Miss Independent (Kelly Clarkson Song)

Miss Independent (Kelly Clarkson Song)

"Miss Independent" is a song by American recording artist Kelly Clarkson. It served as the lead single from her debut studio album, Thankful (2003). Written by Christina Aguilera, Clarkson, Rhett Lawrence, and Matt Morris, with Lawrence serving as producer, it was released by RCA Records on April 10, 2003. The track was initially intended for Aguilera's second album Stripped (2002), but was later given to Clarkson after failing to finish the song at the time of Stripped’s development.

"Miss Independent" is a pop rock song with R&B influences, it tells of a story of an independent woman who finally allows to break her emotional and communication barriers to fall in love. Its theme of self-sufficiency would later served as a template for Clarkson's subsequent releases. The song generally received positive response from music critics, while criticism targeted the song's similarity to Aguilera's material. In 2012, Clarkson re-recorded a live version of the song on her greatest hits album as "Miss Independent (Live 2012)"

The song became a commercial success, it helped in presenting Clarkson's "girl next door" image to the public and contributed in eliminating her "American Idol" persona, thus critics began referring her as the titular Miss Independent. In the United States, it peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Pop Songs and peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also attained a top ten position in Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. It eventually sold certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and was nominated Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 46th Grammy Awards in 2004. The song's accompanying music video was directed by Liz Friedlander, and featured Clarkson singing at a house party. The video received three nominations at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards.