Pop singer who gained recognition for winning the first American Idol competition in 2002. Her debut single "A Moment Like This" became the song of the year, as well.
She turned down two full-ride scholarships to the University of Texas and the Berklee College of Music, and later turned down two record deals before winning American Idol.
In 2006, she won a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the widely successful song "Since U Been Gone."
She was born to Jeanne and Joseph Clarkson, and has a stepfather named Jimmy Taylor as well as a brother named Jason and sister named Alyssa. She married Brandon Blackstock in 2013. The couple had a daughter named River Rose in June of 2014 and a son named Remington Alexander in April of 2016.
She and Carrie Underwood both gained fame after winning American Idol.
