Kelly Clarkson: ‘I Get Hit On by the Hottest Girls Ever’

While many a famous female may shy away from talking about her love life, songstress Kelly Clarkson isn’t hiding the fact that she’s head-over-heels in love with her new fiancé, music manager Brandon Blackstock. "Brandon's totally the one. I've never been so happy," she says in the February issue of Cosmopolitan, later adding, “I've never been truly loved like I am right now.”

But thanks to six years of being single in the spotlight, some fans thought that when she finally did find “the one,” it would be Ms. Right instead of Mr. Right.

“People think, "Oh, she's been single for too long." That's kind of an insult to the gay community. Being single doesn't mean you're gay. But I'm never insulted by it, obviously,” explains the 30-year-old, who says she’s instead been flattered. “I mean, I get hit on by the hottest girls ever. Oh, my god, if I were a lesbian, I would be so in luck. But it's just not my thing. I've always batted for the boys' team.”

As for the men who make passes at her, well, that’s a different story. “Usually the guys who hit on me are tools. It's the ones that don't hit on you that make you like "Why didn't you ask me out?" It's like “American Idol” auditions: The guys who are the most confident are the horrible ones, and the ones who are good have no confidence at all.” It’s hard to believe it’s been more than a decade since Clarkson won the first-ever season of the now iconic reality competition show, although Clarkson says it seems even longer to her. “It feels like 20 years. Things were so weird, so fast for me, that I kind of skipped over the surreal part,” she explains. And she’s finally beyond getting hung up on the fact not everyone is going to take a young female songwriter seriously.

“I think that it takes a while. And also, I would compromise and bend and break to get people to respect me. I kept thinking that they're never gonna respect what I do--but the thing I've learned is, I'm not working for that,” shares the Texas native. “ I learned at 30: Okay, I don't really care if people respect me. I love what I do. And if I don't wanna do something, just say no and I don't need a reason. I used to be a major people pleaser, and that was my biggest downfall.”

Another lesson? Learning to lose weight the right way, which helped Clarkson – whose weight seems to be constant fodder for the media – to lose 18 pounds.

“I think that happens when you fall in love or date someone. If I'm going to be kissing or messing around, I gotta look good. There's not a fad diet," says the "Before Your Love" singer, who got engaged last month. "I was working with a trainer, and she said, ‘You'd be amazed the amount of weight you can drop by halving your portions. I know it sounds crazy, but do it for two weeks and watch what happens.' I just cut back my portions, I stopped eating late at night, and I work out a little more than I used to … I think it happens when you get really busy as well. But when I'm on my off-time--girl, those 18 might come back.”