Kelly Clarkson Says Music Executives Didn’t Think She Was a Songwriter Because of Her ‘American Idol’ Rise

Kelly Clarkson had to work hard for people to take her seriously as a songwriter. After the singer won American Idol in 2002, her label embraced as a singer, but not a songwriter.

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Rather, Clarkson claimed that her label was “very against” the idea of her penning her own tracks.

“I won a talent show,” she explained during an appearance on SiriusXM Hits 1. “They did not know I was a writer, and it was very hard to get that part validated via them.”

That’s so true, in fact, that executives “rejected” “Because of You” from her debut LP, Thankful in 2003.

“They were like, ‘It doesn’t rhyme. It’s the worst song ever,’” Clarkson recalled of the label executives. “… I was like, ‘Well, it’s not really about that.’”

The situation was especially tough for Clarkson, because songwriting is “meaningful” to her.

“I think what really bummed me, I was kind of figuring that out about the industry early on that a lot of people just don’t care,” she said. “They don’t care about the art of it. They just want to make the money, right?”

Kelly Clarkson Fought for “Because Of You”

Clarkson continued to “push so hard” for “Because Of You,” and eventually secured its place on her 2004 album, Breakaway.

“It blew up and it was like my biggest number one worldwide,” Clarkson recalled of the song. “… I was surprised because I just didn’t see that coming. I thought no one would really hear it.”

After that experience, Clarkson, who now serves as a coach on The Voice, came to realize that “it really is about doing what you love and really holding strong to that.”

“No matter how much you can feel like the machine is against you, your fans will be there,” she said. “They will be the reason why you get to continue to do and not the person, they’re probably going to be replaced. I had like five different label heads in a matter of years.”

As for “Because Of You,” the song hit No. 1 on the Pop Airplay chart, and rose to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also certified Gold in the U.S.

Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for SiriusXM