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The mystery of how 'American Idol' found the legendary Kelly Clarkson on its first try

One of the best singers of all time was just a needle in a haystack.

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Kelly Clarkson has come a long way since her American Idol days.

Kelly Clarkson can literally sing anything. That's simply undisputed fact at this point, as the Pop Princess continues to wow the world on pretty much a weekly basis with her powerful vocals. The woman takes hard songs, makes them harder to sing, and then knocks them out of the park every time. She's more than earned her rank among the world's greatest singers, which is remarkable considering how she initially rose to fame.

Some of us are old enough to remember seeing Kelly Clarkson for the first time 24 years ago, when she was just a 20-year-old aspiring singer and cocktail waitress auditioning for a new TV show in a dress she made herself. American Idol promised to find America's best singer from among the masses, but surely the likelihood of that really happening was slim, right? It's funny now to look back and recall how that first season of American Idol went down. Obviously, people know Kelly Clarkson won, but what people might not know or remember is that she didn't really stand out among the competition at the very beginning.

- YouTube youtu.be

She was a very good singer, don't get me wrong. But she wasn't as polished as she is now and there were other good singers (shout out to Tamyra Gray) and performers with a certain "X factor" (hello, Justin Guarini) in that first season that made the show genuinely competitive. As executive producer Nigel Lythgoe told Billboard, Kelly Clarkson didn't really stand out until the top 10 started competing.

“Justin Guarini and Tamyra Gray—we all said right from the beginning—those two. Tamyra was going to win,” said Lythgoe. “Kelly didn’t come through. The only thing that stood out was her humor. It was only when we got into the top 10 that all of a sudden, [when Kelly sang] people would stand there open-mouthed.”

What did stand out was Clarkson's personality. She was funny, likeable, and down-to-earth with a charming Texas twang in her speech. But her voice began to shine more and more as she sang songs that showcased her powerhouse soprano range. We watched her get better and better every week until the top three when it became clear she was going to win the whole thing. Even when she was suffering from laryngitis and could barely talk, she knocked Celine Dion's "I Surrender" out of the park to make it to the top three.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

It's wild to look back now and realize we were literally watching a star be born. But of course, the show was brand new. No one knew whether winning American Idol would really make someone a star with staying power. As we've seen in the decades since, it's not a guarantee. Not even close.

Yet here we are, still marveling at Kelly Clarkson's voice that somehow still keeps getting better and better. With a discography of some 550 songs in addition to countless live performances and her popular "Kellyoke" covers that put every karaoke enthusiast to shame, she's proven she can sing anything. She's sung some of the most iconic and challenging songs like they were nothing.

Watch her hit—and sometimes exceed—other artists' famous high notes for nine minutes straight (or at least skip to minute 8:35 to see how she out-high-notes Celine Dion in "All By Myself"):

- YouTube www.youtube.com

One thing hasn't changed, despite nearly two and a half decades of fame and some very public personal struggles—Clarkson is still the funny, loveable girl with the slight southern accent who makes people feel right at home in her presence. There's a reason she has her own successful talk show. Somehow, through all these years of stardom, she's remained humble and kind, as evidenced by her fangirly reaction to Celine Dion's praise after she sang (and nailed, of course) Dion's "My Heart Will Go On."

- YouTube www.youtube.com

How did American Idol find this gem among all the potential singers in the country on its very first try? It's a mystery. But how lucky were they that she signed up for the audition (despite having no idea what she was auditioning for—she told Jimmy Fallon that she didn't even know it was a TV show until the third audition) and gave them a genuine superstar for their first winner. At this point, it's hard to say whether Clarkson should be thanking American Idol for providing her big break or whether they should be thanking her for making the show continuously relevant even when other winners' careers have fizzled.

She really does just keep getting better vocally, and we should all count ourselves lucky that we're here to witness it.

@kellyclarksonshow

Never Let Go 💙 #kellyoke #kellyclarkson #celinedion #titanic #cover

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An emotional Céline Dion praises Kelly Clarkson's performance of 'My Heart Will Go On'

Tears all around.

