Clarkson says Clive Davis didn’t hate her CD

‘Every record I’ve come out with, people have not liked,’ says the pop star

Richard Drew / AP

Kelly Clarkson, the first "American Idol" winner, says that reports that Clive Davis hated her new album, "My December," have been exaggerated.

updated 6:13 p.m. ET May 15, 2007

LOS ANGELES - Kelly Clarkson says the media is exaggerating reports that she and music mogul Clive Davis clashed over her upcoming CD, “My December.”

“You know what it is: This situation is just blown up,” the 25-year-old singer told AP Television News last week. “This record is no different from my other records. Every record I’ve come out with, people have not liked.”

The Grammy-winning pop star and original “American Idol” is signed to RCA Records, one of the labels Davis controls as chairman and CEO of BMG Label Group. She has been dogged by recent reports that Davis hated songs on her third album.

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Clarkson, who called the disc “really cool” and versatile, said artist-label disagreement — a reality in the music business — can be healthy.

“There’s always this battle, and it’s not a bad battle to have,” she explained. “I mean, you obviously don’t want ‘yes’ people around you. And, obviously, (Davis) and others at the label have been in the business far longer than I have. So you obviously take their opinions in.”

In the end, though, “I always go with my gut,” she said. “My gut has obviously done pretty well for me thus far, so I don’t see why I shouldn’t keep listening to it.”

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“My December,” is slated for release in July. Clarkson will visit nearly 40 U.S. and Canadian cities on her upcoming tour, set to open July 7 with the Live Earth concert at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The tour will end in Las Vegas in September.

“My whole goal is not just to sell millions of records,” she said. “My whole goal is to have people like my music, come out to shows. That’s basically it. I’m pretty low-key.”