Almost a decade since being declared the original American Idol, Kelly Clarkson is still going strong. Last week, her fifth studio album, Stronger, was released.
The album title is rather fitting for the 29-year-old Texas native. She's gone through a lot of ups and downs in her life. But she survived and eventually won the most successful singing talent-show in the world, and became a household name.
'The whole album is very much about strength and empowerment, so 'stronger' felt like the perfect title,' says Clarkson. 'And everybody loves that message: what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. It's a perfect representation of my life.'
The singer comes from a broken home. At six, Clarkson and her siblings went to live with their mother after their parents divorced. Lack of money was always an issue in her family, but it later gave her a sense of empowerment.
Her mother's struggles shaped her into the person she is today. Clarkson was also influenced in a way she never realised at the time.
'I think watching [my mother's struggles] moulded me into this person who wants to relay a message to women everywhere that they're capable of doing whatever they set their mind to,' Clarkson says. And she hopes her music can be the driving force for inspiration.