Kelly Clarkson Has No Regrets Moving to N.Y.C. for ‘Fresh Start’: ‘It Was the Best Decision for Her’ (Exclusive Source)

Kelly Clarkson put her happiness first when she moved to New York City last year.

After years in Los Angeles, the Grammy winner packed up her life with her two young children and headed to the Big Apple, taking her hit talk show with her. Now, a source tells PEOPLE that it all worked out for the best.

“The move to N.Y.C. was a fresh start for her that she has never regretted,” the insider says. “She had not been happy in Los Angeles for a while but was still nervous about moving. It was the best decision for her though. They thrive as a family.”

Clarkson, 42, her daughter River, 10, and son Remington “Remy,” 8, moved to New York in 2023, just ahead of the start of the fifth season of her NBC talk show The Kelly Clarkson Show, which was renewed for a season 7 on Monday, Dec. 16.

The source says Clarkson — who released the holiday album When Christmas Comes Around… in 2021 — is currently in “full holiday spirit,” and feels “beyond grateful for her fans.”

“She feels very fortunate to continue her career in a way that makes it possible for her to balance work with being a mom,” the source says. “She’s very appreciative of everything.”

The “Underneath the Tree” singer previously opened up to PEOPLE in November 2023 about her decision to move to New York City, just over one year after finalizing her divorce from ex-husband Brandon Blackstock in June 2022.

The star said she “really needed the change” of uprooting her life, as she’d spent the last three years in Los Angeles feeling “very depressed.”

Clarkson said she enjoyed “walking to and from work” at 30 Rockefeller Center and appreciated New York’s “beautiful energy” — including the fact that fans often respect her personal space, even while riding the subway.

“All celebrities should know this. When you live here, people do recognize you, but they just say, ‘Oh, hey, what’s up?’ And then they keep walking. It’s incredible,” she said. “I have literally never been bothered on the subway. Maybe just like, ‘Oh, hey, I like your music,’ but then they walk off. That’s what I love about New Yorkers. Everybody’s got their own life. They’re like, ‘Yours is not more important than mine, so have a nice day.'”

The star opened up about the move again to PEOPLE in a January cover story, saying that leaving Los Angeles had done wonders for her mental health.

“I’d just been showing up and smiling and doing what I’m supposed to do,” she said. “But you can only compartmentalize so long until you break.”