The drama never stops for Kelly Clarkson. According to Entertainment Weekly, Kelly fired her manager last night.
That would be Jeff Kwatinez, CEO of The Firm, who was said to have an Executive Producer credit on Kelly’s beleaguered soon to drop album “My December.”
A very public battle has been waged between Kelly and her label over the content of her album. Kelly and her band wrote the songs, but apparently, when BMG CEO Clive Davis heard the finished product, he did not like what he heard, but green-lighted the album anyway.
Kelly has taken her plight to the media, describing struggles with the label as she tried to take risks with her 3rd album (thanks schmanda), set to be released June 25. In a recent Elle magazine interview, Kelly bemoans the fact that she’s, ”sold more than 15 million records worldwide, and still nobody listens to what I have to say. Because I’m 25 and a woman.”
In the Elle article, Kwatinez appears as Kelly’s advocate. He says, “The label didn’t even acknowledge her ASCAP awards. It’s upsetting. They don’t want her to be a songwriter. They just want her to shut up and sing. They want her to stay their little American Idol.”
Clive Davis’s response has been to take subtle swipes at her. During his intermidable American Idol album “report card” speech during the finale, he barely mentioned Kelly, while he praised Carrie Underwood and the songwriters responsible for her success.
Roger Friedman of Fox news initially poo-pooed the rumors of tension between Kelly and her label:
… rumors have circulated on the Internet that Davis has been naysaying Clarkson’s “My December” album for odd reasons — that she wrote her own songs and didn’t take advice from her leader.
This is either some kind of urban myth that started outside the label or a PR stunt from within —maybe designed to show Clarkson is a bit of a rebel, an “American Idol” with an edge.
Then Friedman enthused:
Expect Clarkson’s “My December” to be one of summer’s few bright spots sales-wise when it hits stores June 26. The one track I really want to hear of the 14 is called “Chivas.” It’s sure to “scotch” all the rumors!”
Interestingly, within the space of 7 short days, Friedman not only abruptly changed his tune, but misquoted himself:
I told you the other day that Davis is happy enough to release “My December” even though he has misgivings about it. Clarkson, never before a songwriter, refused to use professional collaborators this time around. She wrote all the songs with her band members against the advice of her label and Davis.
Uh, Roger, that’s not what you said at all….but I digress:
But the real friction may not be between Clarkson and Davis, but between Clarkson’s manager, Jeff Kwatinetz, of The Firm, and the label.
It was only this past weekend that RCA learned Kwatinetz is being listed by Clarkson as “executive producer” of the album.
He goes on to do a mini-review of the album based on a few snippets posted at AOL. His conclusion?
Even though “My December” isn’t ready for press copies, three of its songs can be heard on AOL (all of its lyrics are available, too). None of them has the bright catchy pop hooks of Clarkson’s previous hits like “Since U Been Gone.”
And then:
On track after track, it’s clear that Kelly had a bad break-up with someone. But not being a skilled lyricist, her broken heart comes off as unsympathetic and a little childish. Someone should have given her a crash course in Carly Simon or Joni Mitchell to see how poetic justice is truly meted out.
Track after track? you heard 3 songs there, Roger. So, what do you think kids? Is Friedman schizophrenic or Clive’s Mindless Mouthpiece? We Report, You Decide! Heh.
In the Entertainment Weekly article, sources place the blame squarely on Kwatinetz:
‘He exacerbated a thermonuclear situation,” says one source close to the situation. ”Jeff did everything he could to control Kelly and her career suffered. He should have steered her in the right direction.”
And there are hints that the album might be pulled back for some retooling:
In fact, another source suggests that the album, if it hasn’t made its way to the pressing plant yet, may actually get shelved so that Clarkson and her label, headed by music legend Clive Davis, can reconsider some of the tracks. ”It’s not too late,” says the source. ”The label was supportive of Kelly in terms of putting the song out, but this album can’t flop. She needs to get the right advice and counsel.”
Did Kelly get cold feet after her first single “Never Again” performed poorly on the charts? The Elle article came out this week, and there are plenty of dishy quotes from both Kelly and Kwatinetz that surely ruffled the feathers of the label suits. Who knows, maybe the blow back from the article made Kelly think that attempting to take on the big boys was a mistake.
More will be revealed, I’m sure, as the saga continues to play out…
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Wow…just…wow.
If the album IS being shelved for a retooling (and yes, that’s a big if based on the last paragraph of the EW article), then I guess she would be firing her management because he supported her and told her the album was good, but Clive was right?
Or she just doesn’t like her management?
Or her management shouldn’t have picked a fight with Clive?
I’m so confused….
Word, Gwen.
I think it is no big deal that Clive didn’t talk about Kelly during his 6x platinum speech for Carrie since it was the AI report card of the year 2006-2007 and Kelly’s album came out in 2005 so her album sales news was the previous year.
Based upon what I have now read, Clive has no problem if an Idol writes his or her own material although he prefers if the idol teams up with proven songwriters but if he deems it not good than he is going to say so.
