Will Kelly Clarkson dethrone Adele on the Hot 100?

Kelly Clarkson‘s “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” rockets to No. 2 on this week’s Hot 100, narrowly missing out on the top spot thanks to the almighty Adele and her latest monster hit “Set Fire to the Rain”.

Much like the infamous Susan Boyle chart reign of 2009 –which saw the Scottish diva stop the likes of Alicia Keys and Mary J. Blige from bagging No. 1 albums– Adele has effortlessly cockblocked every chart challenger in her path for months.

The power of Adelegend just stopped Lana Del Rey’s Born to Die from topping the Billboard 200, and now Kelly is suffering the same fate, but unlike Lana, Kelly still has a fighting chance at nabbing that No. 1 spot.

The biggest wedge between Kelly and that No.1 right now is airplay. While “Stronger” was the top selling digital song this week with 225,000 copies, “Set Fire to the Rain” still managed to cling to the top off of strong airplay. Kelly’s making rapid gains at radio, but so is Adele, and she’s already much further ahead, so Kelly’s going to need those big digital sales if she wants “Stronger” to become her third chart topping single.

Adele may be tough competition, but according to Billboard, Kelly’s still in with a chance.

“Stronger” has now been the top selling single on iTunes for over a week, and on February 5th, Kelly will sing the national anthem before the Super Bowl at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. With the mammoth TV audience expected, the exposure could give Kelly the boost she needs to topple Adele.

She better make it quick, though, because on February 12th Adele will deliver her first performance in months live at the Grammy Awards. Sure, Kelly is performing there too, but she’ll be singing “Don’t You Wanna Stay” with Jason Aldean, and with the inevitable Adele Grammy sweep that we all know is coming, there won’t be much room for anybody else on iTunes for at least a week after the show.

I love you Adele, but c’mon Kelly — snatch that No. 1!

BTW: Did anybody else notice that RCA changed the name from “What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)” to “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”? Much better, but they should have just called it that in the first place...

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 2nd, 2012 at 2:03 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  • DRB

    If her sales don’t falter and she keeps gaining airplay. Either way, next week will be close. After the Grammy’s, the rest of February probably belongs to Adele.

  • http://twitter.com/curdey Michael Curd

    Thats so wack – surely everyone is sick of Adele by now – I know I certainly am!! Mind you I think What Doesn’t Kill You is a shit track and I can’t believe it’s doing as well as it is lol..and same goes for Lana Del Rey (ugh I cant stand that broad – her career is like her lips – overinflated and fake as all hell)

  • vlad

    c’mon KELLY!!!!

  • DRB

    Is there anything you aren’t #pressed about?

  • xx

    the one that got away~~

  • http://twitter.com/ThatBoyLuke luke Marriott

    I hardly listen to Kelly since she used to really annoy me when she first came out but she is a nice person and has a great voice and i’m really happy for her that she’s finally regaining some success, i hope she does hit No1.

  • BRoolprop

    ONLY RIHANNA N KATY PERRY CAN REMOVE ADELE FROM THE NUMBER ONE SPOT

  • Bobs

    The Grammy’s fuel insanely massive sales.  If Adele wins album of the year in addition to singing for the first time after all the throat drama, and it’s currently the #1 song – she will be unstoppable for WEEKS, even months.  Not one week.   I predict 400k for SFTTR and 300-500k sales for 21. 
    I wonder if she can be the first person to reach 10m sales in god knows how long…..    well over 10 years.  

  • addity28

    @BRoolprpop…. your statement was very laughable… 

  • Kel12892

    I agree I’m so tired of her. Like, her songs are good but, let’s move on people. There is other music out there.

  • Anonymous

    Agreed.

  • Popblock

    I hope so.. she deserves it to be honest. Even if it is just one week and Adele re-takes the top, at least she can still have the bragging rights of a number one.

    Kelly has always been so flawless.

  • Heavymetallamb

    Since Usher’s Confessions album went diamond.

