The GRAMMY nominee also revealed secrets to staying sane as a mom, and what she and her husband do for fun without the kids.
Kelly Clarkson looked stunning on the red carpet in a Christian Siriano gown at Sunday night's GRAMMYs, but she was also carrying an important accessory with her.
The GRAMMY nominee spoke with ET's Nischelle Turner and Cameron Mathison about why she opted to hold the flower in her hand for the night.
"We had the dressed planned before the white rose thing came up, so I went, 'I'll carry it romantically,'" Clarkson explained. Many stars wore white roses on the carpet in support of the Time's Up movement, and Clarkson was adamant about its importance in all industries.
"It is something that happens not only in the music industry, or in the film industry. It happens everywhere, even with my friends who have 'normal' jobs," the 35-year-old said. "And I think that's the whole reason."
"It's not like we're trying to beat a dead horse, we're trying to challenge people and keep it relevant and in constant thought," she continued.
The mom of four also noted that it's important to teach respect to everyone, especially the younger generation. "[It's about] making sure that we're teaching our children to do better than we've done. We have four kids, two boys, two girls, we not only teach our women, we teach our boys how to be men."
Clarkson is nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance alongside another powerful mom, Pink. "It was awesome that our song[s] was eligible, our single[s]. And the category we're in is insane, it's, like, Kesha, Lady Gaga, Ed Sheeran, Pink and I," she said of the unexpected nomination for her single, "Love So Soft."
Another surprise? Clarkson is a big Khalid fan! And she owes it to her stepdaughter.
"She turned me on to him," she said. "I hadn't heard him. She was like, 'You're going to love this guy.' I watched his videos, he's so good."
The up-and-coming artist has apparently helped provide a soundtrack to Clarkson's hobbies at home. "I love quilting, it's like a hobby of mine," she admitted. "I literally threw him on vinyl, him and, like, Chris Stapleton and Carole King, and i just let it go. He's, like, the best vibe music ever."
Speaking of quilting, Clarkson revealed that it just might be one of the things helping her be an awesome mom. The secret? "Mom time and dad time."
"You don't want to lose your identity. Being a mother is the most powerful and rewarding thing ever, but I think the reason why I might be doing OK at it is that I do make sure that I have my me time. Or else you go crazy and you lose yourself in it. And we've heard that story too many times. For not just moms, but for fathers," she said.
Clarkson and her husband, Brandon Blackstock, are enjoying family life, but Clarkson is still dying over his Carpool Karaoke appearance last year.
"Literally, that was a miracle," she joked. "And then he got on there and talked about porn! I was like what!?! I was like,"Just so you know, it's OK to watch, but we don't watch it," she added with a laugh.
Her daughter, River Rose, is also giving Mom a bit of a fright with her favorite kinds of movies.
"We watch all these movies that she's way too young for, but she loves. And she always wants to see the monster parts!" Clarkson said with a laugh.
"She's like, 'I want to see the monster again!' My mom is afraid," she added.
Guess that explains why River was so excited to meet Gaston.
But fangirling seems to run in the family. Clarkson was still gushing about her run in with Meryl Streep at the Golden Globes earlier this month.
"She caressed my face and it was this cheek," she declared, holding the left side of her face.
"I thought she was so nice, because people probably do that to her all the time, so she's probably annoyed, but she was so graceful and classy about it....She's just awesome," she continued.
And the fangirling extends to her upcoming gig as a coach on The Voice, where she chose Hailee Steinfeld as the mentor for her team.
"Obviously I was a big fan of her, not only as an actress, but as a musician, as a singer. She was so lovely...We had such a great time and my team was really excited about her being there," Clarkson said.
"It's a momment," she added. "I don't think they've ever had someone being an actress and a singer, that dominant at the same time."
For more on Clarkson and her adorable family, watch the video below!
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