Kelly Clarkson Returns To American Idol

Kelly Clarkson is set to return to American Idol as a special guest next week, reports People Magazine. 28-year-old Kelly Clarkson rose to fame after winning the inaugural season of the television series in 2002 and later finished runner-up in the television special 'World Idol' in 2003. Clarkson will perform on next Thursday's show, when the American Idol field is whittled down to eight contestants. The 28-year-old singer will take to the stage for a performance alongside R&B star Rihanna. She rocked through a medley of her biggest hits during a recent appearance on The Ellen Degeneres Show, kicking things off with a rendition of her 2003 hit 'Miss Independent' before launching into 'Walk Away' and 'Since U Been Gone'. After being crowned American Idol champion, Clarkson released her debut album 'Thankful' which went double platinum. Her second record 'Breakaway' went multi-platinum and won two Grammy Awards. In total, Clarkson's albums have sold over 10.5 million copies in the U.S. alone. Kelly Clarkson recently took to her Facebook page to announce that her fifth studio album has been delayed. The singer said, "I recently found out that my album won't be coming out until September...The album has been recorded but I can't release it until then. I realize that is a long time but that's the best time to release it apparently, so I'm sorry for the wait but I promise you it sounds great!".