Kelly Clarkson Is the Youngest of Three Children in Her Southern Family

Kelly Clarkson has found success doing pretty much everything in the time since she won American Idol in the early 2000s. We know she can sing, and it turns out, she’s also a pretty good singing coach on The Voice and an even better talk show host. 

While you may know plenty about Kelly’s talents, though, you might know less about the life she led before she was a household name. 

Before winning American Idol in her early 20s, Kelly was living in Fort Worth, Tex., with her mother. She was born to a first-grade teacher and a former engineer, but her parents got divorced when she was just 6. Eventually, her mother remarried another man, and her father remarried as well.  

Kelly is the youngest of the three children that her parents had together. She has an older brother named Jason and an older sister named Alyssa. She also has two half-brothers from her father’s second marriage. Following her parent’s divorce, Jason was sent to live with their father, Alyssa moved in with an aunt, and Kelly remained with her mother.  

Growing up, Kelly was raised as a Southern Baptist, and she apparently spent quite a bit of time in church. "I always grew up in church. I was the leader of our youth group,” Kelly said in an interview. “I've always grown up pretty close to church and with God. But I think I've just gotten a lot closer just because He's the only one I can lean on."

Although the world knows Kelly as a hugely talented singer, she herself wasn’t aware of the talent until the choir conductor caught her singing in the hall in seventh grade and told her she should audition. Clarkson said that she’d never had any formal training, but that hardly seemed to matter. By the time she’d graduated from high school, she’d performed in several school musicals and the high school talent show. 

By the time she had graduated, Kelly had lined up several scholarships at colleges around the country. Although she initially considered continuing her studies, ultimately, she decided to try and make it as a musician first. “I've already written so much music and wanted to try a career on my own" she said, adding "you're never too old to go to college." She worked a number of jobs to finance a demo, and eventually moved to L.A. 

Although she landed several cameos while in Los Angeles, Kelly eventually returned to Texas, having turned down several record contracts because she didn’t want to be pigeon-holed as a “bubblegum pop” artist. That’s when American Idol walked into her life. Ultimately, the show proved to be a game-changer for the talented singer, and she never looked back after that. 

To this day, Kelly remains one of the most successful Idol winners in the show’s history, and one of its biggest talents. Whether she’s singing herself or helping others follow their dreams on The Voice, Kelly has proved that she was born to be a star.