Kelly Clarkson KELLY FACTS Born in Fortworth Texas

Kelly Clarkson

KELLY FACTS • Born in Fortworth Texas on April 24, 1982 • Youngest of 3 • Raised as a conservative Southern Baptist • Soprano range • She knew she wanted to sing after seeing a choir at an African American Church • In school, Kelly participated in choir, talent shows and plays • Kelly worked as a cocktail waitress and telemarketer to fund her first demo

AMERICAN IDOL In 2002 Kelly Clarkson’s friends convinced her to audition for the first season of American Idol. 2 months later she was labeled as “The Original American Idol!”

KELLY’S INFLUENCES • Reba Mc. Entire • Bette Midler • Christina Aguilera • Aretha Franklin • Mariah Carey, • Etta James, Aerosmith • Jimi Hendrix • Radiohead, Garbage • Rosemary Clooney She has had the opportunity to collaborate with several other popular singers such as Jason Aldean, Reba Mc. Entire, Vince Gill and John Legend.

KELLY’S ACCOLADES • • • three Grammy Awards three MTV Video Music Awards twelve Billboard Music Awards four American Music Awards two Academy of Country Music Awards. over 90 Billboard number-one hits sold over 25 million albums worldwide. • In 2012, Clarkson was ranked nineteenth on VH 1's list of "100 Greatest Women in Music. " • Billboard also ranked Clarkson as the 14 th-best-selling artist of the 2000 s. ”

KELLY’S PERSONAL LIFE • MARRIED BRANDON BLACKSTOCK IN OCTOBER 2013 • KELLY IS A STEPMOM TO BLACKSTOCK’S TWO KIDS • HAD HER FIRST BABY, RIVER ROSE IN JUNE 2014 • ANNOUNCED IN AUGUST 2015 THAT THEY ARE EXPECTING ANOTHER CHILD

One of my all-time favorite songs of Kelly Clarkson’s is “Behind These Hazel Eyes”, which she wrote herself. This song was released in 2005 as part of her 2 nd album called “Breakaway. ” In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Clarkson explains that "Behind These Hazel Eyes" is "about the dipstick who completely screwed up and now is unhappy and you're happy. " According to Pam Avoledo (August 14, 2005, ) "Behind These Hazel Eyes" ‘was successful in the United States; it peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent twenty consecutive weeks inside the top ten without peaking in the top five, a Billboard Hot 100 record. It also became Clarkson's first song to top the Adult Pop Songs chart. It was certified platinum from Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling over one million digital downloads. Elsewhere, the song charted inside the top ten in Austria, Netherlands, New Zealand the United Kingdom. ”

BEHIND THESE HAZEL EYES BY: KELLY CLARKSON Vocal/Chords/Electric Guitar Wikipedia Sourced: “According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes. com by Alfred Publishing, it is set in common time and has a moderate tempo of 90 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of F sharp minor with Clarkson's vocal range spanning over two octaves from F#3 to F#5. The song begins with Clarkson wailing "oh oh oh" over a restless percussion. ” 0: 00 Introduction with a brief intro with 3 electric guitars, piano, and drums 0: 10 Background music softer to highlight Kelly’s voice 0: 33 Kelly and background singers softly lead up to the chorus 0: 41 The guitars and drums increase in sound to start off the chorus and the guitars are dominant in the whole chorus 1: 00 The second verse starts 1: 27 starts the lead up to the second time the chorus plays with intense electric guitar starting it off again 1: 57 the bridge intensity is just as high as the chorus 2: 17 and 2: 46 Kelly jumps to her highest notes in the whole song 2: 28 Chorus 2: 50 Doda and Chorus overlap and blend 3: 10 ends with a soft “behind these hazel eyes” and final drum beat

MY SECOND FAVORITE SONG IS “BECAUSE OF YOU” WHICH WAS ALSO RELEASED IN 2005 AS PART OF CLARKSON’S “BREAKAWAY” ALBUM. ACCORDING TO AN INTERVIEW DONE IN 2004, CLARKSON ORIGINALLY WROTE "BECAUSE OF YOU" WHEN SHE WAS 16 YEARS OLD TO COPE WITH THE EMOTIONAL DISTRESS CAUSED BY HER PARENTS' DIVORCE. WIKIPEDIA STATES, “IT BECAME ONE OF CLARKSON'S MOST SUCCESSFUL SINGLES AROUND THE WORLD; IN THE UNITED STATES, IT PEAKED AT NUMBER SEVEN ON THE BILLBOARD HOT 100 AND SOLD OVER 1. 5 MILLION DIGITAL DOWNLOADS. IT WAS CERTIFIED PLATINUM BY THE RECORDING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA (RIAA). INTERNATIONALLY, "BECAUSE OF YOU" TOPPED THE CHARTS IN THE NETHERLANDS, DENMARK AND SWITZERLAND AS WELL AS REACHING THE TOP TEN IN AUSTRALIA, AUSTRIA, CANADA, GERMANY, BELGIUM, HUNGARY, IRELAND, AND THE UNITED KINGDOM. ”

