Kelly Clarkson became the first winner of best former reality competition contestants ever.
American Idol is best at finding unknown, regular people and transforming them into celebrities; however, after winning the singing competition, success isn't guaranteed. Idol has boasted celebrities like Carrie Underwood, Adam Lambert, and Jennifer Hudson, but Kelly is in a league of her own. Who would've known that cocktail waitress in her homemade denim outfit singing Etta James' "At Last" would become a pop culture mainstay? Let's take a look at why the original American Idol winner is undoubtedly the most successful.
Kelly's music career has been full of chart-topping hits since she debuted her Idol single "A Moment Like This." So far, Kelly has sold over 25 million albums and 45 million singles worldwide. She's had 29 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, three of which have hit number one. Kelly has won three Grammy awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, four American Music Awards, and two Academy of Country Music Awards. In 2017, Billboard honored Kelly with the Powerhouse Award. Kelly has headlined eight tours spanning all across the globe. Her most recent tour, "Meaning of Life," was her highest grossing yet, showing that her popularity and impact keep on growing (via Billboard).
Staying true to her television roots, Kelly can be seen as a coach on the popular NBC show The Voice season 17's winner, Jake Hoot. This makes her one of the more successful coaches on the show; no doubt, her American Idol background gives her an advantage in coaching contestants for a singing competition. In 2019, Kelly started hosting her own daytime talk show called The Kelly Clarkson Show, where she performs covers of songs and interviews famous guests. The show has been a smash hit and has earned six Daytime Emmy Awards. No other Idol contestant can praise their own talk show.
Kelly has been dubbed one of the busiest women in show business, and it's easy to see why. Between her music and television career, she's written children's books, hosted various award shows, and even performed at Barack Obama's second Presidential Inauguration. Kelly has transformed over the years, but what makes her different than other Idol contests is that she's stayed true to herself and her personality. She's done so much in her career that many forget she started out on American Idol. Kelly has achieved what most on a reality show want to do: become famous outside of the show, which is why no one on American Idol will ever be as successful as Kelly Clarkson.
American Idol airs Sundays & Mondays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
Source: Billboard