In the summer of 2002, four little words -- "A Moment Like This" -- catapulted Kelly Clarkson from small-town Texas karaoke-singing waitress to the first American Idol superstar. Three years later, her second album Breakaway had five hit singles, including "Since U Been Gone," one of the top pop hits of the year. A pair of Grammy awards, multiple platinum designations, and an endorsement deal with Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) followed, and "Miss Independent" was on top of the world, albeit still under some creative control of 19 Entertainment and the Idol family.

In 2007, a matured Clarkson was dealing with a breakup in her personal life and a desire for a darker sound. She wrote or co-wrote every track on her third album effort, My December, which was released in late June to mixed critical reviews and sales that paled in comparison to Breakaway and her debut, Thankful. In the six months following its release, fewer than a million copies had been purchased in the U.S. Perhaps the edgier tone to the record alienated her teeny-bopper fans.

Kelly parted ways with her management company in June, with a source telling tabloid Us Weekly that there was disagreement "over the songs and the direction" of My December. Low ticket sales then prompted the cancellation of her summer arena tour.

But Kelly's still young and vibrant, with a good head on her shoulders and a great voice for pop music. She's embarking upon a tour of smaller venues earlier next year and already at work on her fourth album. I'm confident she'll be back on top again ... there will be another "moment like this" for the American Idol groundbreaker.

Beth Gaston Moon is an analyst at Schaeffer's Investment Research.

Be sure to check out other Money Losers of 2007.

Money Losers of 2007: Kelly Clarkson's edgier sound leads to ebbing sales originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 21 Dec 2007 11:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.