It All", was released in September 2011. It reached number one in Australia and South Korea and attained a top-ten position in seven countries, including the U.S., where it became her ninth top-ten hit on the
Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also became a
crossover hit to the country charts, prompting RCA to reissue a country version. "
Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" served as the second single in January 2012, and topped sixteen
Billboard charts, becoming her third number one on the Hot 100. It also reached number one in Poland and Slovakia and reached the top ten in many other charts worldwide. It remains Clarkson's best-selling single, with 4.9 million copies sold in the U.S. alone. The release of
Stronger was accompanied by two EPs,
The Smoakstack Sessions and
iTunes Session. The latter debuted at number 85 on the
Billboard 200, and it was promoted by its only single, a cover of "
I'll Be Home for Christmas". Clarkson co-wrote "Tell Me a Lie", which was recorded by British boy band
One Direction for their debut album,
Up All Night (2011). Clarkson promoted
Stronger with two concert tours, the
Stronger Tour and the co-headlining the
Kelly Clarkson / The Fray Tour with the alternative rock band
The Fray. On February 5, 2012, she performed "
The Star-Spangled Banner" at
Super Bowl XLVI to widespread critical acclaim. She later released a promotional single, "
Get Up (A Cowboys Anthem)", for use in
Pepsi's
NFL advertising campaign. Clarkson served as a mentor and judge, alongside
John Legend,
Jennifer Nettles, and
Robin Thicke, on the
ABC television show
Duets, which premiered on May 24, 2012. The show concluded on July 19, 2012, with Clarkson's contestant
Jason Farol finishing as the second runner-up. She also became a guest mentor to
Blake Shelton's team on the
second season of
The Voice. Commemorating the 10th anniversary of her career in music, Clarkson released her first
greatest hits album,
Greatest Hits – Chapter One, on November 19, 2012. Three new songs were recorded for the compilation—"
Catch My Breath", "
Don't Rush" (featuring country musician
Vince Gill) and "
People Like Us"—were all released as singles. "Catch My Breath" became her 14th top-twenty hit on the Hot 100 chart as well as her 13th million-selling single in the United States. However, its follow-up singles performed moderately well on the charts. Clarkson earned more nominations from the country music industry, including
Best Country Duo/Group Performance for "Don't Rush" at the
56th Annual Grammy Awards and Female Vocalist of the Year at the
2012 Country Music Association Awards.
Chapter One was eventually certified gold in Australia, the UK and the U.S. Her live rendition was acclaimed by critics, who contrasted it with
Beyoncé's pre-recorded performance during the same event. In February 2013, she performed "
Tennessee Waltz" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" at the
55th Annual Grammy Awards as a tribute to
Patti Page and
Carole King. She also released a non-album single, "
Tie It Up", exclusively to country music stations in June 2013. Clarkson and
Maroon 5 performed at 24 concerts as part of the
12th Annual Honda Civic Tour, starting on August 1, 2013, and ending on October 6, 2013. She was featured on the re-recorded version of "
Foolish Games" for
Jewel's first compilation,
Greatest Hits (2013). Clarkson also collaborated with singer
Robbie Williams on the song "
Little Green Apples" for his 2013 album
Swings Both Ways. Clarkson's sixth studio album and first Christmas record,
Wrapped in Red, was solely produced by Greg Kurstin. She co-wrote all five original songs and recorded eleven cover versions of
Christmas standards and
carols. Released on October 25, 2013, the album debuted at number one on the
Billboard Top Holiday Albums and at number three on the
Billboard 200 chart. By December 2013,
Wrapped in Red had already been certified platinum by the RIAA and eventually became the
best-selling holiday album of the year. The album's lead single, "
Underneath the Tree", was an adult contemporary number-one hit in both the U.S. and Canada. Clarkson subsequently became
Billboards ninth top adult contemporary act of 2013. On December 11, 2013, her first Christmas special debut, ''
Kelly Clarkson's Cautionary Christmas Music Tale,'' garnered over 5.3 million viewers. In December 2013,
Citizen Watch Co. announced Clarkson as their newest Brand Ambassador. Retaining her relationship with country music acts in 2014, Clarkson collaborated with
Martina McBride on "In the Basement" (originally by
Etta James and
Sugar Pie DeSanto) for McBride's album
Everlasting and with
Trisha Yearwood on "
PrizeFighter" for Yearwood's compilation
PrizeFighter: Hit After Hit. Clarkson also performed a rendition of "
All I Ask of You" with
Josh Groban on his seventh studio album,
Stages, and its companion television special. She was featured on
Ben Haenow's "
Second Hand Heart", the lead single from his
debut studio album. In February 2015, Clarkson released
Piece by Piece, her seventh and final studio album under her recording contract with RCA Records. Musically, it is an
electropop and dance album, featuring collaborations with Kurstin,
Jesse Shatkin,
Sia,
John Legend, and
Shane McAnally, among others.
