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.' 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," she said.

The track Kelly is most proud of on the album is her "baby" of a song "Because Of You," released in 2004, as it brings back memories of her as a young songwriter: "'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. I didn't realize 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," she explained.