The Bubblegum Machine

The Western Music Industry, Kelly Clarkson, and Clive Davis

I can't keep mum anymore. I don't know if anyone will care about this post, but this thing has been on my mind all day long. So Clive Davis, a music mogul and record executive most commonly known for discovering the likes of Whitney Houston and Alicia Keys, has just released his memoir entitled "The Soundtrack of My Life" and bashes Kelly Clarkson with deceitful lies intended to make himself look good.

Clive resented Kelly's third studio album, My December, to the point of bashing it in front of her face and using his power over other record executives and radio to prevent it from reaching its full potential. It's first single, 'Never Again', blasted up the iTunes chart and US radio, allowing it to debut at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. It magically lost radio spins once it reached number 20. The second single, Sober, got an adds date but it also magically lost the few spins it has a week before the said date. With virtually no promotions and no support from her record label, Clive went on to prove his point, as My December only went platinum compared to Breakaway which went on to sell 6 million copies in the US and 12 million worldwide. All these have happened back in 2007, but Clive slammed Kelly on a 16-page chapter entitled "American Idol and Kelly Clarkson" in his just released memoir.

"The scene where I'm supposed to speak but instead, I sit and listen again. I'm stuck with these cards, I guess" - Ready, Kelly Clarkson

I hate Clive because of this. He is a monster and Kelly is not his first victim. He discovered Phyllis Hyman but dropped her because she wanted to have creative input in her records and doesn't want to be Clive's robot (search "Phyllis Hyman Unsung" on YouTube). Clive got lucky when he discovered Whitney Houston who agreed to be the money-making puppet he wanted to have. He practically made her the replacement of Phyllis. We all know what happened to that. The night Whitney Houston was found dead on a hotel room bathtub, Clive was throwing a party just a few floors below the said room. What a classy act that is for someone who milked millions of dollars from Whitney and left her when the fame, money, and fortune finally got the best of her and sucked her soul away. I'm glad Kelly stepped up simply because she firmly knows herself and doesn't want to be told what to do just because of money.

Here is Kelly's statement defending herself and her music:

Hey y'all,

So I just heard Clive Davis is releasing a memoir and spreading false information about me and my music. I refuse to be bullied and I just have to clear up his memory lapses and misinformation for myself and for my fans. It feels like a violation. Growing up is awesome because you learn you don't have to cower to anyone - even Clive Davis.

First, he says I burst into "hysterical sobbing" in his office when he demanded Since You Been Gone be on my album. Not true at all. His stories and songs are mixed up. I did want more guitars added to the original demo and Clive did not. Max, Luke and I still fought for the bigger sound and we prevailed and I couldn't be more proud of the life of that song. I resent him dampening that song in any way.

But, yes, I did cry in his office once. I cried after I played him a song I had written about my life called "Because Of You." I cried because he hated it and told me verbatim that I was a "sh*tty writer who should be grateful for the gifts that he bestows upon me." He continued on about how the song didn't rhyme and how I should just shut up and sing. This was devastating coming from a man who I, as a young girl, considered a musical hero and was so honored to work with.
But I continued to fight for the song and the label relented. And it became a worldwide hit. He didn't include that in the book.

He also goes on to say My December wasn't successful because I co-penned the album and it didn't have "pop hits". Well, first let me say, I've co-penned many of my "pop hits." Secondly, My December went platinum (It sold 20,000 less than All I Ever Wanted which followed My December.) Hardly a huge failure. Never Again, the ONLY single they released in the US from that record was a Top 10 hit. I am very proud of that and I have my fans to thank. But, again, what's most interesting about his story is what he leaves out: He doesn't mention how he stood up in front of his company at a convention and belittled me and my music and completely sabotaged the entire project. It never had a chance to reach it's full potential. My December was an album I needed to make for myself for many reasons and the fact that I was so completely disregarded and disrespected was so disheartening, there really aren't words to explain….

Anyway, I love my job. I love my music. I love my fans. I love my label and all of my professional relationships… now. And I am grateful for Clive for teaching me to know the difference.

Cheers to another amazing year! And, as always, thanks for listening!

KC

The music industry is so twisted because the business and money side of it drowns the creative side, which is supposed to be the important part. Music executives are now so afraid to take risks and let their roster of artists do their own thing, create their own music, and believe in their craft because of the continuing power of piracy and declining album sales. This is understandable, but not to the extent of making musicians feel like crap and forcing them to become robots for the sake of selling and making more money. This is the demonic part of the industry, in my opinion. There are still, and many, genuine artists left in the music industry that worked so hard to be who they are and do what they want to do because of passion and not because of money.

I am so pleased to be a Kelly Clarkson fan today, as she refused "to be bullied" even by a music mogul and powerful man that is Clive. Breakaway was Kelly's most successful album. It practically transformed her from a disrespected talent show winner to a bonafide worldwide superstar. But that era burned out the dorky and quirky side of Kelly. That level of success was simply not what Kelly wanted for her life. She was just here to make music. So at one tour stop (Irvine, California), she cancelled her usual meet-and-greet session with her fans because she just couldn't take it anymore. The constant pressure to keep on escalating her success got to her. She wanted solitude, so she locked herself at the venue's bathroom and wrote a song then and there (search 'Irvine'). This song eventually landed on My December, the album Kelly fought for to be released.

Kelly knew My December wouldn't be as successful as Breakaway. She knew it didn't have bubblegum pop hits Breakaway contained. But it didn't matter. She just needed to release that freakin' record for her sanity. A true testament that money is not her concern at all. She just want to make music because she knows it is the purpose of her life. Now, Kelly is engaged and happier than ever. She has a smooth working relationship with her management and her label. A far cry from the depressing circumstances she had to deal with just to be taken seriously as a writer and artist. Nevertheless, I am so happy that Kelly doesn't have to put up a memoir full of lies (as an Expresser said, better transfer that shit to the fiction section) just to sell books.

Thank you for standing up even though the forces are against you, Kel. You handle everything with class and your self awareness and awareness of what is happening around you prevents you from falling into the black hole many famed personalities has succumbed into. Your genuine light in this dark industry will surely inspire musicians all over the world to speak up and feel free to fight for the music they believe in and do things for themselves and not to please other people. You will never need lies and deception because blessings will always be by your side. You won't even need to chase them, they'll chase you.

"It's not about the money or even about my time. It's just I can't stand for you to think you're right. - Between The Lines, Kelly Clarkson