MANILA, Philippines?Simon Cowell rarely dishes out compliments. But when it comes to original ?Idol? champ Kelly Clarkson, the British judge is all praise. ?Kelly will be here for 30 years,? he predicted. ?She has one of the best pop voices in the world right now. What she sold in the UK, Europe and Asia had nothing to do with ?American Idol.? It had everything to do with the fact that she?s got an incredible voice. She?s not a girl who got lucky in a talent competition; we got lucky to find her.?

Since making her debut on the reality singing tilt?s premiere season in 2002, Clarkson has sold over 18 million albums worldwide, earned two Grammy Awards and enjoyed a string of Top 10 hits.

Proving that she?s no pushover, the 25-year-old singer clashed with RCA record execs when she wanted to move away from the pop-friendly sound she?d cultivated on her debut album, ?Thankful,? and follow-up effort, ?Breakaway.? For her third recording, My December, the singer wrote or co-wrote every track on the deeply personal album.

?I?m a very intimate writer,? she explains. ?I don?t have a filter; I just literally write what?s coming straight out of my head and heart. I?ve written on every album, but this one it was the entire thing and that?s why it?s more intimate and raw.?

Given that the album includes songs with titles like ?Never Again,? ?Judas? and ?Haunted,? it?s clear Clarkson has experienced heartache. ?I?m in my 20s and I think you?re always learning at this age,? she reasons. ?I?ve had some really great boyfriends, but everyone always talks about the one that?s going to come along and mess you up. And I found him!?

Looking back, she sees the romance as a learning experience. ?I learned a lot, not necessarily about the person, but about the way I handled the situation and that?s what [?My December?] is about. The record is a diary about what I went through.?

In this interview, Clarkson looks back on the show that launched her career.

Although ?American Idol? is now in its seventh season, it?s still TV?s No. 1 show. How do you explain its enduring popularity?

I think it?s been so successful because it?s not about a record label prepackaging someone and sending them out. People get to be a part of the whole process and obviously everyone likes to be included.

How has the show changed over the years?

Our season was so different from any other. We were the first ones and nobody knew [how big it would be]. We were all so tired and lived in a bubble. We were up at 4 a.m. and went to bed after 10 p.m. I remember [at the finals] peeking out from behind the curtain at the Kodak Theater and thinking, ?Man there are just a lot of people here! People must really like this show!? We didn?t realize it had blown up so fast, we didn?t get a chance to think about it. Now all these kids who audition for ?Idol? have seen what can happen and what the show is about. They know what to do.

Do you think the show is more about popularity than talent?

No, I think it really recognizes talent. I think it?s a great way for unsigned singers to be heard. Chris Daughtry didn?t even win, but he?s doing phenomenally well right now and selling millions. And Carrie Underwood has become the biggest thing in country music.

How do you explain someone like Sanjaya staying in the competition?

The show is also successful because it?s funny. It?s fun to watch people come on and do their shtick.

Have you watched every season?
I didn?t watch any season except last year?s when Jordin won. Every other year I?ve been touring overseas.

What did you learn from ?American Idol??

Not to read any press about you. We were complete nobodies and all of a sudden people were taking an interest in us. You?d go onto the Internet, excited to read about what people thought of your performance, and they would just rip you to shreds. ?What?s wrong with her hair?? ?What?s wrong with her ears?? ?Why did she do that in the song??

Are the judges fair?
They are. People tend to criticize Simon or Randy for being too harsh, but they are tame compared to music critics. And they are nothing compared to what people say about you in magazines. People might say the judges are being too mean, but they are just setting us up for what the real industry is like ... You?ve got to have thick armor if you?re going to do this job.

Are you still in touch with any of the judges?

I?m not in touch with them on a daily basis, but we always run into each other at different events.

Some press reports suggest Paula Abdul is drunk during ?Idol.? What do you say to those claims?

Oh, that sucks. I know she comes off like she?s loopy, but when you talk to her she?s perfectly normal. I guess some people read differently on camera and in interviews.

Speaking of critics, there?s been a lot written in the press about your weight. Does that get you down?

Obviously, you don?t like hearing someone call you fat, but I grew up in a small town so I?m used to everybody having an opinion about me. Everybody wants something to talk about, so you are either going to be too skinny or too fat. When I was working a lot on my ?Breakaway? tour, I lost a dramatic amount of weight because we were working so much. Suddenly there were all these reports that I had an eating disorder. And I promise you, I will never have an eating disorder! I love food far too much. Just two months before that, they were writing that I was far too fat. You are never going to please everyone so my friends and I usually just have a good time with it.

Performers like Britney Spears have buckled under the pressures of fame. How do you stay so grounded?

I think it?s very different when you grow up in this industry. I had a normal upbringing. I went to proms and I went through that awkward junior-high stage. I?ve had some normalcy and stability in my life [whereas Britney] has lived her life under a microscope. I think it?s really hard for her. I pray for those people all the time because I don?t know how they handle it. I think the key to staying grounded in this industry is to surround yourself with good people, not yes people who are going to give in to your every request so they can stay on the gravy train.

Do you have any other tips to keep your ego in check?

I don?t live in LA, I live in Texas and I have the same friends that I?ve had since I was a kid. I work so much that there?s not a lot of time to do a lot of damage or stupid stuff. I?m not really into the fame thing, either. I just want to focus on my singing, writing and performing.

Aside from ?American Idol,? the other big contest is the Presidential race. Who are you rooting for?

I?ve just started reading up on it. And I just read Barack Obama?s book, which is phenomenal. I like Hillary. I think she?s great, but I think Barack is who I?m leaning towards right now.

(?American Idol? airs every Wednesday 6 p.m. and Thursday 8 p.m. on Star World.)