Photo credit: RepliCarter (left), Marc Piscotty (right)

Céline Dion and Kelly Clarkson are two of the best vocalists of our time.

There are lots of great singers out there, but only a small handful can rightfully be listed among the greatest vocalists of all time. Icons like Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey and Céline Dion earned their place on that list long ago, and Kelly Clarkson has made a strong case for herself ever since she came to fame as the first "American Idol" winner in 2002.

Clarkson has serious pipes, there's no question about it. That woman can sing her face off, and she just seems to be getting better and better year by year.

Céline Dion apparently agrees. In a heartfelt video shared on social media, Dion enthusiastically praised Clarkson's performance of "My Heart Will Go On" before sharing the video of it from "The Kelly Clarkson Show."

Watch:

Dion said that she was moved to tears by Kelly Clarkson's own emotional reaction to Dion's performance on the Eiffel Tower at the 2024 Paris Olympics. "It touched me so tremendously," she said. "You were crying, and then you made me start crying. What's up with all this frickin' crying?" Then she said she was crying again seeing Clarkson sing the Titanic theme song, the biggest hit of Dion's career. "You were absolutely incredible, fantastic. I loved it so much," she said.

People praised Clarkson's vocals as well as Dion's strength of spirit, especially considering the formidable health challenges Dion has faced in the past couple of years.

Céline Dion has been fighting a disease that impacts her ability to perform

In December of 2022, Dion announced she had been diagnosed with an incurable disease that was affecting her ability to sing and perform.

"I have been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called stiff person syndrome, which affects something like one in a million people," Dion said in an announcement posted to Instagram. "While we're still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what's been causing all of the spasms that I've been having. Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I'm used to."

Since then, Dion has shared her health journey with updates through social media and in the film "I Am: Céline Dion," on Prime Video. She worked for months leading up to the Olympics to gain strength to be able to perform “L’Hymne à L’Amour” by Edith Piaf. It was a highlight of the opening ceremonies and Kelly Clarkson's tearful reaction to it was shared by millions around the world who knew what Dion had been dealing with.

Kelly Clarkson took on the notoriously difficult "My Heart Will Go On" and nailed it

People also praised Dion's generosity of spirit in complimenting Clarkson for her "My Heart Will Go On" rendition. That song is incredibly difficult to sing due to its belted high notes, but Clarkson can belt with the best of them. She took an iconic song that's hard to imagine anyone but Dion singing and made it her own while fully honoring the original, an homage that Dion clearly took to heart.

Clarkson has long been a fan of Dion's, often citing her influence on her as a singer and performer. Imagine having one of your idols praising you the way Dion did Clarkson here. It must feel like a dream come true, but Clarkson has earned every bit of those accolades.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Seeing these two incredible singers express so much awe and respect for one another is just beautiful. So often, people who rise to the top have a competitive spirit that can get in the way of camaraderie, but there's nothing but love flowing between these two. Icons recognizing icons. Talent praising talent. Women lifting up women. People love to see it.

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Gorgeous 3-part harmony got 'The Voice' judges to hit their buttons within 7 seconds

They had the judges' attention right from the first bar of "Made You Look."

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OK3 wowed everyone with their powerful voices.

The way our brains react to musical harmony is fascinating. When notes are off, the blending of different tones is grating and unpleasant. But when a harmony hits just right, it's a like a sweet celebration for our senses.

That's why, when OK3 sang the opening bar of Meghan Trainor's "Made You Look" in their debut performance on NBC's "The Voice," three of the four judges hit the button to turn their chair around within a remarkable 7 seconds. The women's three-part harmony was powerful throughout the whole song, but their pitch perfect opening was the epitome of attention-grabbing.

The way "The Voice" works is four celebrity judges first hear singers in a blind audition, where their chairs are turned around so they can't see the performers—they can only hear them. Then, if they like what they hear, they push their big red button and turn their chair around, indicating they want that performer on their coaching team. Ultimately, the judges compete along with the singers to have their chosen performers come out on top. When multiple judges turn their chairs, the performer gets to choose whose team they want to be on.

