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[update] Singer Kelly Clarkson has canceled several upcoming shows from her Piece by Piece tour, which included appearances in Tampa and West Palm Beach. The original American Idol posted a message to fans on her Facebook account: “So bummed that I have to cancel some of my tour dates. This kills me, but doctors are saying I need to rest my voice! I can’t wait to get healthy and see y’all back on the road soon. I hate canceling and I am truly sorry to my fans that have been excited to see this show. Please know that I never cancel anything unless it’s absolutely necessary.” All tickets will be refunded at the original point of purchase.


It doesn’t feel like it’s been that long, but it was 13 years ago that a cocktail waitress and movie theater usher from Texas named Kelly Clarkson auditioned for a show called American Idol. She, and the show, were immediate hits with the American public, and she would go on to win the show’s first season. Now, thirteen years later, her fame endures and her talent still resonates with millions of listeners.

KellyClarkson_copy2Her seventh studio album, Piece by Piece, was released in February of this year, and she has since embarked on a world tour to promote the album. The Piece by Piece World Tour will be making two stops in Florida; the first will be at the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa on Tuesday, September 15 at 7 p.m., and the second will be at the Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre at the South Florida Fairgrounds (formerly known as the Cruzan Amphitheatre) in West Palm Beach on Thursday, September 17 at 7 p.m. Her opening act will be the a cappella quintet Pentatonix. Artists Eric Hutchinson and Abi Ann will also perform.

ABOUT KELLY CLARKSON

Kelly Clarkson was raised in Burleson, Texas, and started singing in the seventh grade after a teacher encouraged her to join the school’s choir. She had no formal vocal training, but impressed a number of people throughout her time in high school, so much so that she was offered scholarships to go to the University of Texas at Austin, the University of North Texas, and Berklee College of Music in Boston. She turned them all down, instead pursuing her dream of becoming a recording artist and songwriter.

When she auditioned for American Idol in 2002, Kelly Clarkson had not been signed to a record deal, even though she tried her best by moving to Los Angeles for a short time and working with musician Gerry Goffin. The show, which was in its first season, became a sleeper hit for KellyClarkson_copyFOX and propelled Clarkson to the forefront of the national consciousness. She won the first season with 58% of the audience vote and went on to record her first album. Her debut single, “A Moment Like This,” went to #1 on the pop charts in the United States and became the top-selling single for 2002.

Her debut album, Thankful, was released in 2003. The lead single from that album, “Miss Independent,” reached the top five on the U.S. pop charts and earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. After the album’s release, she parted ways with American Idol producer Simon Fuller and released another album with the help of Clive Davis, who produced her initial offering. The album Breakaway was released in the autumn of 2004 and produced five top twenty singles: the title track, “Since U Been Gone,” “Behind These Hazel Eyes,” “Because of You,” and “Walk Away.” She would go on to win two MTV Video Music Awards and a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her work on Breakaway.

In 2006, Clarkson parted ways with Clive Davis and co-wrote an entire album of songs, which was released in 2007 as My December. The first single from the album, “Never Again,” became her next top ten hit, but none of the other singles charted, and Clarkson was criticized for the downbeat and emotional nature of the album. She would return to her pop roots with the 2009 album All I Ever Wanted, which yielded three top twenty singles: the chart-topper “My Life Would Suck Without You,” “I Do Not Hook Up,” and “Already Gone.”

Her fifth album, Stronger, was released in 2011 and saw her mix her country roots with R&B and soul. The title single “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” topped the charts in eighteen different countries, including the United States. The single “Mr. Know It All” also made the U.S. top ten. She would follow up with a Christmas-themed album, Wrapped in Red.

Piece by Piece is her most recent album, which was released on February 27, 2015. On this album, she collaborated with songwriters such as Sia, Bonnie McKee, and MoZella. It became her third album to debut on the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart, and the first single, “Heartbeat Song,” has been a top 40 radio hit this spring and summer.

TICKETS

Tickets are available for purchase via LiveNation and both Florida tour dates can be accessed by going to Kelly Clarkson’s tour page at kellyclarkson.com/us/events. Tickets for the Tampa concert date start at $34 per person and tickets for the West Palm Beach concert date start at $23 per person.

For more information on Kelly Clarkson, visit kellyclarkson.com. Follow her on social media and get updates from Kelly and her team in real time at facebook.com/kellyclarkson and twitter.com/kelly_clarkson.