Don't underestimate Kelly Clarkson

Before there was Carrie Underwood, this year's "American Idol," there was Kelly. Kelly Clarkson was the first "American Idol," and is still the show's biggest success. In fact, her second album has just gone double platinum.

Hitting the right note makes you a contest winner. Finding a way to hold on to it, makes you a star. It's been two years since she became the first "American Idol" winner. Dateline was there exclusively behind the scenes as Kelly rocked a Detroit crowd, in the midst of her 30-city, sold out concert tour.

Hoda Kotb: “Do you still pinch yourself? Do you still look around and say you know is this my life?”

Kelly Clarkson: “Oh, that's every day. I mean, because you just wake up and like you -- I don't know -- I'll just talk to one of my friends and they'll just be like, dude, do you like realize like what you're doing?”

Even in our instant celebrity culture, a lot has happened to this 23-year-old in a very short amount of time.

Her career really started when she was in junior high. Kelly was plucked from obscurity. She was the small town Texas girl who couldn't get a record deal until she tried out for a then unknown singing contest in the summer of 2002. Thirteen weeks later, on the strength of over a million call-in votes, Kelly Clarkson was voted the first 'American Idol.'

Slide show   American Idol See pictures from this season.

Kotb: “Was there a point where you realized your life wasn’t really your own anymore.”

Clarkson: “That next morning, I got like four hours of sleep. And I woke up and I came down and did every show know to man that day. I literally felt like kind of like a herd of cow, just kind of being directed around. I think that day I was kind of like, 'Oh God this is going to be very intense.’”

Oh, it was intense. Kelly's first album, "Thankful," released seven months after her "Idol" win, sold more than two million copies. Her song "A Moment Like This" was the best selling single of 2003.

Kotb: “Were you surprised by the success of your first album?”

Clarkson: “I was floored by that. With the first record, I was so exhausted, I just went from auditioning from 'American Idol' to the end of the album. I didn't even realize my album was number one when it came out.”

The fans loved her. Some other musicians, well, maybe not so much.

Kotb: “Do you ever think that other musical celebrities look down on you because you know, here's the girl who won the contest.”

Clarkson: “Oh the contest. People are going to do that all the time no matter what. But I'm not here to please those people.”

And then came the chorus of music critics who said her success was based on a popular TV show and it wouldn’t last. Her 15 minutes of fame were just about over.

Clarkson: “It didn’t really bother me because I knew I was going to be around. I knew I was going to be around. Whenever I am out of this business it will be because of my decision. It won’t be because I’m not popular enough anymore.”

That sort of confidence came in handy, especially when she need a little pick-me-up after her first movie, “From Justin to Kelly,” co-starring the guy who came in second on "American Idol."

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