Weiss Eubanks2016 was the year we said goodbye to American Idol — the show that made Kelly Clarkson a star — but it was also the year we saw Kelly begin a new chapter in her career.
— On February 25, Kelly, who was pregnant with her second child, served as a guest judge and guest performer on the 15th and final season of American Idol. Her tearful performance of the title track of her 2015 album Piece by Piece made a huge impression. The song was released in an “Idol version” a few days later, and debuted at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also earned Kelly her 100th #1 hit on a Billboard chart, more than any other American Idol alum at that time.
— In March, Kelly was the biggest star participating in “This Is for My Girls,” a song penned by Diane Warren to promote first lady Michelle Obama’s educational initiative Let Girls Learn.
— On April 7, a hugely pregnant Kelly appeared on the American Idol finale — in a pre-recorded performance — singing a medley of her hits, ending with an a cappella version of her Idol coronation song, “A Moment Like This.” On April 12, she and her husband Brandon Blackstock welcomed son Remington Alexander.
— In June, Kelly teased that she had a big announcement, and offered clues as to what it was by performing one song a day on Facebook Live. After delivering songs by Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Foreigner and Gnarls Barkley, she made the big announcement: she’d just signed a new record deal with Atlantic Records, the label for which all those acts recorded. Kelly had been on RCA since winning American Idol, but Piece by Piece was her final album for them. The Atlantic deal marks the first time in her career that she was able to choose her own label. Kelly’s promised a “soulful” album, due around June of 2017.
— In October, Kelly released her first-ever children’s book, River Rose and the Magical Lullaby, inspired by the stories she’d make up to keep her daughter River entertained while on tour. She also launched a book tour to promote it, and said she’d write a book at some point for her baby son as well.
— In November, Kelly started a string of holiday TV performances which lasted through December, appearing on everything from Disney’s Magical Holiday Celebration, to CMA Country Christmas, to the lighting of the National Christmas Tree, to the Pentatonix holiday special on NBC. In late November, Kelly released her version of “It’s Quiet Uptown,” her rendition of a song from the Tony-winning musical Hamilton. It appeared on the Hamilton Mixtape album, which later debuted at #1. She said her version was so emotional because she recorded it when she was pregnant with her son.
— In December, Kelly was shocked to learn that the Idol version of “Piece by Piece” had earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance. How fitting that the show that made her a star gave her, as a final gift, yet another Grammy nod. Also in December, Kelly hosted a Nashville holiday benefit concert, Miracle on Broadway, which featured musical performances by many country music stars.
Copyright © 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