Piece by Piece received a reasonably positive response from music critics and became her third album to debut at the top of the
Billboard 200 chart. To promote the album, Clarkson appeared in several televised performances, including the
fourteenth season of
American Idol, where she became the only alumnus ever to be dedicated with a competing week featuring her discography. She also supported the
Piece by Piece Tour throughout 2015, which was cut short of its worldwide visits following medical recommendations for a vocal rest during the year.
Piece by Piece spawned three singles. The first one, "
Heartbeat Song", peaked at number 21 on the
Billboard Hot 100 chart and became a top-ten hit in the UK, Austria, Poland, and South Africa. However, Clarkson failed to achieve a similar success with the second single, "
Invincible". The third and final single, "
Piece by Piece", debuted and peaked at number eight on the Hot 100 chart, following Clarkson's emotional performance on the
fifteenth season of
American Idol. It became her eleventh U.S. top-ten hit and matched "Never Again" as her highest debut on the chart. At the
58th Annual Grammy Awards, the album and "Heartbeat Song" were nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance, respectively. At the
following year, the title track also received a nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance.
2016–2018: Children's books, Meaning of Life, and The Voice In February 2016, it was announced that Clarkson had signed a book deal with
HarperCollins. Her first children's book,
River Rose and the Magical Lullaby was released on October 4, 2016. The book features an original
lullaby written and performed by Clarkson. On the possibility of writing any more books in the future, Clarkson told
Publishers Weekly, "I've got a few ideas – there could be a lullaby for each book. We've got a plethora of stories, and I've already written seven songs, full out, so we'll just have to see which ones might pan out to be a book. But yes, there will definitely be more." The second book featuring River Rose,
River Rose and the Magical Christmas, was released on October 24, 2017, and included an original song written and sung by Clarkson, "
Christmas Eve". On March 15, 2016, First Lady
Michelle Obama released "This Is for My Girls", a collaborative track featuring vocals from Clarkson,
Janelle Monáe,
Kelly Rowland,
Lea Michele,
Zendaya, and
Missy Elliott to coincide with Barack Obama's SXSW speech and to promote the First Lady's third-world educational initiative
Let Girls Learn. Clarkson recorded a solo version of "
It's Quiet Uptown" for
The Hamilton Mixtape. Her version was released on November 3, 2016, as a promotional single for the album. She also recorded a duet called "Love Goes On" with
Aloe Blacc for the original soundtrack of
The Shack, which was released in the United States on March 3, 2017. On May 11, 2017, it was announced that Clarkson would join
The Voice as a coach for the series'
fourteenth season. On June 24, 2016, Clarkson announced she had signed a long-term worldwide deal with
Atlantic Records, with the intentions of releasing a soul-influenced eighth studio album in 2017. Her lead single "
Love So Soft", was released on September 7, 2017, along with the song "
Move You". On September 6, 2017, Clarkson announced that her album,
Meaning of Life, would be released on October 27, 2017. The album went on to debut and peak at number 2 on the
Billboard 200 chart, selling 79,000
