Kelly Clarkson Reveals Why She Chose ‘The Voice’ Over ‘American Idol’

With news of the American Idol reboot heading to ABC in 2018, Kelly Clarkson is opening up about why she chose to be a coach on NBC’s The Voice, and not the show that once made her famous.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Clarkson explains it wasn’t due to any hard feelings about her past experience with the show. Instead, it’s all about her family’s lifestyle.

Clarkson’s husband, Brandon Blackstock, also manages Blake Shelton, who is a mainstay coach on the NBC reality music series, allowing the 36-year-old to understand the show’s schedule and see it fit her family life.

“I want it to be a great experience for my whole family, and that’s what I have to think about at this point in my life,” she explains. “We’re used to The Voice schedule, we already have to work around it because of our family. We have four children — that can be very taxing with a schedule. It was just a no-brainer for me with The Voice because of that alone.”

However, Clarkson is still very excited about Idol, despite its quick turnaround since the finale.

“It’s a little too soon, because I was pregnant with my son when it ended, and he’s only 1,” she tells EW with a laugh.

Even though she is confident in her decision to be with the NBC series, she can’t deny feeling a little sad about missing out on being a part of Idol.

“I was kind of bummed too when [Idol] came to me. I hope it’s super successful,” Clarkson said.

But she does have high hopes for being a coach on The Voice, especially since she can help others have a successful career like her own.

“Would it have been awesome to come back to the show that started me and help give someone that start? Yes!” Clarkson says. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t do the same thing on The Voice. That’s my goal. I want to have someone on my team, whether they win or not, to have a successful career after being on the show.”

Clarkson just released her new single, “Love So Soft” for her next record, Meaning of Life, set to release this October. Clarkson says the new record is the one she’s always wanted to make, especially with the new label, Atlantic.

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