Usually, it takes longer than a few seconds of listening to a singer (or singers) perform for judges to start turning their chairs around, but in this case, it was almost immediate for three out of the four judges. And even the one holdout, Chance the Rapper, eventually hit his button as well, giving OK3 the coveted four-chair turn.

Watch:

The trio brought their vocal coach, who was the one who brought them together in the first place, and the judges encouraged them to consult her to make their decision about whose team they would be on.

Judge John Legend made a case for himself first.

“I loved your performance. ... I grew up arranging songs for groups, and then, when I went to college, I was an award-winning a cappella arranger," Legend said. "If there’s nothing else that I do, I do this." He also added that he thinks "there's a lot of space for a big pop girl group right now."

Country duo judges Dan + Shay made a strong pitch as well, as they literally do harmonies themselves. And Reba McIntyre not only shares roots with the women being from Oklahoma herself, but she also pulled out her Grammy and a box of chicken nuggets, so it's definitely going to be a tough choice.

The sneak preview clip didn't show who the group chose, and neither did the season premiere that aired on February 26, 2024. The episode ended on a cliffhanger, so the choice will be revealed on February 27.

What a standout performance for these young women, Sierra Sikes, 23, Kenna Fields, 22, and Courtney Hooker, 25. Their journey on "The Voice" is sure to be a life-changing experience, if not a career-making one.

You can follow "The Voice" on YouTube.

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Pink shares a proud mama video of her daughter's first singing recital

'This 11 year old (11,000 year old soul) blows me away.'

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Pink's daughter is following in her mom's footsteps with her own unique voice.

One of the best things social media offers is the ability for parents to share some of their kids' big moments. Proud parents are going to proud parent, and modern technology gives us ample opportunity to publicly gush about our offspring without forcing anyone to bear witness to their burgeoning talents.

Celebrity parents are in a bit of a different boat, however. When you're a household name with millions of followers, you might think twice about sharing your proud parent videos. But iconic pop star Pink has shared a video of her daughter's first singing recital just like any other proud mama would, and it's totally sweet.

Pink posted the video to an Instagram reel with the caption "This 11 year old (11,000 year old soul) blows me away."

Pink's daughter Willow can be seen standing on a stage holding a microphone with a purple curtain behind her. A Christmas tree sits on stage to her left and a piano to her right. The piano accompaniment begins, and she begins to sing "The Rose Song" by Olivia Rodrigo.

Imagine being the child of one of the best singers in modern times and wanting to be a singer yourself. It would be so hard not to feel a huge amount of pressure or feel like people are going to expect you to sound like your mom.

But Willow's voice is sweet and unique. She doesn't sound that much like Pink, but her performance shows the apple doesn't fall far from the tree nonetheless.

Watch:

It takes a lot of courage to stand on stage alone and sing, no matter how talented you are. So kudos to Willow for that alone.

But people are loving the performance itself, the way she connects emotionally with the song and how she keeps control of her voice. Even some other famous singers weighed in with praise for the 11-year-old.

"Holy cow!!! What a voice! What composure. Superstar," wrote singer and actress Mandy Moore.

"Whoah Nelly!" wrote Nancy Wilson from Heart. "They’ll be no stopping her!"

Chrissy Metz of "This Is Us" fame shared a simple, emoji-filled "Wow."

The video has thousands of comments from supportive fans, of course, but as any parent knows, the pride that comes with watching your child succeed at what they set out to do doesn't require any fanfare. Pink's sharing of her daughter's recital comes from the same urge most parents have to celebrate our kids' achievements and encourage them in their endeavors. (Did you notice the camera starting to slip up and up before coming back down? A sure sign of a parent trying to balance recording on a phone while watching the performance. Classic.)

It's especially sweet to see this proud mama moment from Pink, as she's previously shared that she never had an urge to be a mom.

"It surprised me. I didn't really want to be a mom," she told Carson Daly on Today last year. "I didn't not not want to be a mom, but it just wasn't sort of on my list of to-dos. I had Willow and, man, that saying of watching your heart go walking outside of your body, it's truly how it feels."

Indeed it is. Congrats to Willow on a beautiful recital and congrats to Pink for raising such a talented, self-composed young lady.

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