album-equivalent units. With the release of
Meaning of Life, Clarkson revealed that she had discussions with Atlantic Records about the sound of the follow-up record and has expressed interest in venturing deeper into R&B and soulful pop music. Clarkson opened the
45th American Music Awards with
P!nk, and together they performed
R.E.M.'s "
Everybody Hurts" to honor
first responders. Later in the show, she performed "Miss Independent" and "Love So Soft". "Love So Soft" was nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance at the
60th Annual Grammy Awards, giving her the record for the most nominations in that category with four. Clarkson lent her voice in the animated film
The Star, alongside
Oprah Winfrey,
Steven Yeun,
Tyler Perry, and others. The film is based on the
Nativity of Jesus. Developed by
Sony Pictures Animation, the film was released on November 17, 2017. This was the first film in which Clarkson performed a voice role. Clarkson also had a guest voice role in the
Netflix animated series
Home: Adventures with Tip & Oh, portraying herself in the series' 2017 animated Christmas special,
Home for the Holidays, alongside
Ben Schwartz. In March 2018, Clarkson released "I've Loved You Since Forever", a ballad version of the children's book by
Hoda Kotb. Clarkson hosted and performed at the
2018 Billboard Music Awards on May 20, 2018. In the
fourteenth season of
The Voice,
Brynn Cartelli was crowned the winner, giving Clarkson her first victory. In the
fifteenth season of
The Voice,
Chevel Shepherd was crowned the winner, giving Clarkson her second consecutive victory and making her the first female coach to win multiple seasons.
2019–2022: The Kelly Clarkson Show and When Christmas Comes Around... On February 28, 2019, it was announced that she would return to host the
2019 Billboard Music Awards, which aired on May 1, 2019. Clarkson voiced Moxy and provided original songs in the animated musical comedy film
UglyDolls, which was released on May 3, 2019. On March 27, 2019, she released "
Broken & Beautiful", the lead single from the
UglyDolls: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Clarkson also began hosting the daytime variety talk show,
The Kelly Clarkson Show, which premiered on September 9, 2019. In December 2019,
Jake Hoot was crowned the winner of the
seventeenth season of
The Voice, giving Clarkson her third victory as a coach in four seasons. In November 2019, Clarkson announced a
Las Vegas residency, Kelly Clarkson: Invincible. The residency was due to take place at the
Zappos Theater. It was supposed to run from April to September 2020, but it was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. Also in November 2019, Clarkson made an appearance on the
Apple TV+ drama series
The Morning Show as herself, performing her song "Heat" and interacting with the fictional hosts of the show. In February 2020, Clarkson became a brand ambassador for
Wayfair. In addition, Wayfair released "an 'exclusive' collection of furniture and decor inspired by Clarkson and her Texan roots." On April 10, 2020,
Trolls World Tour, which featured a character voiced by Clarkson, was released. On April 16, 2020, Clarkson released the standalone single "
I Dare You" in English, as well as duets in five different languages with five native-speaking artists. In May 2020,
The Kelly Clarkson Show earned seven Emmy nominations, the most for any talk show, with Clarkson winning in the category
Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host.
