Kelly Clarkson: Sticking to her guns

Ambitious, talented and about to conquer all before once again with new album My December, Kelly Clarkson played a blinding live set for AOL Sessions.

In Beverley Hills, the biggest smile in June belonged to Kelly Clarkson, who was feeling no pressure about her latest release My December and instead was joking around with all and sundry as she set about performing songs from that album and mega smash Breakaway.

Press reports would have you believing that the world is falling down around her ears. Firing her manager and reportedly clashing with her label over the songs on My December are wide of the mark according to Kelly: "In the media, everything is blown up way out of proportion. I've had to really cry to get stuff on my albums whether it's Thankful, Breakaway or My December," she says.

This was her third AOL Session and it was split evenly with songs from Breakaway and new LP My December including Maybe, the fired-up Never Again and Sober. Watching them live, it's hard to believe there was any doubt about their inclusion as she and the band tear through them with real gusto.

Sober, along with Irvine, from the new album are among her favourites for what is a deeply personal record as she wrote all the songs solo. "I love Sober and I love Irvine for kind of the same kind of reason. I wrote them at such a low point in my life, and it's not that you want to harp on something like that, but you don't want to forget history because you don't want to repeat it," says Kelly.

Since 2002 and winning American Idol, it's been a runaway train of success for Ms Clarkson including stonking single success with the likes of Breakaway and Because Of You. However, she's not sitting back and kicking up her heels, instead work has already begun on the next album.

She reveals it's going to be a mix of rock, blues and country: "No matter what CD I come out with, you can always expect it to be a growth kind of thing. I don't want to ever make the same CD twice. Sequels are never as good. You want to keep kind of changing and I'm always listening to different music. I don't want people to ever think that I'm just trying to sell records. I am trying to make something cool, something different each time," says Kelly. Well, so far it's all working out just fine!

My December

- Download Kelly with iTunes
- Buy Kelly on CD from Amazon
- Visit her official website
- Search: Kelly Clarkson

More

- Air Traffic
- Andrea Corr
- Ash
- Bright Eyes
- CSS
- Editors
- Interpol
- James Blunt
- Kelly Clarkson
- Linkin Park
- Maroon 5
- Natasha Bedingfield
- Robyn
- Scarlett Johansson
- Unklejam
- Wilco

great

- Avril Lavigne
- Daughtry
- Ghosts
- Hard-Fi
- Joss Stone
- Kings Of Leon
- Lady Sovereign
- Lupe Fiasco
- NKOTB
- Scott Matthews
- Snoop Dogg
- The Enemy
- The Feeling
- The Fratellis
- The Kooks
- The Fray

music

- Adele
- Cat Power
- Fergie
- Foals
- Gwen Stefani
- Lil Chris
- Jojo
- Josh Pyke
- KT Tunstall
- Manic Street Preachers
- Muse
- Nas
- Nicole Scherzinger
- Paul Weller
- Rihanna
- The Killers