Live4MusiC

THERE is a reason you don't really hear any gossip about Kelly Clarkson.

For one thing, she doesn't live in Hollywood.

In a phone interview with The New Paper from her home in Texas, she gave a firm 'no' when asked if she would ever move to Los Angeles.

'I grew up in Texas and I've always loved it here,' she said, eagerly talking about the time she spends with the 'donkeys, horses, cats and dogs' she has on her family ranch.

The other reason: Clarkson's far too busy working to lead the kind of social life that results in paparazzi photos of after-party drunkenness.

The 27-year-old singer will be here for her first major concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on April 27.

It will be her fourth visit here since she made her name on the pop charts after winning the inaugural American Idol title in 2002.

When she spoke to The New Paper yesterday, Clarkson was at the tail end of a two-week rest from her last round of concerts in Europe and Africa, before she heads out to Australia to begin the Asian leg of her world tour.

What has she been doing in her downtime?

'Going to the dentist, and doing all my medical check-ups,' she said. 'No, it's not very exciting at all!'

The banality of her life off the road, she says, is her 'crazy workload' - interviews, meetings, songwriting and producing.

Last year, she even worked on her own iPhone app, Kelly Clarkson Open Mic, a singing game which allows iPhone users to test their vocal skills on singles from her latest album, All I Ever Wanted.

She has been so busy, she hasn't had time for a love life.

'I guess if I did meet someone who was right for me, I'd make time for it,' she said. 'But I haven't met anyone yet!'

Her mother and her older sister, whom she's very close to, have not pressured her about dating.

'They get more concerned about how much I'm working. That's when they'll ask me if I need to just relax,' she said.

'I think my mum would be really happy if I didn't get married until I was 40! She and my sister keep telling me I should travel the world and do as much as I can before I settle down.'

Clarkson certainly has been doing a lot of that - she recently made a two-week trip to Africa to do shows, as well as to visit children's homes and do other charity work.

As for her other visits here, they were only for promotional work or smaller gigs. Naturally, she is excited about her upcoming concert.

Fans can expect all her biggest hits, some 'interesting' covers and perhaps some new material from her new album, due out later this year. She described it as '80s meets pop rock, with a little bit country'.

Despite recently tweeting her support for current American Idol finalist Crystal Bowersox, Kelly said she has watched only 'a total of six episodes (of the TV series) in the last eight years'.

'I'm actually a total nerd about these sorts of singing and dance shows - I just don't really have the time,' she said.

Though Idol can be clogged with contestants butchering her songs, Clarkson said she has never watched any of the offending attempts.

'I remember being on the show and singing other people's songs so whatever it is, I think it's cool there's people who choose to (sing) my songs,' she said.

She did, however, take some time to watch an online clip of her song, My Life Would Suck Without You, performed by the cast of hot new TV show Glee in its first season finale.

'I grew up singing in a show choir too, so seeing that was so awesome,' she said.

Not so cool

What is not awesome? Having another single, Already Gone, from her last album, sounding exactly like Beyonce's hit Halo.

Music fans noticed last year that the tracks had similar beats and chords. Clarkson, who had released her single later, was initially accused of stealing the idea for the song from Beyonce.

As it turned out, both songs were co-written by OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder, and Clarkson said he had given both her and Beyonce the same track to work with.

'That was not cool at all,' she said. 'I guess some people think they can do something like this and no one's going to say anything, but I'm not that kind of person.'

Asked if she would work with him again, she said, 'No, probably not.'

- TNP