Clarkson to Perform in May, Mika in June

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia

Staff Reporter

American pop star Kelly Clarkson, the winner of the first American Idol, will be hitting the stage in Seoul for the first time in May.

Clarkson will be performing at the Olympic Hall, at Olympic Park, in southern Seoul on May 4. Seoul is the first stop on the Asian leg of her ``All I Ever Wanted World Tour.''

Clarkson shot to stardom after being voted the winner on the first season of ``American Idol'' in 2002. Since 2003, she has released four albums _ ``Thankful,'' ``Breakaway,'' ``My December'' and, the latest one, ``All I Ever Wanted.'' She has won two Grammy Awards ― Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for ``Since U Been Gone'' and Best Pop Vocal Album for ``Breakaway'' in 2006.

The 27-year-old singer-songwriter is known for the hit songs ``A Moment Like This,'' ``Because of You,'' ``Miss Independent,'' ``Since U Been Gone,'' ``Breakaway'' and ``I Do Not Hook-up.'' Last year, Clarkson's single ``My Life Would Suck Without You'' topped the Billboard charts a week after its release.

Aside from the Seoul concert, Clarkson will also be appearing on ``Super Star K,'' a talent show on cable music network M.net, on May 3. She will be appearing as a judge for the show's third preliminary audition.

Tickets for the concert range from 77,000 to 132,000 won. Visit https://ticket.interpark.com/Global/ (English).

Meanwhile, British pop singer Mika will be returning to Seoul for a second time in June.

Mika, whose hits include ``Grace Kelly'' and "Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)," will be holding his second concert on June 12 at the Olympic Hall, in Olympic Park, in southern Seoul. Since it coincides with the World Cup match of South Korea versus Greece, the concert will be held at 6 p.m. After the concert, fans can stay at the hall to watch the football match at 8:30 p.m.

The singer-songwriter shot to stardom in 2007 with his critically acclaimed debut ``Life In Cartoon Motion," which was filled with fresh-sounding pop music. The first single, ``Grace Kelly,'' spent five weeks in the number one spot in the U.K. charts, and the album sold four million copies in just 10 months in Europe. His second album, ``Boy Who Knew Too Much,'' was released last year, and included the hits ``We Are Golden'' and ``Blame it on the Girls.''

Last November, Mika successfully staged a sold-out concert, his first in Seoul. His songs have been widely used in Korean TV shows and commercials, such as for SK Telecom, Asiana Airlines and KB Kookmin Bank.

Tickets range from 77,000 to 99,000 won. Visit https://ticket.interpark.com/Global/ (English). Call concert organizer Yellow Nine at (02) 3444-9969(English booking available).