  • Jairfuentes18

    Just so people know, YouTube views also help Billboard chart positions. If you’ve already bought the song, keep requesting it on radio & repeatedly watch the video. Here, get started & let’s get Kelly to #1!!! 
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn676-fLq7I

  • http://twitter.com/ThatBoyLuke luke Marriott

    Katy Perry isn’t hitting No1 again with this album, even with her try hard tactics…

  • Guest

    Who cares if Kelly gets a #1? If she’s #2 on the charts and maintains sales and airplay then Stronger will have been a big hit. That’s good enough for me. A #2 with longevity is way better than a #1 that quickly falls off (*cough* katy perry *cough*) so it’s all good.

  • http://twitter.com/themusicprophet The Music Prophet

    Adele obviously deserves every bit of success that she’s been earning. I won’t be sad if she remains at #1, because ‘Set Fire To the Rain’ is one of the best cuts of ’21′ hands down. However, that being said, Kelly Clarkson has undeniably one of the best voices in the industry, and she deserves to be successful. While ‘Stronger’ isn’t her best album consistency wise, It is certainly a great pop/rock record, and deserves to remain in the charts. 

    I’m personally ecstatic to see ‘What Doesn’t Kill You’ hit #2 … That’s nothing to be ashamed of for Kelly by any means, in fact, that actually makes the song one of her most successful singles to date. While a #1 would be amazing, i’m happy with #2, as long as the consistent success of the single continues to push sales of ‘Stronger’.

    Currently, ‘Stronger’ is pushing the 600k mark, which is right on par with Kelly’s last album ‘All I Ever Wanted’. If she can pull of another couple of singles that hit the top 10, or even the top 2 spots like this, I think this album will go on to outsell ‘Wanted’, and that would be amazing for Kelly. 

  • http://twitter.com/curdey Michael Curd

    Lol of course, I did actually notice my post was really negative after I posted it. Don’t get me wrong, I like Kelly Clarkson, she’s a nice gal, but I just think the song is really poor. But I promise for every negative comment I make 3 positive ones ;)

  • Anonymous

    Agree with you!

  • Anonymous

    Thanks Proph! Thanks for the write up! I always enjoy Kelly news

  • DRB

    that’s nice.

  • MUSIC LOVER

    I co-sign everything you said.

    I know “Dark Side” will continue the momentum “Stronger” has built.

  • http://www.memorabilia4music.co.uk/ Carlin 

    According to me Adele deserve this success.Her “Set Fire To the Rain” is the best song .It doesn’t matter is if she remains at #1.She maintains sales and airplay.Its enough for her fans.You’ve made some great points and it’s written really well.

  • http://www.memorabilia4music.com/ Charles 

    Adele is amazing singer.She has a huge fans list.Up & downs  are normal in everyone’s life.Just focus own your aim.Some interesting thoughts on the subject. Looking forward to see what else you post in the future.

  • Sasi

    Come on, Kelly!!!! You go girl. Get that f*cking #1. I like Adele, but come on. Kelly Clarkson is freaking amazing and her new song is so awesome. She deserves to be #1!!!!!

  • Sasi

    I love Kelly’s Stronger album. I love all her albums, but this one is really special and has a great powerful theme. I almost love it more than Breakaway and My December. Yeah, I said that.

  • Sasi

    How can Kelly possibly annoy anyone? She is the sweetest coolest funniest down-to-earth honest Diva to ever live. WTF??

  • Sasi

    The song is great and inspiring. It is fun to jam to and exercise to as well. I don’t understand your comment at all.

  • Sasi

    Sad but true. I like Adele, but I don’t really like SFTR. The title is fab, but the song is just okay to me. I hope somehow Kelly can get to #1.

  • Roxanna Logeais

    Kelly Clarkson’s, “Stronger” album is very poweful,inspirational, and uplifting. I bought the deluxe edition and I think that all of the tracks on it sounds amazing. I’m not really fond of Adele or her music though.