Kelly Clarkson I needed a fresh start'

THE SINGER TURNED TALK SHOW HOST GETS REAL ABOUT LIFE AS A SINGLE MOM, DATING AFTER DIVORCE AND WHY SHE'LL NEVER AGAIN COMPROMISE HER HAPPINESS 

- JULIE JORDAN

Kelly Clarkson's 2023 included some pretty impressive highlights, but if you ask the superstar, there's one memory that bubbles to the top: when her daughter River Rose, 9, and son Remington Alexander, 7, joined her onstage at her Las Vegas residency in August. "They were a little nervous, but it was their idea, not mine," Clarkson says of her children, whom she shares with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, 47. Performing in front of a sold-out theater, River opted for a duet of her mom's hit "Heartbeat Song," while Remington gleefully danced backup as Clarkson sang "Whole Lotta Woman." As her kids watched their mom captivate the audience, "I was like, 'I feel like how you're looking at me is how you watch Spider-Man," Clarkson recalls. "It caught me completely off guard, and it was the most magical moment because they were so happy and at ease. They were just in awe."