Miss Independent

The Firm rejiggered Clarkson's media strategy, keeping her profile low so that audiences won't tire of her. (She didn't need to be cautioned to stay out of the tabloids; a big night out for her is Chili's and a movie with friends.) The Firm fought to make sure that RCA promoted Clarkson's music at radio stations and in stores and removed American Idol from her official bio. (A recent controversy in which Idol judge Simon Cowell alleged Clarkson had not authorized her songs for use on the show appears to have been a misunderstanding; Clarkson says she allowed their use as soon as she was asked.) The Firm also counseled her to go back and learn a few tricks of the trade. "American Idol gave Kelly a lot of exposure that allowed her to skip some steps in her development, and that's hazardous," says Kwatinetz. Rather than play sprawling amphitheaters, Clarkson gave up hundreds of thousands of dollars in ticket revenues and spent this past summer touring smaller theaters to hone her performance skills. "I've got more than enough money," says Clarkson, whose chief extravagance is a 12-acre ranch in Fort Worth with a go-cart track. "I plan on making this my life, and I want people to know I can put on a show, that I'm serious about it."

To that end, Clarkson has written 35 new songs, which she hopes will ease her transition from pop singer reliant on other people's hits into rocker who sings from her point of view. Davis is doing his best to keep an open mind. "Kelly has shown writing ability, and I think she's probably going to want to try her hand at writing all her material in the future," says Davis. "I don't want to dismiss it, I'm rooting for her, but we'll see." Clarkson agrees that her songs should only make the cut when "they're better than the things other people write," she says, "but I think a lot of these songs could be hits. They're really, really good." There's no reason to doubt her. After all, the only thing she's proved she can't do is act.