Kelly Clarkson 'nowhere near' retirement

Kelly Clarkson is 'nowhere near' retirement.

The 'Miss Independent' hitmaker has just released her 'Greatest Hits Chapter One' album to commemorate 10 years in the music industry since becoming the first winner of 'American Idol' in 2002, but she is struggling to get her head around reaching such a milestone.

'I'm 30 but the label said, 'Let's do a greatest hits,' she said.

'Each record is a chapter of your life and I will only retire when it stops being fun. But right now I'm nowhere near.'

The track Kelly is proudest of is her song 'Because Of You', released in 2004 - as it brings back memories of her as a young songwriter.

She added to the Daily Star newspaper: ''Because Of You' was my baby because I wrote it when I was a kid, then it went to number one worldwide, which meant a lot as a singer and a writer.'

Now she has achieved her goals and become a pop star, Kelly is keen to help other aspiring artists build their careers.

'I did this show called 'Duets' in the States where I was a mentor to a guy and a girl. We've got her two songs to demo,' she explained.

'I didn't realise how into it I would be but people who are starting out always want something from you so it's nice to help them out.'