Kelly Clarkson always held true to her small-town Texan roots, even when she rose to international fame. She comes from a highly Christian state, but is the singer herself a Christian?
Kelly Clarkson is Christian. She has openly discussed her Christian faith and participated in religious ceremonies in different ways throughout her career.
Kelly Comes from a Christian Household
Kelly was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and raised in suburban Burleson, Texas. Her home state is largely Christian, with 53% of Texans identifying themselves as Christian believers. Kelly is no exception and identifies as Christian as well.
In an interview, Kelly explains that going to Church was a major part of her life as she grew up. She was the leader of her Church’s youth group and always attended Church every Sunday and Wednesday. She was raised as a Southern Baptist by her strict parents.
Luckily Kelly Disobeyed her Religious Parents
The music world would not be the same if Kelly Clarkson actually obeyed her strict Baptist parents! Kelly revealed that her parents forbid her from listening to the controversial musician Alanis Morisette.
Luckily, Kelly did not follow their rule on this issue. She secretly listened to Alanis Morisette and her music became a major source of inspiration for young Kelly.
Alanis Morisette was raised as a Catholic but grew to criticize Catholicism and became a Buddhist later in life. Interestingly, Alanis Morisette met the Pope in 2000. She sang for him and then overheard rude clergymen criticizing her in French without realizing that she spoke the language.
Alanis Morisette inspired another singer of Kelly Clarkson’s genre and generation – Katy Perry. Like Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry was raised Catholic but credits Alanis Morisette for encouraging her to grow into an independent, slightly less religious adult.
Kelly’s Singing and Religion Collide
Following in Alanis Morisette’s footsteps, Kelly had the distinct privilege of singing for Pope Benedict in 2008. She performed the classic song Ave Maria composed by Franz Schubert.
Kelly Clarkson’s performance is made more interesting by the fact that she attends a Baptist church. Baptists are a sect of Protestants and therefore do not believe that the Pope is a mediator between God and man.
The Pope is the head of the Catholic church. Protestants and Catholics have opposed one another since the Protestant Reformation in the 16th-Century.
Kelly singing for the Pope actually holds a deeper significance in light of their religion’s history. Kelly and the Pope bridged a 500-year old gap when they chose to respectfully meet in the middle for her Ave Maria performance.
Years later, Kelly combined both her faith and her voice once more. Although she does not frequently write about religious issues in her music, Kelly appeared as a guest vocalist on Reba McEntire’s Christian song, “Pray for Peace.”
Reba McEntire called the song a “gift from God” and the lyrics encourage people to pray for those who are suffering around the world. Kelly Tweeted about the song and expressed that she was “honored” to sing on it.
Kelly is Not Your Typical Godmother
After years of music success and a satisfying family life with two children, Kelly finally got to sing at a christening ceremony and become a godmother. However, she will not exactly be providing religious advice like a godparent is expected to.
Kelly’s godparent role is unexpected: she’s actually the godmother to a cruise ship! She became the godmother of the Norwegian Encore ship in 2019.
While godparents usually provide religious education and guidance to their godchildren, Kelly admits that her relationship is flipped. As a godmother to the ship she actually gets taken care of and was able to enjoy a relaxing vacation aboard with her family.
Kelly Maintains her Christian Faith
Kelly has frequently spoken about her Christian faith helping her find balance during her hectic career. She said that she is able to stay humble because of her beliefs, and she recognizes how blessed she is to have her music career.
Kelly also embraced her faith when she released one of the best Christmas pop songs of the decade. Her song “Underneath the Christmas Tree” was the most-played Christmas song in 2013, and has consistently landed a spot on music charts every year since its release.
Kelly’s Christian faith certainly played an important part in her development and led to fantastic successes throughout her music career. She sets a positive example and shows others that she can balance her personal faith with her busy celebrity life.
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