Even though the first single off her debut album was called “Miss Independent,” Kelly Clarkson doesn’t want to be called a feminist.
In an interview with Time magazine, Clarkson said she is proud of the fact that she worked hard to support herself in her late teens. And while she likes being independent, she also likes being looked after by her new husband, music manager Brandon Blackstock.
“I wouldn’t say [I’m a] feminist, that’s too strong,” Clarkson said. “I think when people hear feminist it’s just like, ‘Get out of my way I don’t need anyone.’ I love that I’m being taken care of, and I have a man that’s an actual leader. I’m not a feminist in that sense… but I’ve worked really hard since I was 19, when I first auditioned for Idol .”
Kelly Clarkson won the first season of American Idol in September 2002, when she was 20 years old. Her debut single, “A Moment Like This,” topped the Billboard Hot 100 and became the best-selling single of the year. Her debut studio album, Thankful , was certified 2x platinum and sold over 4.5 million copies. “Miss Independent,” the lead single from the album, earned Clarkson her first Grammy nomination.
Clarkson also said that while it seems like female artists are becoming more provocative, there have always been edgy female singers.
“There’ve always been women in the industry who have pushed the envelope — Cher, Madonna, Annie Lennox. I don’t think anything different is going on,” she said.
“People say, ‘Oh, you never go for the whole sex-appeal thing.’ Well, I don’t ever not go for it, either. I just go for who I am,” she added. “People in the industry have tried douche moves with me, but of course they’re going to, because they make money when girls do that.”
Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock married at Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee, on October 20. The couple began dating in February 2012 and announced their engagement in December. In August, Clarkson said she was “so over” wedding planning and announced that she and Blackstock decided to elope instead.
“We are so busy that we finally just came to terms the other night and were like, ‘So, we change our minds and we want to elope,’” Clarkson said. “We just got so overwhelmed by it – all the decisions.”
Kelly Clarkson released her Christmas album, Wrapped In Red , Tuesday, October 29.
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