This was posted Friday, September 8, 2017 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
Kelly Clarkson explained to Entertainment Weekly why she chose to join "The Voice" as a coach instead of the show that discovered her "American Idol."
It was a family decision, not a specific dig against 'Idol."
Her husband and manager Brandon Blackstock manages "Voice" coach Blake Shelton. Clarkson said she is often on set with her children and is familiar with the show. Being a coach gives her a chance to work with her husband.
“We’re used to 'The Voice' schedule, we already have to work around it because of our family,” Clarkson said. “We have four children — that can be very taxing with a schedule. It was just a no-brainer for me with 'The Voice' because of that alone. But my thing is, I was kind of bummed too when ['Idol'] came to me. I hope it’s super successful.”
She has released two new songs, "Love So Soft" and "Move You" and her eighth studio album will come out October 27. ("Love So Soft" began playing on the radio yesterday and already 79 out of 118 tracked Hot AC stations nationwide played it at least once while 68 out of 219 top 40 stations did. Both Star 94 and Q100 locally added it immediately.)
With new music on the way, Clarkson is on this week's EW cover. A more extensive story is in the print edition (yes, I've been getting the print edition since the early 1990s). The story says her new album "Meaning of Life" is less pop rock and more urban soul along the lines of Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston. It's the style of music she excelled in on "Idol" in 2002 but veered away from on the pop charts. The article notes that this is her first album with Atlantic Records after a tumultuous 14 years with RCA. "This is a grown-a**-woman's record," she said.
RCA , she said, kept her in too tight of a lane. Atlantic was more open to her going R&B, to pursue country, to dabble in Broadway. The fact her covers of songs of multiple genres (Rihanna! Aerosmith! Sia!) are super popular on YouTube shows she can cross different planes and her fans will follow.
She purposely sought songwriters out and only co-wrote four of them so she could spend more time with her two kids. "I don't want my kids to grow up with abandonment issues," she said.
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
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The torture that is ABC's endless hunt for celebrity judges for "Idol" continues. TMZ's latest missive said they have already eaten up most of their $40 million budget for Ryan Seacrest and Katy Perry. They are trying to entice folks with deals with Disney, such as licensing and merchandising for Disney properties and theme park partnerships.
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Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Sundance Head of both "Idol" and "The Voice" fame lost his home to Harvey flooding. His father Roy, a popular R&B singer from the 1960s, also suffered substantial losses.
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Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Kris Allen is doing a Christmas tour and will finish up at City Winery in Atlanta on December 22.
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