'Duets' Kelly Clarkson: 'There's not a whole lot of variety going on'

Kelly Clarkson: Yes. Forget that we're all in competition with each other, just think of it like we're all on the radio. There's room for everyone; there's room for stuff that sounds like Adele, for stuff that sounds like Kesha, for stuff that sounds like Blake Shelton.

I think how you get to the top is by competing with yourself, and that's what I did on "American Idol." Every week, I'd try to one-up something or to showcase something different that I thought maybe other people couldn't do. It's like a strategy of knowing when to hold back or shine.

PICS: Meet the 'Duets' contestants

Zap2it: What's your thought about nurturing two other singers on "Duets"?

Kelly Clarkson: I think it'd be cool to get into artist development, aside from my own career. I love finding people who are supertalented and who I believe in. Even with artists I love, like Patty Griffin or the Civil Wars before they blew up, I sing songs that aren't really big but that I feel need to be in the spotlight ... just because I'm a huge fan of music and of different genres of it.

Zap2it: You've been a big supporter of one performer having different singing styles, as you've shown in your own career. What's your rationale for that?

Kelly Clarkson: Nowadays, it's like the same 10 songs on [radio] rotation, and they're all from the same producer. There's not a whole lot of variety going on.

"Duets" airs Thursdays on ABC.