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Kelly Clarkson Is Back From Summer ‘Hanging Out In Nature’

Kelly Clarkson spoke to NBC’s Today Show about spending her summer vacation. She took some time off, and was enjoying life with her two kids, River and Remington. Kelly said it…

Kelly Clarkson Is Back From Summer 'Hanging Out In Nature'
JC Olivera/Getty Images

Kelly Clarkson spoke to NBC's Today Show about spending her summer vacation. She took some time off, and was enjoying life with her two kids, River and Remington.

Kelly said it had been a long time since she's had the whole summer off, "16 years old, and I don't think it's maybe common for a lot of working people, you don't get summers off unless you're in high school. But I just had a minute, and it has obviously been a rough couple of years; it was really important to be to shut down for a minute."

Hoda Kotb asked what she did during the summer, and Clarkson replied, "I literally four-wheeled in the mountains, and I have a lot of water on my property, so my sister and nephew and I and a couple of friends just literally spent the summer in the mountains just hanging out in nature. And the kids were with me, and it was nice because they usually have to travel a lot because of our separation, but we were both (she and her ex-husband) in Montana, so it felt for the first time, my kids felt a little more centered as well. It was nice."

Kelly said her children are excited to return to school this month, "My kids, it's the first year my kids are going to the same school cause he's (Remi) now in kindergarten, so he's very excited about the big playground."

The Kelly Clarkson Show's fourth season begins this month (August).

Kelly Clarkson celebrates her 40th birthday on Sunday (4/24), and while she says it's going to be "low-key" this year noting to E!, "I know it's my big 4-0, but I've had a crazy two years, so I just wanted a chill birthday." She is planning a dinner with her band and hiking with friends, but we want to make a big deal about it and celebrate.

Kelly is the perfect combination of a fantastic singer, an honest songwriter, and an infectious and downright fun personality.

She not only hosts her own daily talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, but she is also a regular on NBC's The Voice, and she just recently started co-hosting another NBC show called American Song Contest with Snoop Dogg.

We are covering her ten best radio singles for this special birthday list, and no doubt it was hard to choose.

10. "Piece by Piece" (2017)

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A song was written about the pain her father caused her when he left the family when Kelly was just six years old. The song is actually a sequel to her 2005 song "Because Of You." It's powerful for sure and was also the title of her seventh studio album. The version of this song she sang on ‘American Idol’ in 2017 was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance.


9. "A Moment Like This" (2002)

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This song was released as her debut single. Later, it was included in her debut studio album, ‘Thankful’ (2003). "A Moment Like This" was written to be the first single for the winner of the first season of ‘American Idol.’


8. "My Life Would Suck Without You" (2009)

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Reviews for this song were mixed, but TIME named it the best song of 2009.


7. "Heartbeat Song" (2015)

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This beat just won't quit. Lyrically, it’s about meeting someone who restores the narrator’s faith in love.


6. "Mr. Know It All" (2011)

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When this song was first released, Clarkson described the song as a "vocally raw record" and said that she and her producers strove to record her voice as it is heard at live performances, using as little auto-tune processing as possible.


5. "Breakaway" (2004)

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A classic hit pop song. It was initially intended for Avril Lavigne's debut studio album. After being deemed unsuitable for the album, it was passed to Kelly to be recorded as a soundtrack for the film ‘The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.’


4. "Miss Independent" (2003)

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A top ten hit that Clarkson's record label didn't want to release as a single, but Kelly insisted. She co-wrote the song with Christina Aguilera, Rhett Lawrence, and Matt Morris.


3. "Since U Been Gone" (2004)

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This may be the song most closely related to Kelly Clarkson. Clarkson performed "Since U Been Gone" at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards and at the 2006 BRIT Awards. Fun fact: The song was first given to Hilary Duff, but she rejected it because she could not reach its higher notes.


2. "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" (2012)

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What a great song to get anyone through a breakup. The song's accompanying music video incorporates the theme of a global flash mob dance, featuring submitted videos of people dancing to the song.


1. " Because of You" (2005)

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It is just one of the most honest and heartbreaking songs. One line in the song just kills, saying, "My heart can't possibly break / When it wasn't even whole to start with." Kelly's emotional performance of the song on the record is just excellent. Clarkson even wrote the treatment for the video herself to reflect the pain that she felt due to her parents' divorce.