TOTP: So you've gone very rock chick for the new single. Is that more the typical Kelly Clarkson?

Kelly: Well I grew up singing a lot of soulful stuff, like I grew up listening to a lot of Aretha or Aerosmith and Guns 'n' Roses, so I've always been kind of soulful rock. But this record we did, we went more rock-pop with it.

TOTP: Do you have lots of fun performing it?

Kelly: It is so much fun to perform. Like I've had so much fun on this past tour, but we still like if you come and see us on tour. There's a whole blues section and there's some urban stuff in there as well. So it's kind of all over the place.

TOTP: Is it a relief to know that someone else now has the responsibility of singing the cheesy ballads from American Idol?

Kelly: No. The only thing that is cool about it is that from that point I had just got in the business, and obviously unaware of a lot of things. So now I'm a bit more industry savvy and I know a lot more and I have a bit more reign, you know, control of the reins. That's with any job though, so obviously this point is better than the point when I won.

TOTP: The rumour is that you were asked your opinion of this year's contestants just before they announced the winner, and you didn't know who any of them were. Is that true?

Kelly: Er...yes! To be honest with you I hadn't seen one show. Like even mine, I hadn't seen my finale till like six months afterwards. I'm always on tour whenever the show's on so yeah I can't keep up with it.

TOTP: Do you think you'd watch if you had chance?

Kelly: Yeah, I'd probably watch yeah. I mean I like watching performers so yeah.

TOTP: Do you think that success in the UK is really important, when you're already big in the states?

Kelly: Yeah, I mean my biggest goal with this record is to be more in Europe. Like I've done really well in Australia and Asia and everywhere else, but Europe I haven't really come and toured or anything. So my big thing with my management is to come more in Europe and kind of get over here. Just because I like travelling, so...

TOTP: So we'll see more of you hopefully?

Kelly: Yeah I mean my record's coming out July 7th I believe...[thinks]...July 4th, that's a holiday! OK, cool beans! Anyway it comes out July 4th and I'll be coming back after my tour in the states and hopefully doing a big tour here, so...

TOTP: Your album artwork has been redesigned for the UK release and it's a lot sexier. Is that a cunning plan cos you want loads of men to buy your records?

Kelly: Oh no. I'm not that sexy so that's not possible. No we just changed the images. We did a huge photo shoot in the states and a lot of them we didn't get to use and I thought "well, why don't we make it special for the Europe release?" So we ended up changing all the pictures but...no I'm not that sexy, so that wouldn't be possible!

TOTP: [Protectively] Awww...you're alright...

Kelly: No, I'm more cute like your niece-next-door or something.

TOTP: Actually, in a lot of the photos for your Europe release your hair is obscuring your face. Is that cos you like your hair, or dislike your face?

Kelly: [laughs] No, I like my hair but whenever I perform my hair's all over the place because I'm usually jumping around. So I think I just like it. Like in the photo shoots we do tons of different shots but the photographer's always picking the ones where my hair's blowing across. It just looks more artistic I guess, so yeah I like that.

TOTP: Now, in your new video you're trashing your ex's flat...

Kelly: Yeah.

TOTP: So, just how much wrath should we expect if you've been scorned?

Kelly: Oh, I've been scorned and there was no wrath. There was just forgetting so I'm not that person. I mean I get upset, but I don't get bitter and trash people's apartments. I just don't talk to them ever again. They're not worth my time usually. But it was fun to do that. You know kinda like being in a movie, you know, a mini movie and acting like you're crazy. It was cool.

TOTP: So when we come to write the big book of pop history in forty years time, what would you like to see in your entry?

Kelly: Wow! I'd just like to be in the damn book I guess. Usually my favourite thing whenever I get, like, reviews after shows now, my favourite thing is, "she got her first step from Idol but has totally proved herself", you know, "...And became one of the coolest pop icons" that'd be cool. I don't really know. I just wanna be in the damn book!