American Idol jump started Kelly Clarkson’s career in 2002, but as it turns out, the pop star didn’t actually want to win the competition.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly this week, Clarkson said that she didn’t want to win the singing competition because the winner was contractually obligated to do a movie. In a conversation with Justin Guarini before the winner was announced, she remembers saying she hoped he came in first as he was excited about the opportunity to do a film — and she decidedly was not.
The rest, of course, is history. Clarkson won and, soon after, she and Guarini began filming the promised film. The end result, From Justin to Kelly, was released in 2003. It was a gigantic flop, both with critics and at the box office. (“How bad is From Justin to Kelly?” wrote Entertainment Weekly. “Set in Miami during spring break, it’s like Grease: The Next Generation acted out by the food-court staff at SeaWorld.”)
Despite the setback, Clarkson’s career took off. She’s since had multiple albums chart at No. 1 on Billboard.
The singer just released the first single off her latest album Meaning of Life.
That album is expected to be released on October 27.