Kelly Clarkson has a net worth of $45 million as an American singer, songwriter, and reality TV personality. Kelly Clarkson’s music career was sparked by her involvement on the reality television show “American Idol.” Clarkson’s high net worth is the consequence of both her success in the entertainment industry and a succession of astute financial decisions. She also became a prominent writer, specializing in children’s literature.
Early Years
Kelly Brianne Clarkson was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on April 24, 1982. She is the youngest of three children, and her parents’ divorce isolated her from her siblings. While her brother and sister moved in with other relatives, Kelly remained with her mother. Clarkson’s upbringing as a Southern Baptist was significantly influenced by the church.
In middle school, she joined the chorus, which was her first exposure to singing. When she was in high school, Clarkson participated in numerous musicals and talent events. Kelly Clarkson, who was offered scholarships to various universities due to her singing abilities, turned them all down. She was eager to devote herself solely to her musical career, and she desired to begin soon.
Personal Life
After a nine-month engagement, Kelly married Brandon Blackstock in October 2013. Brandon is the son of Kelly’s former manager, Narvel Blackstock. Reba McEntire and Narvel were married for many years. Kelly and Brandon revealed in November 2013 that they were expecting their first child together. The birth of their daughter occurred on June 12, 2014. The birth of their son occurred on April 12, 2016.
View this post on Instagram
Career
After graduating high school in 2000, Clarkson prioritized recording a demo reel. She worked many jobs to finance the recording sessions, and record labels expressed interest. She declined a few proposals because she feared she would be stereotyped and commercialized if she accepted.
She moved to Los Angeles in 2001 because she assumed she would find more chances there. Although she was able to record a 5-track demo reel, every record label she approached rejected her. She was later compelled to return home due to financial troubles. During this difficult period, she worked as a movie theatre hostess and a cocktail waitress.
Kelly Clarkson’s friends pushed her to audition for “American Idol” shortly after her return home. It was the very first season of the show, and as the series progressed, the producers were still playing it by ear.
Clarkson made it to the final round and ultimately won the entire competition, launching her career in earnest. As the winner of “American Idol,” Clarkson was signed to RCA Records by the show’s creator, Simon Fuller. “A Moment Like This,” her debut hit, eventually went to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. It was the best-selling single in the United States in 2002.
Clarkson released her debut album, “Thankful,” in 2003. The album was certified double-platinum, and critics commended Clarkson’s exceptional vocals.
The album included songs such as “Miss Independent” and “The Problem With Love Is.” She forged her way in the music industry shortly thereafter by severing relations with Simon Fuller and finding new management. The outcome was a brand-new, one-of-a-kind record titled “Breakaway.” In 2004, critics praised the album upon its debut.
It was also Clarkson’s most financially successful album, selling more than 12 million copies worldwide. In 2005 and 2006, following the success of her new album, Clarkson embarked on an ambitious tour.
The darker tone of Kelly Clarkson’s third album was a source of disagreement for RCA’s management. They desired that Kelly pursue a more commercial sound, and they rebelled when Clarkson refused to accept professional involvement in the creative process. As a result of her desire to do things her way, RCA failed to promote the record to the amount they had in the past.
The album titled “My December” was released in 2007 and was released in 2007. Although it was well-received by reviewers and was certified platinum, it sold just 2.5 million copies worldwide, a far cry from Kelly’s previous breakthrough with “Breakaway.”
With her next album, “All I Ever Wanted,” Clarkson returned to a more popular sound. With its lighter tone, the album climbed to the top of the Billboard 200 and again earned platinum certification for its commercial success. Additionally, critics complimented Clarkson’s effort. Clarkson again toured between 2009 and 2010 in promotion of the record.
After working with Jason Aldean on the immensely successful country song “Don’t You Wanna Stay,” Kelly Clarkson released the album “Stronger” in 2011 and was awarded a Grammy for her efforts. Clarkson received significant acclaim in 2012 for her rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Super Bowl. This year also marked the publication of her debut greatest hits CD.
In 2013, Clarkson released the holiday album “Wrapped in Red,” which rapidly achieved platinum certification. Kelly Clarkson released her seventh and final album with RCA in 2015. Her album earned the third spot on the Billboard 200 for the third time. The next year, she signed with Atlantic and released the album “Meaning of Life.”