Cited by Wikipedia. com “Because of you” is a piano and vocal ballad. It is three minutes and 39 seconds. “It is set in common time and has a moderate tempo of 69 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of F minor, and then modulated to the key of G minor, with Clarkson's vocal range spanning over two octaves from A b 3 to Eb 5. ” They also use violins, violas, drums, and vocal. 0: 00 Introduction 0: 09 Starts the pace off with a wintery- serious vibe over a “somber piano. ” This song is all a minor tone. 0: 35 Increase in tempo 0: 43 Introduction of drums starting off the chorus 1: 12 Decrease in tempo. Violins start off lightly as the second verse starts. Drums, piano, and vocal continue. 1: 33 Kelly raises up an octave and tempo increases. 1: 37 Kelly sings at the highest note ending at E b 5 of her song. 1: 39 Second time the chorus is sung 2: 06 Kelly drops to a lower note and sings at a fast tempo, with more of a emotional-serious tone. 2: 26 Kelly jumps back to a high octave for “for the same damn thing” 2: 38 The notes are brought down to a lower note and a slower tempo with just vocal, violin, and piano. 2: 50 The drums are back in with the vocal, violin and piano. 3: 00 Kelly sings at a high octave for “I don’t know how to let anyone else in. ” 3: 05 The chorus is now different words from the first two at a high octave, she sings “Because of you I’m ashamed of my life, because its empty. Because of you. ” Final of the drums 3: 15 “Afraid” is dropped back down to the normal tempo and pitch with piano and violin

My third favorite song from Kelly Clarkson is another she wrote herself called “Piece by Piece, ” which is also the title of her seventh album. Commercially, it became her third album to debut at the top of the Billboard 200 chart with 97, 000 units sold. In a Glamour interview from March, 2015 Kelly explains the inspiration of this song. Kelly States “I had [my daughter] River, and even from holding her the first day, I was like, how could anyone walk away from that? Then I started thinking that my husband [Brandon Blackstock] is such a great father. He’s not an audience guy—he is onstage doing the work with me. He changes diapers, he stays up, and if I’ve had a late night, he’ll wake up with her in the morning. We’re definite partners, and I felt so lucky. I was talking to my sister on the phone about how sometimes girls with daddy issues don’t find men like that! You find men who are all you knew, and I just feel so lucky. Maybe it’s because I waited and worked through my 20 s. It’s a positive song, even though I know it sounds sad. I don’t know what my father went through as a child, and I don’t know why he left and made the decisions he made, but everyone’s human. I don’t understand it for me, but I understand the depth of what that is— having a child—now, and he’s made me want to be that much more present in my family. ”

PIECE BY PIECE Vocal range from C#4 - F#5/ Piano/ Guitar/ Tambourine • • • • 0: 00 Introduction starts with plucking of guitar stings then the drum makes its first appearance 0: 32 Kelly increases volume and jumps an octave 0: 39 Background voice of Kelly or background singers sing “Oh” 0: 49 Chorus, Tambourine makes its first appearance 1: 22 Slows the tempo and volume for “and a father could stay” 1: 30 Verse 2 with a focus on vocal then drums are included 1: 48 Higher octave and louder vocal 1: 56 Continue of background singing of “oh” and whispers end of vocals before chorus 2: 00 Chorus with nice soft sound 2: 43 “Piece by Piece” is repeated six times with “ohs” in the background 2: 58 final two “Piece by Piece” is belted up an octave leading into the final chorus 3: 28 Coda with all instruments 4: 10 End with soft “Ohs” and quiet guitar

WORKS CITED: http: //www. kellyclarkson. com/us/biography https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Kelly_Clarkson https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Behind_These_Hazel_Eyes http: //blogcritics. org/single-review-kelly-clarkson-behind-these/ http: //www. glamour. com/entertainment/blogs/obsessed/2015/03/kellyclarkson-piece-by-piece https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Behind_These_Hazel_Eyes http: //images 5. fanpop. com/image/photos/26500000/Because-Of-You-3 -kelly -clarkson-26537036 -500 -298. jpg http: //www. mjsbigblog. com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Kelly-Clarkson. Piece-By-Piece-Album-Art-Deluxe-Version. jpg https: //thedailydigi. com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/image 52. png https: //c 1. staticflickr. com/5/4016/4578895231_08 a 3 e 380 e 2. jpg http: //2. bp. blogspot. com/-stc. Onf. USZy. I/VPFPc 4 q. Nr. I/AAAAEw. U/7 Amw. Mp. AWhs 4/s 1600/25 cf 75 f 4 a 1855359 fdf 4 a 0 b 3164 b