I have listened to Kelly’s album and there are some songs that I really like ie “Sober” and others that I don’t ie “Never Again” but I think overall the album is good but it isn’t the pop/radio-friendly album that many of her fans are used to.
In terms of her management I don’t know what to think. I thought it was Clive vs Kelly/Jeff. But now that Jeff the manager is gone….
ObNitpick: It’s not her sophomore effort if it’s her third album.
lol schmanda
Color me confused…
She fired her manager because he did a bad job, or because she wanted to fire Clive but couldn’t…
Eff you Schmanda! Heh j/k. Thanks, will re-write… You should check out new chat just sayin.
As Nevada pointed out in the daily, Kelly seems to be creating a pattern with each album she releases. Change management and complain about the lack of support for her own songwriting.
I like Kelly and can sympathise with her to an extent but think she may be hurting herself with these interviews complaining. All of this publicity is making me wonder how bad the album is. It’s certainly not making me excited to hear it.
She just seems bitter…for some reason.
She really needs to stop saying “and they don’t take me seriously because I’m 25 and a woman.” It just screams insecurity–which is a vicious cycle because if she’s insecure she won’t be taken seriously…and she is 25 and a woman….and she’s insecure so she won’t be taken seriously…and….
First, let me say that I am completely biased when it comes to Kelly—I simply adore her! And it goes far beyond just her singing voice. From the beginning, amongst her many, many positive attributes, she has always come across as a really decent human being. I feel this latest turmoil is more about her fighting the monster that is the music business more than anything else. One of her new songs is along those lines…there were apparently 8 people whom she trusted who really screwed her. She is very strong-willed and has always been totally unaffected by her “fame”. For her, it truly is about the singing! I wish her the very best and am in her corner all the way.
Now, I always have to listen to her new songs several times before I am able to “get into” them. I am, after all, 58 and she is certainly not my generation! I can actually hum “Never Again” and even know a lot of the words. Love the video. This should make my annual Kelly concert in August that much more enjoyable. Give ‘em hell, Kelly!
This is so annoying. All this drama will take attention away from what is, in my opinion, a damn good album. It’s just unneccesary.
Kelly has talent as a writer. But her songs just are not at the level of Since You Been Gone or Breakaway. She should have compromised and done a few songs by outside writers, a few songs with outside writers and a few songs just from her and her band.
Since You Been Gone is a classic piece of writing that could have been a hit for anyone–the same is true of Breakaway. Behind These Hazel Eyes, Because of You, and Walk Away were hits because the first two singles from her album propelled Kelly to superstar status and primed the pump so that fans would buy almost anything she put out that year. They certainly wouldn’t have been hits for less successful artists. Clive knows this– Kelly doesn’t.
Never Again shows talent, but it is not a well-crafted song. It takes way too long to get to the chorus, and it’s not all that catchy– even though it has “catchy” pieces, that just aren’t exploited correctly.
This album will slow Kelly’s career.
For me, the jury is still out on the success of Kelly’s new CD–much too early to tell.
Kelly fatigue. Yup, that’s what I got. There’s a thin line in the PR world that you don’t want to cross - where you risk achieving the opposite of what you’d intended. You’re not Prince, honey. Get over it.
Totally agree Chrissey58 - waaaaay to early to tell, the CD’s not even out, lol. I think a lot of people will buy it just because Kelly put up a fight. I’ve always loved her, but have more love for her now that she fought for what she wanted. I’m so sick of those crusty old men always calling the shots.
Rock on Clarkson!
i never bought kelly’s first album. i bought the 2nd one more than a year after it debuted. but i’m pumped for this one. I’m excited about it because she actually wrote the songs. I dunno, I just feel like their haven’t been that many female singer/songwriters lately at least not on popular radio.
I admire Kelly for sticking to her guns. She wanted to make an album about her music - her passion. The label, I presume, wanted her to produce more pop songs instead of her rock that she so loves. They gave her a hard time, she got fed up, fired her management. That happens all the time. Clive Davis was not happy with her album because he probably felt that it would not be accepted like her other two. God forbid that she could actually prove herself to be creative and decisive.
Davis did the same thing to Clay. He had quite a bit of original material ready for his album and had to chuck the whole thing because Davis “mandated” he do an album of covers. Well, Clay got screwed. His CD, which was not actually a flop, did not do as well as it should have. RCA did not promote it, they totally threw him to the wind to fend for himself. So I say to Kelly - you go girl!!!
Weirdly enough, the more bitter Kelly gets, the more I genuinely like her persona. I know insecurity can lead to a downward spiral, but I also know how truly frustrating it can be for an ambitious 20something woman and I was heartened to see the same concerns coming from someone as high-profile as her. I was reading the linked articles above and just yelling at my computer, “Dammit, Kelly, you’re awesome!” I like this new Crabby!Kelly much more than I ever tolerated CoolBeans!Kelly. She seems more candid and ballsy but still friendly enough.