How Kelly Clarkson Feels About ‘Breakaway’ and ‘A Moment Like This’ Now
Musicians sometimes make songs that end up becoming hits but aren’t their personal favorites. Billy Joel, for instance, has been very vocal in his distaste for his hit song “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” Kelly Clarkson has an impressive career and the talent to back it up. However, she isn’t a huge fan of two of her biggest songs. Here’s how Clarkson feels about “Breakaway” and “A Moment Like This.”
Some background on the Kelly Clarkson hits ‘Breakaway’ and ‘A Moment Like This’
Clarkson rose to fame thanks to her time on American Idol. The singer was the first person to win Idol as she participated in its debut season. Her Idol win resulted in the single “A Moment Like This,” later featured on her debut studio album Thankful as her coronation song.
“A Moment Like This” impacted the charts on September 17, 2002, and was a huge hit. It even topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It made such an impact that the winner of the 3rd season of The X Factor, Leona Lewis, recorded and released her own version of “A Moment Like This” in 2006.
“Breakaway” came two years after “A Moment Like This.” The song references a person who leaves their small town to pursue their big dreams. The song feels like a perfect match for Clarkson, given her claim to fame and fortune.
However, Clarkson didn’t write the song. Singer Avril Lavigne wrote it with Bridget Benenate and Matthew Gerrard. They used Lavigne’s life experiences as inspiration for it. After writing the lyrics and recording the demo, they decided that the song wasn’t the right fit for the singer’s debut album, Let Go.
Clarkson then received the track for her to record as a soundtrack for Princess Diaries 2. The song topped the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart for 21 nonconsecutive weeks.
Why Kelly Clarkson hates ‘Breakaway’ and ‘A Moment Like This’
Clarkson has openly claimed to hate “Breakaway” and “A Moment Like This’ despite both songs topping charts and doing well commercially. BuzzFeed caught up with Clarkson and asked her to rank her songs. In the interview, the singer said “Breakaway” and “A Moment Like This” were her least favorite songs. Clarkson said “Breakaway” wasn’t exciting or challenging to sing.
In a different BuzzFeed interview, Clarkson said she doesn’t have anything against “A Moment Like This” but wasn’t too excited about it. “It’s because the song was not written for me. It was written for the winner [of American Idol]. I’m not against the song. It’s just not really my vibe.”
Kelly Clarkson also doesn’t like her songs attached to Dr. Luke
In 2014, singer Kesha filed a bombshell lawsuit against Dr. Luke for sexual assault and battery. Several celebrities came to Kesha’s defense and many in the industry ceased working with the producer. According to a Z100 interview, Clarkson is one of those who can’t stand Dr. Luke.
The singer said she hates the producer so much she turned down a credit because she didn’t want her name next to his. Clarkson and Dr. Luke worked on several hits, including “My Life Would Suck Without You,” “Behind These Hazel Eyes” and “Since U Been Gone.”
The artist stated that she was forced to work with the disgraced producer. If she didn’t, her records would never see the light of day. Clarkson said she had asked not to work with him because of their past experiences, but the label wouldn’t listen.
In the BuzzFeed interview, Clarkson alluded to this connection, refusing to select songs of hers they worked on. “Basically I’m just picking any song that a particular person isn’t a part of,” she said.
