Kelly Clarkson Wants to Punch Adele in the Face, Says AI Was to Pay Bills

Former American Idol Kelly Clarkson is out with a new album nearly a decade after her big reality-show break, and the singer has opened up about her original ambitions in doing the reality show, her goals of being a backup singer and her own celebrity ‘idols.’

Back when Clarkson won fans and hearts across America with her raw talent, the show on which she was discovered was nearly as unknown as she was. While the reality karaoke contest is now a big part of American pop culture (with incarnations all over the world), Idol didn’t start out as dream for entertainment industry hopefuls the way it is now. In fact, Clarkson says, she did it only for the promise of a short-term payout when her luck ran out. She explains:

“My goal was just to be a backup singer – I never intended to be in front. But then my apartment in LA burned down and I had to move home, I had no money and I had to sleep in my car for three days. I just auditioned for this thing that said they’d pay you, and it happened to be American Idol. I didn’t go into it thinking this would happen; I went into it thinking it might pay my electric bill.”

Since she hit the big time in the show’s first season, however, Clarkson hasn’t had much to worry about in the way of utility bills. For all her talents, Clarkson is able to recognize the same innate ability in others. Of British singer Adele, Clarkson jokes:

“I want to punch Adele in the face! She is just too good. I saw the Brit awards and I was bawling just watching her on YouTube, in a little box this big.”

Below is a recent performance of Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone,” a song she says is the most “depressing” she’s ever written. Have you been following Clarkson’s career since her AI win?