Kelly Clarkson had the honor of launching the new year on ‘Saturday Night Live’ last evening as the show’s first musical guest of 2012. As such, the bubbly singer delivered two performances for the viewing audience – ‘Mr. Know It All’ and ‘What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)’.

Clarkson’s ‘Stronger’ album has sold 451K copies in the US since being released on October 24th 2011. The project’s lead single, ‘Mr. Know It All’, peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on the Official UK Singles Chart.

Watch Clarkson’s ‘SNL’ set below:

‘Mr. Know It All’

‘What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger)’

Clarkson has really improved as a vocalist throughout the years. Although her voice is clearly rougher than it was during her days on ‘American Idol’, she has more control over her instrument. However, that was not the best aspect of this performance.

What really made watching Clarkson enjoyable was her facial expressions at the end. She just looked so happy to be there and for people to hear her music. That is the trademark of a true artist.

Thoughts?