View this post on Instagram
Film Industry
Since the beginning of her career, Kelly Clarkson has participated in the film. Her first major part was in the 2003 film “From Justin to Kelly,” which was poorly reviewed. Clarkson has also appeared on several television programs, including reality shows like “The Voice” and subsequent seasons of “American Idol.” Clarkson has also risen to prominence as a voice actor, appearing in animated films such as “The Star” and “Trolls: World Tour.” She also has her show, titled “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”
Children’s Books
Kelly Clarkson signed a book contract with HarperCollins in 2016. Her debut book for children was titled “River Rose and the Magical Lullaby.” She published another novel in 2017 titled “River Rose and the Magical Christmas.” She has expressed a desire to write additional children’s books in the future.
How Much Does Kelly Clarkson Make on Her Music?
RCA Records awarded Clarkson a $1 million recording contract as the first American Idol winner. Before signing with Atlantic Records in 2016, she sold 13 million albums and won three Grammys while under their supervision. The details of Clarkson’s Atlantic Records contract have not been made public, but it’s safe to assume she had far more leverage in talks than when she was a teenager who had just won a television singing competition!
Since American Idol, Clarkson has sold a total of 25 million albums and 45 million singles throughout her career. Breakaway, released in 2004, has sold 6.5 million copies, making it her best-selling album to date; her debut, Thankful, has sold more than 2 million copies.
“Miss Independent,” “Since U Been Gone,” “Breakaway,” “Behind These Hazel Eyes,” “Stronger,” “Because Of You,” “My Life Would Suck Without You,” “Already Gone,” “Catch My Breath,” and “Piece By Piece” is among Clarkson’s best-selling singles.
Wrapped In Red, Clarkson’s Christmas album, is also a modern holiday classic, one of the best-selling holiday albums of the 2000s, and was recognized by Billboard as the “Christmas album of the century.”
How Much Does Kelly Clarkson Make a Month?
During her divorce from Blackstock, court filings revealed that Clarkson’s monthly compensation is $1.9 million, including earnings from The Voice and The Kelly Clarkson Show. Meanwhile, TMZ reports that Blackstock makes a little fraction of that amount, “around $10,000 each month.”
View this post on Instagram
How Much Does Kelly Clarkson Make on Her Tours?
Clarkson’s career tour earnings (to date!) total $60.5 million. Her highest-grossing tour was the Meaning of Life Tour, which sold 275,000 tickets and grossed $17.5 million over 28 dates.
The entire 2006 Addicted Tour grossed $9.1 million, with just two shows at the Nikon Theater at Jones Beach in Long Island, New York grossing $1.385,000. Her Breakaway Tour grossed $9.7 million, placing her second only to Carrie Underwood among American Idol alumni in terms of tour earnings.
Divorce
In June of 2020, Kelly petitioned for a divorce. A judge awarded Kelly primary custody of their two children in November 2020. Sadly, Brandon filed a support petition requesting $430,000 in MONTHLY child support at the same time the custody judgment was rendered. The request was separated into $135,000 for child support and $301,000 for spousal support. In addition, he requested $2 million to cover his legal bills.
A few weeks later, in reaction, Kelly filed a complaint alleging that during the thirteen years Brandon managed her, he lacked the required licensing for talent agents. Therefore, she demanded the return of one million dollars in fees.
A judge ordered Kelly to pay Brandon $195,000 per month in support beginning in April 2021. This was divided between $150,000 in spousal support, which will endure for two years, and $45,000 a month in child support, which will likely continue until their children reach the age of eighteen.
A judge ordered Kelly to transfer a 5 percent stake in her Montana property to Blackstock in January 2022. The ranch is estimated to be worth $17.75 million, therefore Blackstock’s 5 percent ownership was valued at $908 thousand at the time of the judge’s decision.
In March of 2022, Kelly and Brandon reached an official divorce settlement. According to the final agreement, she will retain custody of their children and the majority of their assets. On the other side, she will pay him $115,000 per month in support through January 2024 in addition to $45,000 per month in child support, presumably until the children reach the age of majority. Additionally, Kelly agreed to pay a one-time lump amount of $1,300,000.