OnlyOnAOL: Kelly Clarkson talks motherhood, album, and wine

By: Donna Freydkin

That black dress with the white collar Kelly Clarkson wore? It's attire fitting for a "published author," jokes the music superstar behind the kid's book "River Rose and the Magical Lullaby."

She's got two kids with her husband, talent manager Brandon Blackstock: River Rose, 2, and Remy, 6 months. And her book was inspired by traveling the world with daughter River, whose passport was brimming with stamps by the time she was 1. Clarkson started jotting down little stories of their adventures together, and the book was born.

Traveling with her crew, says Clarkson, is no joke.

"It is intense. We have a village," says Clarkson. "I'm such a mom. Bottle of wine and a Bible. Help me Jesus."

Clarkson won the 2002 season of "American Idol," and rose to worldwide fame on the strength of such hits as "Because of You" and "Already Gone."

Now, she's ready to showcase her more soulful side, after a run-in with comedian and talk-show host Steve Harvey after her deeply stirring performance at the 2013 inauguration of President Obama.

The new music, she says, is very soulful, urban and edgy. "It's definitely not pop-rock. It's anthems with some stank," says Clarkson.

We can thank Harvey, whom she calls one of her favorite people. When they met, he said to her, "'Oh my god, I didn't know you could, like, sing.' I was like, 'What have I been doing for 14 years?' (He said), 'You should make a record like that. Where's that record?' It's coming. You're gonna know it."

Steve Harvey, we owe you one.