Joe Biden and
First Lady Jill Biden in 2021 In June 2020, it was announced that she would receive a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2021, being inducted into the category of Recording. In May 2021, NBC announced that Clarkson's show would take over the time slot of
The Ellen DeGeneres Show after it ends in 2022. In June 2021, Clarkson won two
Daytime Emmy Awards, including
Outstanding Talk Show Entertainment and a second consecutive win for
Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host. On September 23, 2021, Clarkson released "
Christmas Isn't Canceled (Just You)", the lead single off her ninth studio album and second Christmas album,
When Christmas Comes Around... The album was released on October 15, 2021, to positive reviews and earned Clarkson a nomination for the
Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. In November 2021, Clarkson performed at the second annual iHeartRadio Holiday Special. She hosted her second
Christmas special,
Kelly Clarkson Presents: When Christmas Comes Around, which premiered on December 1, 2021. Also in December 2021,
Girl Named Tom were crowned winners of the
twenty-first season of
The Voice. They are the first group act to win an American season & secured Clarkson's final victory as a coach. In February 2022, Clarkson and
Snoop Dogg were named co-hosts of the singing competition series
American Song Contest. It is an adaptation of the popular international songwriting competition
Eurovision Song Contest. The series premiered on March 21, 2022. On June 9, 2022, Clarkson released
Kellyoke, an
EP consisting of six cover songs that Clarkson covered during her "Kellyoke" segment on her talk show. She also revealed that her tenth studio album since was complete. That same month, Clarkson won two
Daytime Emmys, including
Outstanding Talk Show Entertainment for the second consecutive year and
Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host for the third consecutive year. Clarkson received a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame on September 19, 2022. Clarkson appeared on the
Kelsea Ballerini song, "
You're Drunk, Go Home" along with
Carly Pearce, which was released in September 2022.
2023–2024: Chemistry On February 9, 2023, Clarkson hosted the
12th NFL Honors. After taking the
twenty-second season of
The Voice off, it was announced in October 2022 that she would return for the
twenty-third season in 2023. She covered
Cole Porter's "
Don't Fence Me In" on
Jeff Goldblum and The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra's EP,
Play Well with Others released in March 2023. On March 26, 2023, she announced her tenth studio album,
Chemistry, which was released on June 23, 2023. The album's
double A-side lead singles, "
Mine" and "
Me" were released on April 14, 2023. On March 27, 2023, Clarkson announced a ten night Las Vegas residency,
Chemistry: An Intimate Evening with Kelly Clarkson, which ran from July 28 to August 19, 2023, at the
Bakkt Theater. Four additional dates were added for December 2023 and February 2024. In October 2023, Clarkson relocated and moved production of
The Kelly Clarkson Show from Los Angeles to New York City to start its fifth season. On November 8, 2023, Clarkson launched her own
Sirius XM channel,
Kelly Clarkson Connection. The channel features Clarkson's own music, music she loves, and music from artists who inspire her. She also tells stories about her own music. On November 10, 2023, Clarkson's studio album
Chemistry earned her a sixth nomination for the
Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album, making her the most nominated performer in the category. On December 15, 2023, Clarkson won two awards at the delayed
50th Daytime Emmy Awards, including
Outstanding Daytime Talk Series and
Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host, and she won another award for Outstanding Daytime Talk Series at the subsequent
51st Daytime Emmy Awards on June 7, 2024. Clarkson featured on a duet version of
James Arthur's song "From the Jump", which was released in April 2024. She is featured on
Terri Clark's song "
If I Were You", from Clark's 2024 album
Take Two. On September 27, 2024, she released "
You For Christmas" the lead single from the deluxe reissue of
When Christmas Comes Around..., which released on November 1 of the same year. On December 4, 2024, she returned to host and perform on NBC's
Christmas in Rockefeller Center for the second year in a row.
2025: Independent music and Songs & Stories In January 2025, Clarkson revealed on her talk show she had launched her own record label, with plans to release her own music independently for the first time in her career. The following month,
Live Nation announced
Kelly Clarkson: Studio Sessions, an eighteen-date residency at
the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. On April 18, she announced her new single, "
Where Have You Been". On May 1, 2025, Clarkson premiered the song exclusively on her Sirius XM channel, the day before it was released worldwide. In July 2025, it was announced that Clarkson would return to
The Voice for its
twenty–ninth season in February 2026. In August 2025, Clarkson began hosting a new show,
Songs & Stories with Kelly Clarkson, which is based on an occasional segment she has on her talk show. On February 2, 2026, Clarkson announced that she was ending her
talk show at the end of its current season. Clarkson will be featured on the soundtrack on the new
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at
Disney's Hollywood Studios. She will be featured on "
Walking on Sunshine". ==Artistry==